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Mourners gather for Chicago woman whose baby was cut from womb

Nineteen-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez was remembered as a tireless, loving mother.

STICKNEY, Ill. — Hundreds of mourners, some carrying flowers and balloons, have gathered for the funeral of a Chicago woman who authorities say was strangled and her baby cut from her womb.

Nineteen-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez was remembered as a tireless, loving mother at the funeral Saturday in suburban Chicago.

Julie Contreras with the League of Young Latin American Citizens says Ochoa-Lopez went down fighting and that her baby boy, who is hospitalized in grave condition, is a miracle.

Prosecutors say Clarisa Figueroa claimed she had given birth to the baby when she took him to a hospital on April 23. Figueroa and her adult daughter have been charged with murder in Ochoa-Lopez's death.

Credit: AP
The funeral procession filled with friends and family of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez at Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Stickney, Ill., for the funeral of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez. (Rick Majewski/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Activists are calling for a state law requiring hospitals to verify the identities of babies after reported home births.

Credit: Chicago Police
Chicago authorities say 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez was murdered and had her baby cut from her womb.

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