Police Seize 21 Children from California Couple Who Had Them via Surrogacy

A Southern California couple, Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan, is under investigation after authorities seized 21 children, born through surrogacy, living in and around their Arcadia home under dangerous and suspicious circumstances.

The discovery followed a child abuse report that led to felony charges and raised serious concerns about surrogacy exploitation and child welfare. Surrogate mothers across states like Texas and Florida believed they were helping a couple who were unable to conceive a second child because of fertility issues.

Kayla Elliott, one of the surrogates involved, was happy to help. “I love being pregnant but was done growing my own family, so I thought what better way to experience pregnancy at the same time as grow their family,” she shared.

After a successful embryo transfer via IVF, Elliott gave birth to their baby on March 13. She thought the child would be raised in a loving home.

Instead, she learned that the infant was among more than 20 children tied to Zhang, 38, and Xuan, 65, who are now at the center of a child endangerment and neglect investigation.

Elliott was stunned to find out this information. “I was a bit hysterical. You just don’t expect that you’re going to go through a pregnancy and a delivery and then hand the baby over to their parents and then all of a sudden find out that there was abuse and neglect going on,” she noted.

The case began unraveling in May when a local hospital alerted Arcadia police about a 2-month-old with head injuries. Investigators say 56-year-old Chunmei Li, a nanny employed by Zhang and Xuan, was caught on home security footage violently shaking the baby, leading to the child losing consciousness.

Authorities allege the couple knew about the abuse but failed to seek timely medical help. A warrant has been issued for the nanny, who remains at large while the baby, who was allegedly abused, remains hospitalized.

Police also reported having evidence of further abuse involving other nannies and intend to present their findings to the District Attorney in the near future.

While responding to the abuse allegation, police discovered 15 children in the couple’s home. Six more were later found in the care of relatives and family friends. The children range in age from two months to 13 years.

Authorities say only one or two may be the biological children of Zhang and Xuan. Several women have come forward claiming they were surrogates for the couple, including Elliott.

Elliott said she was initially told by Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC that the couple had one teenage child and had turned to surrogacy after numerous failed fertility treatments.

However, she later learned the agency was registered at the couple’s Arcadia address, raising questions about its legitimacy and Zhang and Xuan’s intentions.

The surrogacy agency has since had its business license terminated, but according to a pregnant surrogate, it continues to reach out to clients.

“We are carrying for Mark Surrogacy, and we are 26 weeks. It really hit hard when all of this came through,” the pregnant surrogate said.

It also isn’t clear whether Zhang and Xuan have a lawyer representing them, but the two have spoken out. Zhang has showed that she is the legal mom on all of their children’s birth certificates.

Additionally, KTLA-TV of Los Angeles reported that a phone linked to Zhang sent a text message stating, “Any accusations of wrongdoing are misguided and wrong. We look forward to vindicating any such claims at the appropriate time when and if any actions are brought.”

In the aftermath, Elliott discovered that the baby she birthed was not living with Zhang and Xuan, nor had she been taken abroad to Cuba as she had been led to believe. Instead, the infant had been left in the care of a nanny alongside another small child.

Adding to the concern, Elliott recounted feeling that something was amiss at the time of the baby’s birth. Zhang had arrived at the hospital hours late and showed little interest in the newborn. Before leaving, she handed Elliott $2,000 in cash, an interaction Elliott described as oddly transactional given the supposed desire to raise a child.

The baby girl Elliott carried is now in foster care. Elliott is actively seeking legal custody and has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the complex and costly legal process. As of the time of publication, the fundraiser had garnered $7,413 of its $10,000 goal.

The appeal describes Elliott’s determination to provide the child with the love, stability, and safe environment she deserves.

Child welfare officials in California now have custody of the 20 other children as both Arcadia police and the FBI investigate whether Zhang and Xuan misled surrogate mothers nationwide. Bail for the couple was set at $500,000 each, and both were released pending further developments.

Experts warn that Elliott’s case may not be isolated. Kallie Fell of the Center for Bioethics & Culture Network noted that she has spoken with hundreds of surrogates around the world who faced distressing or exploitative situations.

One surrogate recounted that her intended parents neglected to provide safe, healthy living conditions throughout her pregnancy. Another surrogate from the Xuan and Zhang case delivered in Florida in June but tragically that baby was stillborn.

Fell also emphasized that surrogate pregnancies are inherently high-risk and often lack sufficient legal protections for both the women involved and the children born through such arrangements.

This case is drawing attention to the potential dangers of poorly regulated surrogacy and the vulnerability of both surrogate mothers and the children they bring into the world.

However, the FBI said it could neither confirm nor deny an investigation, while the Department of Children and Family Services also declined to release details or comment on the case.