Mourners gather for Chicago woman whose baby cut from womb

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.

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