Marlen Ochoa-Lopez to be honored in one of Chicago's largest 'Day of the Dead' altars
CHICAGO - One of Chicago's largest "Day of the Dead" altars is being built to honor murder victims Marlen Ochoa Lopez and her infant son.
Ochoa-Lopez was 19 years old when she was murdered in 2019.
According to prosecutors, she was lured to a Southwest Side home with the promise of free baby items.
She was strangled and her son was cut out from her womb by Clarisa Figueroa and her 24-year-old daughter.
The mother and daughter allegedly wrapped her in a blanket and put the body into a large plastic bag. They then dragged it outside and placed it in a garbage can in a hidden area next to their garage about 4 miles from Ochoa-Lopez's own home, according to authorities.
Clarisa Figueroa then called 911, claiming that she had just delivered her own newborn baby and that it was not breathing, authorities said. When first responders arrived, the child was blue. They tried to resuscitate the infant and transported Clarisa Figueroa and the boy to a nearby hospital.
When she went to the hospital, doctors who examined her found "no signs consistent with a woman who had just delivered a baby." She also had blood on her arms, hands and face that authorities later determined was from Ochoa-Lopez, prosecutors said.
Ochoa-Lopez's son, Yovanny, died two months later.
On Tuesday night, Lopez's family will hold a vigil in front of the altar at 16th Street and Newberry Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood.