The story of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez has taken another tragic turn. Weeks after Marlen's baby boy was ripped from her womb in April, little Yovanny has died. The young mom from Chicago, Illinois, was strangled, but her baby survived and was on life support for weeks. It was reported that he was breathing on his own recently, but now the family has released a statement announcing the baby's death on Friday, June 14.
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"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 from the family's representative Julie Contreras read. "Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time."
The family asks that the baby's funeral remain private.
"The funeral will be a PRIVATE event for family only. Please respect the families wishes that event is PRIVATE," the statement read.
The family had been sharing updates about the baby's health since the tragic death of his mom.
The baby boy had suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen following the incident. He had been undergoing treatment at the Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, since his birth on April 23. The family seemed hopeful that the child would survive the ordeal, and they patiently awaited his recovery.
The baby's father shared videos and photos from the hospital.
Yovanny Lopez was all smiles in photos he shared of his son opening his eyes for the first time. "Thank you for your prayers He opened his eye for us!! We're praying for a miracle," the young dad wrote on Facebook in May as he was surrounded by his loved ones in the hospital.
The baby seemed to be recovering in May.
Yovanny seemed to be making progress toward full recovery when it was reported in early June that he was no longer using a breathing machine and breathing on his own. “It’s still a long way to go for the baby, but the baby is fighting and surviving,” the family's attorney Frank Avila said at the time.
The mom and daughter who are accused of committing the crime have been indicted.
Clarisa Figueroa and her daughter, Desiree, were formally indicted on Wednesday, June 12, on charges that they strangled Marlen and took her baby from her womb after luring her to their house with a promise of giving her baby items in April. Clarisa's boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, was also indicted on at least one count of concealing a homicidal death. They had plans of raising the child as their own but ended up causing the baby to suffer severe brain damage.
