CHICAGO — The murder of 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez has made international headlines and shaken parents around the world who depend on moms groups for support, resources and a sense of connection. The body of Ochoa-Lopez, a married mother who was nine months pregnant with her second child, was discovered Tuesday in a trash bin in the backyard of a home on Chicago’s Southwest Side, police said.
Evidence shows Ochoa-Lopez was lured through Facebook and strangled to death — her baby taken from her womb, according to authorities. The way the baby was removed left him in a coma with brain damage, the teen’s family said, and the infant remained on life support as of Thursday evening.
Clarisa Figueroa, 46, and her daughter Desiree Figueroa, 24, have been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery against a child, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said. The daughter confessed to helping her mother kill Ochoa-Lopez, according to police. The mother’s boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, 40, is charged with concealing a homicidal death, police said. All three appeared in court Friday and were ordered held without bond.
“Words really cannot express how disgusting and thoroughly disturbing these allegations are,” Johnson said. “I’d like to offer my sincere condolences and prayers to Marlen’s family, who instead of celebrating the arrival of a new life into their family are now mourning Marlen’s loss.”
At a press conference Thursday, Chicago police outlined a timeline of the case:
“The defendants also were not that wise,” said Chicago Police Deputy Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan. “I mean, the body’s in a garbage can on the premises with the murder weapon inside.”
Ochoa-Lopez’s friends and family members shared with Patch Facebook posts in which Clarisa Figueroa claimed she was pregnant and due at the same time as the 19-year-old was. The 46-year-old, whose adult son died two years ago from natural causes, apparently planned to take the child and raise him as her own, police have said.
Also shared were Facebook exchanges reportedly between Ochoa-Lopez and Figueroa in which the older woman offered to give the expectant mother some baby items.
Figueroa apparently posted a GoFundMe page for the baby, according to screenshots provided by Ochoa-Lopez’s friend, Valentina Saenz; however, the page has since been taken down. The fundraiser sought $9,000, and included a picture of a newborn baby on life support.
The same day Ochoa-Lopez went missing, neighbors said Clarisa Figueroa came out of the West 77th home screaming and holding a newborn baby, saying that the baby boy was her own and that he wasn’t breathing. Police later confirmed that she tried to claim Ochoa-Lopez’s baby as her own.
Paramedics from the Chicago Fire Department were called to the home for a newborn with “CPR in progress,” and the baby was in critical condition, authorities said.
Ochoa-Lopez’s family had been searching for her since the day she disappeared. Earlier in the investigation, the family hoped a newborn baby brought to a Chicago fire station could be hers, but the child was identified as another teen’s baby. The family even hired a private detective to help speed up the investigation.
Police said DNA samples from the baby matched Ochoa-Lopez’s. The family has been visiting the baby at the hospital, and the father has named the boy Yovani Yadiel Lopez.
Ochoa-Lopez’s husband, Yovani Lopez, 20, spoke with reporters Thursday outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
“I have a lot of faith that the baby’s going to live,” he said. “God is going to give me that miracle.”
He said his 3-year-old son Joshua keeps asking where his mother is.
“I can’t explain what happened because he’s still a kid, but I try to make him happy,” Lopez said.
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Ochoa-Lopez’s father, Arnulfo Ochoa, said his daughter should have been found sooner and Supt. Johnson said he understands the family’s frustration and anger.
“All of us here are parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. So it doesn’t escape us the emotional drain that something like this takes on people,” Johnson said. “What I can tell you is this: our detectives are doing the best they can. Often in very trying situations. It’s not always the way people want it to be done, that’s just the reality of the world we live in.”
This Saturday, the Cook County medical examiner’s office is hosting the third annual Cook County Missing Persons Day to connect those who have long-term missing loved ones with resources and experts. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the county office, 2121 West Harrison St.
“Our goal is to assist families in locating their loved ones by being a centralized resource for those searching for missing relatives and friends,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar.
Those whose friends and family have been missing more than one month will be able to submit DNA samples, medical records, pictures and other records to aid in the search. Emotional support services will also be available for the families.
Shannon Antinori contributed to this report.