Clarisa Figueroa, 46, is the alleged mastermind of the murder plot
A woman, her 24-year-old daughter and her husband have been charged in the murder of a pregnant teenager who was found strangled behind their home on Wednesday after having her baby boy ripped from her belly in a sickening, womb-raiding plot they allegedly hatched over the course of several months.
Clarisa Figueroa, 46, and her daughter Desiree Figueroa, 24, have been charged with the murder of Marlen Ochoa-Uriostequi and with the aggravated battery of Marlen’s baby boy who is fighting for his life in the hospital after being cut from her womb once she was dead.
Clarisa’s boyfriend Piotr Bobak, 40, has been charged with concealing a murder and concealing a death.
All three are due in court for bond hearings on Friday.
According to neighbors, all three lived in the basement of the house which belongs to Clarisa’s parents, Jose, 70, and Angelita, 60.
They have not been charged and it is unclear what, if anything, they knew of the plot.
Marlen had been missing since April 23 when she went to meet Clarisa after meeting on a Facebook group for women in need. Clarisa claimed she was also pregnant and offered to give the young married mother free baby clothes.
On Thursday, as the three suspects were charged, Marlen’s distraught family spoke out.
Desiree Figueroa, 24, and Piotr Bobak, 40, were also charged in connection with the murder
The body of Marlen Ochoa-Uriostegui, 19, (left) was discovered on Wednesday. Her son (right) has been in the hospital for three weeks on life support
‘[They are] in complete agony mourning the loss of the child,’ translator Julie Contreras told DailyMail.com shortly after the arrests. Contreras added that Ochoa-Uriostegui ‘suffered a horrific death at the hands of monsters.’
‘The family wants justice for Marlen,’ she said.
Police say that after luring the nine-months pregnant Ochoa-Uriostegui to their home with the offer of free baby clothes, the Figueroas strangled the teen to death with an electronics cable and cut the unborn baby from her womb.
Clarisa Figueroa called 911 on April 23 claiming she had just given birth and the baby wasn’t breathing, but DNA testing proved that the baby was actually the son of the slain teen, police say.
Police found Ochoa-Uriostegui’s body and the murder weapon in a trash can in the backyard of the suspects’ home on Wednesday.
The baby boy, Yadiel, is now in the custody of Ochoa-Uriostegui’s husband, and is in the hospital fighting for his life.
Clarisa Figueroa posted this photo to a fundraising page, pretending the baby was hers, asking for donations for him
The suspects created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the baby’s medical expenses. Police say Clarisa Figueroa called 911 claiming she had just given birth at home
Police say that Clarisa Figueroa’s natural-born adult son, Xavier, died in 2017 of natural causes.
Online fundraising appeals show that Clarisa Figueroa and Bobak claimed to be the parents of a premature child born on April 23, which they had named Xander Xavier Bobak.
Earlier on Thursday, the trio of suspects were seen being put in handcuffs outside their Chicago home as new, haunting details of their alleged plot emerged.
Social media posts revealed that the suspects have been posting online in recent months about the arrival of a baby boy, decorating a nursery and seeking out expectant mothers on Facebook.
After allegedly killing the teen and cutting the boy out of her, Clarisa Figueroa called 911 claiming to have just given birth and demanding an ambulance.
An anonymous tip led detectives to check the DNA of the baby after Clarisa set up a GoFundMe page to raise $9,000 for the baby’s medical and funeral, claiming the boy was sick and wouldn’t survive for long.
Ochoa-Uriostegui was nine months pregnant when she was strangled and killed
Community members say that Clarisa Figueroa (left, and right with Bobak) had attempted to lure other pregnant women to her home with offers of free baby items
Clarisa Figueroa claimed in a fundraising appeal that she had given birth prematurely
Pictured are Desiree, her mother and her mother’s boyfriend being arrested on Wednesday shortly before the discovery of the mother’s body
It was previously reported that Ochoa-Uriostegui’s body was discovered after police took the 46-year-old woman, her boyfriend, her adult daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend all into custody for questioning.
Results showed that the baby, who has been in the hospital for nearly a month, was Ochoa-Uriostegui’s child.
The disturbing story follows the same pattern as a number of fetal abduction cases in the US.
Ochoa-Uriostegui was last seen leaving Latino Youth High School in Pilsen on April 23.
Her family said she then drove to a home on Chicago’s Southwest Side after a woman on Facebook said she had a stroller and baby clothes she wanted to give away, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Ochoa-Uriostegui’s car was found a block away from her home earlier this month.
The teen reportedly met the 46-year-old woman on a Facebook group called ‘Help a Sister Out’.
‘Hello ladies, I’m due May 10 and I still need a ton of things for my son,’ she wrote on March 5.
‘Due to the fact that I’m in school and can’t work at the moment, I can’t afford to buy the rest of the things since I’m short on cash right now.’
Clarisa, who had claimed on the group that she was pregnant as well, responded and offered to give the teen ‘brand new boy clothes’ for free.
Yadiel, as he has been named by his father, is on life support in the hospital and is not expected to survive
Lopez (pictured outside the Medical Examiner’s office on Wednesday) said he was in a ‘lot of pain, a lot of anguish, a lot sadness’
‘It’s painful to lose your wife, the woman you love the most,’ Lopez said after Ochoa-Uriostegui’s body was found
Social media screen grabs have revealed that she began posting about a baby as early as February 5. She shared a photo on her page of a crib up against the wall that was decorated with letters spelling out the name ‘Xander’.
‘Baby Xander’s crib is set up now we’re just waiting for your arrival,’ she wrote in the caption.
Xander is the same name she would use when she created the GoFundMe for the baby in May.
On March 5, Clarisa not only responded to Ochoa-Uriostegui on the Help A Sister Out Facebook page , but also posted on the group herself.
‘Who is due in May where is the May mama’s at?’ she wrote.
After one woman responded ‘right here’, she replied: ‘I don’t feel lonely anymore yay’.
Around that time, Clarisa also appeared to have created a baby registry – which has since been wiped – and claimed her due date was at the end of May.
Later that month, on her own Facebook page, Clarisa posted another photo of the nursery in her home. It showed that a mural of a tree had been painted to surround the letters spelling ‘Xander’.
Marlen had posted repeatedly on the group asking for items to buy. After her body was found, the group shut down. She posted this a day before she went missing
On March 5, more than a month before she went to the house, Marlen and Clarisa spoke on the group, with Clarisa offering her baby clothes
Figueroa also posted this in the mother’s group in March. After one woman responded ‘right here’, she replied: ‘I don’t feel lonely anymore yay’
‘Finally finished the babies section so all we need to do is wait for his arrival (sic),’ she wrote in the caption.
One friend who commented on the post asked how she could be pregnant again if she had gotten her ‘Fallopian tubes’ tied.
‘Yeah I’m having a baby I’m due in May,’ Clarisa said, claiming that her tubes were untied during ’emergency surgery’ for her appendix.
‘Crazy girl! Get yourself a lawyer regardless of the little miracle, get your $$$,’ her friend responded.
‘Yeah I was actually thinking about the same thing,’ she replied.
On the night the teen disappeared, Clarisa called 911 and said she had just given birth and the baby wasn’t breathing.
In March, on her Facebook page, Clarisa Figueroa posted a photo of the nursery in her home. It showed that a mural of a tree had been painted to surround ‘Xander’
Social media screen grabs show she began posting about a baby as early as February 5
Clarisa Figueroa’s boyfriend Bobak posted this ultrasound as his cover photo. The photo was a match to one that is often used to fake ultrasounds
She told the dispatcher that the baby was ‘pale and blue’ and that she was doing CPR.
A neighbor saw her standing outside her front door with the baby, who was wrapped in a white sheet.
She noticed blood stains on her hands and on her T-shirt, but none on her shorts.
‘I said, “What’s up?’ and she said, “I just had the baby. It’s not breathing,”‘ the neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘She said, “I stood up and the baby came out.”‘
The neighbor said the paramedics never went inside the house.
Authorities discovered that Ochoa-Uriostegui’s unborn son had been ‘forcibly removed’ from her body after the murder. Pictured is Ochoa-Uriostegui with her elder son in 2016
Marlen’s husband said she was a good person who was excited to welcome her second child
This is the home where the young mother’s body was found and where the baby was born three weeks ago. Paramedics went to the house on April 23 after Clarisa called 911 saying she had just given birth but they never went inside. Instead, she brought the baby out
Pictured are authorities collecting evidence the family’s yard on Wednesday afternoon. Marlen’s body was found in the back yard
Police were seen inspecting a fire pit in the woman’s backyard on Wednesday night (pictured). Her body was found in a trash can
‘Before she left in an ambulance, she told me several times, “Please call up someone to come and lock the house,”‘ the neighbor added, revealing that living in her parents’ basement.
Ochoa-Uriostegui was reported missing that same day after she didn’t pick up her three-year-old son from daycare.
An autopsy revealed that the teen died from ‘ligature strangulation’. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
‘We believe all of them played some role in this unspeakable act of violence,’ Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said of the three persons of interest.
‘We believe that she was murdered and we believe that the baby was forcibly removed following that murder.’ Charges have yet to be filed.
The GoFundMe that led to Clarisa’s arrest claimed that she was 36 weeks pregnant when she began to ‘experience labor pains while alone in her house’.
The 46-year-old woman’s boyfriend posted a link to a GoFundMe they created for the baby and said he had been born on April 23, the same day Ochoa-Uriostegui disappeared
The 46-year-old woman’s daughter, who has also been taken into custody, likewise posted a photo of the GoFundMe, claiming it was to support her baby brother
‘Within moments, she gave birth to her son Xander at 7lbs as she called 911 and followed the instructions of the emergency dispatcher,’ it read.
The GoFundMe claimed Clarisa was ‘suffering from preeclampsia,’ pregnancy related hypertension that can lead to a stroke.
It stated that Clarisa and her boyfriend were ‘preparing to say goodbye to their baby boy’ and had accepted that ‘Xander won’t survive too much longer’.
‘Baby Xander, despite all he is going through is a little fighter, and has already captured the hearts of many family members,’ it added. ‘Honoring the short life that baby Xander had is one small way to help provide closure and start the mourning process for the family.’
A woman who used to let Clarisa babysit her child said she had begun to act strangely recently and frequently spoke about motherhood.
‘She told me how she was getting really attached to the baby, how she couldn’t wait to be a mom again,’ the unidentified woman told ABC 7.
Giovanni Lopez, Ochoa-Uriostegui’s husband, was able to visit his son for the first time on Tuesday night. They are pictured here on their wedding day in 2017
Ochoa-Uriostegui had chosen the name Yavani for her unborn son, which her husband honored when he finally got to meet his baby boy
Giovanni Lopez, Ochoa-Uriostegui’s husband, was able to visit his son for the first time on Tuesday night and named him Yadiel Yiovanni Lopez.
Sara Walker, a student pastor who is helping Ochoa-Uriostegui’s family communicate with police, said the newborn has severe brain damage and is on life support.
‘It does not look good for the baby, but they are praying and hopeful,’ she added.
The family said they have no plans to take Yadiel off life support as they are holding onto hope that their last connection to Ochoa-Uriostegui will make it through.
Lopez, who had lived with Ochoa-Uriostegui for the last four years, said he was in a ‘lot of pain, a lot of anguish, a lot sadness’.
He said she dreamed of going to college and becoming a fashion designer.
Ochoa-Uriostegui’s father, Arnulfo Ochoa, had to be carried as he walked into the Medical Examiner’s office to see his dead daughter’s body on Thursday morning
Marlen’s father is shown buckling with grief on Thursday after police found her body in the yard
Ochoa-Lopez’s mother Raquel Uriostegui held back tears as she spoke to reporters outside the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office after identifying her dead daughter’s body
‘It’s painful to lose your wife, the woman you love the most,’ he added. ‘It’s painful.’
‘Why did these bad people do this? She did nothing to them. She was a good person.’
‘Even though we found her without a life, at least we’re grateful that we found her,’ added Ochoa-Uriostegui’s father Arnulfo Ochoa.
Ochoa-Uriostegui’s family said they are now determined to get justice for the teen.
‘We’re gonna have justice with those responsible,’ Lopez told Fox News 32.
‘We’re gonna go hard after them. We won’t let it go. They don’t know the pain they’ve caused. They don’t know.’
WOMB RAIDERS: OTHER CASES OF FETAL ABDUCTION IN THE U.S.
Details continue to emerge about the pregnant teenager found dead in Chicago with her baby cut from her womb after being lured to the home of a woman offering free children’s clothes.
While police are still investigating the teen’s death, the case already bears chilling similarities to other fetal abduction instances in recent years across the U.S.
The crimes are mostly committed by women who have become known as ‘womb raiders’ and the crimes are often planned well in advance. Some women have been known to fake pregnancies for months as part of their ruse.
While some mothers and babies have been known to survive, the majority are killed during the horror attack.
Here are some of the most recent cases of fetal abduction:
Dynel Lane: Colorado – 2015
Colorado woman Dynel Lane was desperate to have a baby in 2015 and started convincing her friends and family that she was pregnant. Her 19-month-old son had died from an accidental drowning death in 2002.
She posted online photos of herself with an extended stomach and claimed for more than a year she was having a boy. Lane hatched a plan to steal a baby after her boyfriend became suspicious that her pregnancy was dragging out.
Lane posted a Craigslist ad asking for maternity clothes and victim Michelle Wilkins responded. Wilkins went to Lane’s home where she was hit with a lamp and stabbed with broken glass. Lane then uses kitchen knives to cut the unborn baby girl from Wilkins’ womb.
Wilkins survived the horror attack but her baby did not. Lane is currently serving a 100 year prison sentence.
Dynel Lane attacked Michelle Wilkins for her unborn baby in Colorado in 2015. Wilkins survived but her baby girl did not
Ashleigh Wade: New York – 2015
Ashleigh Wade, who was 22 at the time, faked her pregnancy in 2015 and stole ultrasound photos from the Internet, which she then posted on Facebook.
During the process, she reconnected with her childhood friend Angelikque Sutton who was eight months pregnant. The pair bonded over the pregnancies.
Sutton stopped by Wade’s home in 2015 before she was due to get married later that day. Wade slashed Sutton in the throat and stabbed her 50 times. She took out Sutton’s uterus and cut out the baby girl.
Wade then wrapped the baby up, gave her a bottle and called her boyfriend to say she had just given birth. Her boyfriend called 911 when he arrived at the home and saw the bloodbath.
The baby girl survived. Wade was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
Ashleigh Wade killed her childhood friend Angelikque Sutton in the Bronx in 2015. The victim’s baby girl survived the attack
Annette Morales-Rodriguez: Wisconsin – 2011
Annette Morales-Rodriguez was in the middle of faking her third pregnancy – she claimed to have suffered two miscarriages – when she targeted Maritza Ramirez-Cruz in 2011.
She approached the victim – who was 40 weeks pregnant with her fourth child – at a community center and offered to give her a ride home.
Morales-Rodriguez instead drove the pregnant woman to her home where she bashed her with a baseball bat and strangled her to death. She then cut open the victim to retrieve the baby but he had already died.
She called 911 claiming to have just given birth but her baby wasn’t breathing. Morales-Rodriguez was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Annette Morales-Rodriguez killed Maritza Ramirez-Cruz in Wisconsin in 2011. The victim’s baby was not alive when removed from the womb
Pamela Causey-Fregia: Louisiana – 2011
Pamela Causey-Fregia had tried to stop her husband from leaving her by faking a pregnancy in 2011. She went to a hospital in search of a baby but found eight-month pregnant Victoria Perez.
She lured the expecting mother to her home after promising her free baby clothes. Fregia, in front of her own children, killed Perez with a hammer.
Fregia wasn’t able to retrieve the baby and burned the victim’s body behind her home. She was arrested years later when her own children turned her into police.
She was sentenced to life in prison.
Pamela Causey-Fregia killed Victoria Perez in Louisiana in 2011 for her unborn baby. Fregia was unable to retrieve the baby and burned the victim’s body instead
Kathy Coy: Kentucky – 2011
Kathy Coy, who was faking a pregnancy, befriended her victim Jamie Stice on Facebook and eventually asked her to help shop for baby clothes.
Coy used a stun gun to subdue the pregnant woman when they got into her car before she slit Stice’s wrists, cut the baby from her body and took the baby, uterus, ovaries and a placenta to a local hospital.
She initially told police she gave birth to the baby boy, but then said she bought him for $550.
The baby boy survived the attack. Coy was jailed for life without parole and was spared the death penalty.
Kathy Coy killed Jamie Stice in Kentucky in 2011. Stice’s baby boy survived the attack
Julie Corey: Massachusetts – 2009
Julie Corey beat and strangled her friend Darlene Haynes when she was eight months pregnant.
Corey had suffered a miscarriage three months earlier but told family and friends that she was still pregnant.
She strangled her friend with an electrical cord before slicing her open and removing the baby.
Corey, her boyfriend and the baby moved interstate until workers at a homeless shelter alterted police when they became suspicious.
She was sentenced to life in prison.
Julie Corey beat and strangled her friend Darlene Haynes when she was eight months pregnant in Massachusetts in 2009
Korena Roberts: Oregon – 2009
Korena Roberts battered eight months pregnant Heather Snively with a collapsible police baton in 2009.
She lured the victim to her home after connected on Craiglist while looking for baby clothes.
Roberts cut the baby from Snively’s abdomen. She was arrested after police were called and found her boyfriend trying to revive the baby boy and large amounts of blood on the floor.
The baby did not survive and Roberts was sentenced to life in prison.
Korena Roberts battered eight months pregnant Heather Snively with a collapsible police baton in 2009. The baby did not survive the attack