Infant cut out of mother during 'womb-raider' murder now breathing on his own
An infant who was in critical condition after he was ripped out of his mother's womb during what has been dubbed the "womb-raider" killing is now said to be breathing on his own without the help of machines intermittently.
We previously reported that the infant was ripped out of the womb of his mother, 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, after 46-year-old Clarisa Figueroa and her daughter, 24-year-old Desiree Figueroa lured the teen into their home on April 23 under the pretext of giving her free clothes.
The Chicago Fire Department confirmed it had responded to the Figueroa home that day and transported the infant, who has since been named Yadiel Lopez, to the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he has since been receiving treatment and care. Both mother and daughter have been arrested and charged.
His father, Yovani Lopez Sr., and the rest of the family were told that Yadiel had a low chance of survival, though recent weeks have seen his condition improve and saw him open his eyes for the first time.
Now, ABC Chicago has reported that the family is still holding on to hope that the infant will pull through after more positive signs. "It's still a long way to go for the baby, but the baby is fighting and surviving," said Frank Avila, an attorney for Yovani. Avila also said that the infant was "handsome" and had a head full of hair and that he looked just like his father.
Police say Figueroa lured an unsuspecting Ochoa-Lopez to her home after she responded to a social media post made by the nine-month-pregnant mother where she wrote, "Is anyone selling, trading or just simply donating a Double Stroller your babies don't use anymore? I just really need one for my baby soon to be born and my two-year-old. It’ll be such a help. Near South Side around Gage Park. I can pick up [sic]."
When Ochoa-Lopez reached the home that evening, Figueroa and her daughter killed the 19-year-old with a coaxial cable after luring her to the basement of their apartment. Police say she went to the residence because she was familiar with the mother-daughter pair.
In the days after, Figueroa and her boyfriend, 40-year-old Piotr Bobak, made social media posts claiming they were the parents of a baby they had named Xander Xavier Bobak. She had previously uploaded a photo of a decorated cot with her son's name. On May 7, detectives turned their suspicion to the Figueroas after they were tipped off by Ochoa-Lopez's friends about her relationship with the pair. A few days later, they found the teen's body in a rubbish bin at the home.
The Figueroas were subsequently charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child causing permanent disability while Bobak was charged with felony counts of concealing a death and concealing a homicide. They are being held without bond and are due back in court next month. The Advocate Christ Medical Center might be facing charges as well, with the Cook County sheriff in Chicago asking the Department of Child and Family Services to see if the hospital followed proper protocols in reporting the birth of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez's baby.
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