Hospital That Received Marlen Ochoa's Baby In Distress

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The chilling murder of Marlen Ochoa-López, a 19-year-old young Hispanic mother who was suffocated in order to rip the baby from her womb, continues to cast unknowns. Now the Chicago Department of Public Health, in Illinois, is focusing inquiries at the Advocate Christ Medical Center hospital in the Oak Lawn neighborhood to determine under what circumstances the newborn was admitted, who eventually reached the arms of the alleged murderer of his mom.

Local police allege that Clarisa Figueroa, 46, strangled Ochoa-López on April 23 inside her home under deception and aided by her daughter, Desiree Figueroa, 24. Then a call was made from her home on Chicago's Southside asking for help and claiming that someone “46 years old” had given birth to a baby who was pale and bluish and not breathing.

Figueroa and the baby were taken to the mentioned hospital and admitted. Now we are trying to determine how the staff who admitted it did not notice that something was wrong. Under state law, hospital personnel and doctors who suspect child neglect or abuse must immediately report it to authorities.

Melaney Arnold, spokesperson for the aforementioned health department confirmed to CNN that the investigations are being carried out, without providing further details, since it is "an investigation in progress."

The Chicago Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is also involved in the inquiries. "The sheriff's office will consult with DCFS if the circumstances of this case required DCFS to be notified," a spokesman for that office in Cook County told the WGN station.

"Our highest priority is to provide the highest and safest quality care to the patients and communities we serve," said Adam Mesirow, spokesperson for Advocate Christ Medical Cente in a press release. “Out of respect for the privacy of our patients and in compliance with federal laws and state regulations, we are unable to comment further. We continue to cooperate with the authorities."

Ochoa-López's husband reported the disappearance of his wife on April 24, the day after she was last seen after leaving school to pick up clothes that were going to donate to her baby. Said person had contacted her through a supposed group of mothers on Facebook.

A friend of the victim told authorities of said online contact. In parallel, DNA tests detected that Figueroa was not the baby's mother, as she had stated. On May 14, authorities searched her home and found the remains of the young mother strangled and put in a garbage bag at the back of the suspect's home.

Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa were arrested last week along with Piotr Bobak, 40, and Desiree's boyfriend, the latter on charges of helping to hide a murder.

"I just think, in my mind, if I see someone coming in with a baby, with the umbilical [cord] and placenta, how come the mother looks like she's in good health, bloodless, normal clothes ? That doesn't make sense,” Frank Ávila, the family's lawyer, told CBS-7 in Chicago.

The baby remains in his father's custody in the hospital with serious damage. However, and almost miraculously, the little boy opened his eyes for the first time this weekend, which has given his father hope for a recovery. Marlen López-Ochoa's funeral will be held this weekend at Stickney's Mount Auburn Funeral Home. His family has established a GoFundMe page to help the family.