By Melissa McCrady
Milwaukee, WI (WTMJ/CNN) - A Milwaukee mother and her baby are dead in a heinous crime.
Police say a woman cut the infant from the pregnant mother's body, then tried to pass it off as her own.
Pictures of Maritza Ramirez show her pregnant and happy, looking forward to the birth of her fourth child.
Ramirez and her husband, Christian Mercado, planned to name the baby Omar, but last Thursday, 10 days before her due date, the unthinkable happened.
"We still can't believe it. We know it's true but we can't believe it," said Darla Guiterrez, the victim's stepmother-in-law.
Police say a 33-year-old woman murdered Ramirez and cut Omar from her womb, then tried to pass him off as her baby.
The suspect, according to investigators, fooled everyone into believing she was pregnant.
"She's pregnant, I mean there's proof that she was pregnant. There was baby stuff in their house," said the suspect's friend.
But police insist the suspect was not. Ramirez's family hopes justice is served.
"I would love to see her put away for the rest of her life for what she did to her and the baby," said Guiterrez.
Ramirez leaves behind her husband and three young kids. They're working on a fund to help cover funeral expenses, but nothing will help the pain that this tight knit family has suffered.
"Right now, he's holding it together for the kids," said Guiterrez.
Ramirez was scheduled to give birth on October 16th.
The family says they do not know the suspect.
WTMJ/CNN
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