Family and friends are preparing to say their final goodbyes to the pregnant teenager who was strangled to death in late April. NBC 5’s Kate Chappell has the latest from the woman’s emotional family.
Family of Marlen Ochoa, the pregnant teenager who was murdered before her baby was cut from her womb in Chicago, met her infant child after traveling to Chicago from Mexico this week.
Five of Ochoa's extended family members landed in Chicago Tuesday on temporary visas ahead of the young mother's funeral Saturday.
Photos and video showed the family meeting her infant son for the first time as they await a miracle for the child who remains on life support.
Ochoa was strangled in Chicago last month before her baby was cut from her womb, authorities said.
The family is planning to request a meeting with Illinois officials, a spokesperson for the family said.
Pastor Emma Lozano, speaking on behalf of the family, said the relatives still have many questions surrounding the investigation and want answers.
Also on Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health opened an investigation on Advocate Christ Medical Center, which is also facing questions in connection with the case, NBC 5 Investigates learned.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ochoa-Lopez family," Christ Medical Center said in a statement. "Our top priority is to provide the safest and highest quality care for the patients and communities we serve. Out of respect for patient privacy and in compliance with federal and state regulations, we are unable to provide comment. We continue to cooperate with local authorities."
The news comes one day after the Cook County sheriff’s office questioned if the hospital violated state law by not immediately reporting that a woman who claimed to be the mother of a newborn had not given birth.
The woman, Clarisa Figueroa, and her daughter, Desiree, were later charged with strangling the baby’s mother, Ochoa, and cutting the newborn from her womb. They are currently being held without bail.
At a bail hearing last week, prosecutors explained how the 46-year-old Figueroa was examined in a birthing center at Christ Medical Center on April 23 “but showed no signs consistent with a woman who had just delivered a baby.”
A technician at the Oak Lawn hospital cleaned blood from Figueroa’s arms, face and hands, prosecutors said, but it was unclear if anyone verified that she had actually given birth.
Figueroa was allegedly able to pass off the baby as her own for weeks.
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It wasn’t until May 9 that a “mandated reporter” — someone required to report suspected neglect or abuse — notified the Department of Child and Family Services about the newborn, DCFS spokesman Jassen Strokosch said. The child was then taken into protective custody.
After a DNA test proved that the baby was actually that of Ochoa's husband, the agency let the 48-hour protective custody lapse, and the baby was turned over to his father, Strokosch said.
“We will consult with DCFS and if they determine the facts and circumstances of this tragedy were such that should have been reported by mandated reporters, we will ensure an investigation takes place,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Cara Smith said in an email.
In a statement, DCFS said it “will provide any support needed to the family in this case and to those handling any investigations into this matter.”
There is currently no law or regulation to to ensure a baby belongs to the person presenting with the baby at a hospital.
Hospital regulation falls under the purview of The Illinois Department of Public Health and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Strokosch said.
