State not alerted for weeks that woman may not be baby's mom | iNFOnews.ca
A memorial of flowers, balloons, a cross and photo of victim Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, are displayed on the lawn, Friday, May 17, 2019 in Chicago, outside the home where Ochoa-Lopez was murdered last month. Assistant State's Attorney James Murphy says a pregnant Ochoa-Lopez, who was killed and whose baby was cut from her womb, was strangled while being shown a photo album of the late son and brother of her attackers. AP Photo/Teresa Crawford

State not alerted for weeks that woman may not be baby’s mom

CHICAGO – Illinois' child welfare agency says more than two weeks passed before it was alerted that a woman taken to a Chicago-area hospital with a gravely ill newborn may not be his mother, even though she arrived bloodied and showed no signs of giving birth.

Clarisa Figueroa is charged with killing 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez. Chicago police say she cut Ochoa-Lopez's baby out of her womb on April 23, then called 911 to report she had given birth to a baby who wasn't breathing. Paramedics took Figueroa and the baby to Advocate Christ Medical Center in suburban Oak Lawn.

Department of Children and Family Services spokesman Jassen (JAY-son) Strokosch said Saturday the agency was alerted May 9 that there were questions about who had custody of the child in order to make medical decisions.

The hospital declined to say whether or when it contacted authorities.

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Sean Mott

After spending most of his life on the East Coast and earning a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) degree from the University of King's in Halifax, Sean Mott decided to strike out west to start his reporting career in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He recently moved to Lake Country and he covers everything from crime to local art to everyday absurdities in Kelowna.

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