Baby of slain teen Marlen Ochoa-Lopez dies after weeks on life support

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - A spokeswoman for the family of a slain Chicago woman whose baby was cut from her womb with a butcher knife says the infant boy has died.

Family spokeswoman Julie Contreras confirmed a family statement posted on Facebook that 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez's baby died at 5 a.m. on Friday at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Yovanny Jadiel Lopez died after weeks on life support, according to Contreras, and was still on life support when his condition suddenly deteriorated.

The baby had been in grave condition since the April 23 attack on his mother. A statement from the family said that Lopez died from a severe brain injury.

"It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of baby Yovanny Jadiel Lopez. He passed away this Friday June 14, 2019 from his severe brain injury," the statement said.

The family was waiting on a third opinion from medical professionals on his condition at the time of his death, according to Contreras. She said it was not known whether his father, Yovani Lopez, was with his son at the time of his passing though it was not unusual for him to spend the night at the hospital.

Three people have been charged in the case as a mother plotted for months to acquire a newborn before she and her daughter strangled Ochoa-Lopez and cut her baby from her womb using a butcher's knife, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors say 46-year-old Clarisa Figueroa claimed she had given birth to the baby when she took him to a hospital. She and her 24-year-old daughter, Desiree Figueroa, are charged with first-degree murder. Clarisa Figueroa's boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, is charged with concealing a homicide.

Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Friday that he expects both women will now be charged with murder in the baby's death.

The three defendants are due back in court June 26.

Authorities contend that not long after Clarisa Figueroa's adult son died of natural causes, she told her family she was pregnant. They say she plotted for months to acquire a newborn, and that she posted an ultrasound and photos of a room decorated for a baby on her Facebook page. In March, she and Ochoa-Lopez connected on a Facebook page for pregnant women.

The two first met in person around April 1, when Ochoa-Lopez went to the Figueroas' house and left unharmed, prosecutors allege. The teen returned on April 23 to accept Clarisa Figueroa's offer of free baby clothes, and as Desiree Figueroa was showing Ochoa-Lopez a photo album of her late brother to distract her, Clarisa Figueroa sneaked up behind her and strangled her with a cord.

Once Ochoa-Lopez stopped showing signs of life, Clarisa Figueroa cut the baby from her womb and she and her daughter wrapped the teen's body in a blanket, put it in a plastic bag and dragged it outside to a garbage can, according to prosecutors.

Later that day, Clarisa Figueroa called 911 claiming that her newborn baby was not breathing. When first responders arrived, the child was blue. They tried to resuscitate the infant and took him to Christ Medical Center, where he remained until his death.

The family plans to hold a private funeral for Yovanny, Contreras said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.