Hundreds mourn pregnant teenager killed by 'womb raider' family as husband carries her coffin at funeral
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of slain pregnant teenager Marlen Ochoa-Lopez on Saturday, days after she was brutally killed by a family of "womb raiders" who cut out her unborn baby after luring her to their home promising to give her children's clothing.
The 19-year-old was strangled on April 23 and the family allegedly cut her son out from her womb in Chicago. The heinous assault reportedly went undetected for at least three weeks.
The infant, however, managed to survive and his condition is being monitored in an intensive care unit at the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
The assailants allegedly brought the newborn to the medical facility, claiming he was their own.
The teen's husband Yovany was pictured carrying his wife's coffin on Saturday at the Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Stickney, Illinois. He was also joined by Marlen's family from Mexico as they said their goodbyes to her. Marlen's uncle, Jesus Maldonado, reportedly said that it "is all very hard, feels like it will never end" as the entire family gathered for the funeral to pay their respects, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Reports state that the victim's grandparent and her extended family arrived in Chicago on Thursday for the service and that is when they were introduced to her newborn son Yadiel.
A picture of Marlen on her wedding day was placed in front of her casket at the funeral home and many wore t-shirts with her picture on them as they shared their memories of her.
A family friend, Maria Martinez, who attended the service said: "There are people that don't know her, but it hurts us all. How can people be so bad?"
The funeral comes after it was revealed that Marlen's family is working with politicians to create a bill called "Marlen's Law" that would create mandatory checks at hospitals for women who turn up with babies.
The suspects—Clarisa Figueroa, 46, her daughter Desiree, 24, and Clarisa's boyfriend Piotr Bobak, 40—were all arrested and are waiting in jails for their first court appearances. They have all been charged with murder and concealing a corpse.
Marlene left her home on April 23 and was reported missing by her husband the next day.
The alleged assailants reportedly distracted her with a photo album of their dead son and then ambushed her with an electrical cable. They allegedly used a butcher's knife to cut her baby out from her womb. The suspects then, for two weeks, pretended that the baby was their own as they took him to the hospital.
However, they were caught after a DNA test proved that they were not related to the infant.
Authorities made an association after they were alerted by one of the family friends of Marlen's Facebook contact with Clarisa Figueroa. Police eventually found the teen's body in a trash can behind Figueroa's house on May 15.
The medical facility where the baby was brought is now under evaluation for not alerting the authorities when Clarisa showed up at the hospital claiming to have given birth but showed no signs of labor.