California couple accused of tricking women into carrying babies through surrogacy; 21 children seized

Surrogate moms from Texas to Florida thought they were carrying a babe for a Southern California mates struggling to person a 2nd kid owed to infertility. Then, the women discovered they were each surrogates for the aforesaid couple, immoderate astatine the aforesaid time, with the babies present successful foster care.

Twenty-one children person been taken into protective custody successful total.

Kayla, a 27-year-old from Texas, was among the women who decided to go surrogates.

“I emotion being large but was done increasing my ain family, truthful I thought what amended mode to acquisition gestation astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic turn their family,” Kayla told KTLA 5 News.

Through an bureau called Mark Surrogacy, Kayla was matched with a mates successful Arcadia, California. After a palmy embryo transportation via IVF, she gave commencement to their babe connected March 13.

Two months later, Kayla was shocked to larn the babe she carried was nary longer with the intended parents. The kid had been placed successful foster care.

“It was thing I ne'er would person expected to happen—something astir unbelievable unless you’re surviving it,” she said.

Kayla aboriginal recovered retired that the babe she carried wasn’t the lone 1 removed from the home. Multiple children had been taken into protective custody.

KTLA spoke with 3 different women who accidental they were besides surrogates for the aforesaid Arcadia mates — 1 who delivered successful Florida successful June — tragically that babe was stillborn.

Two Los Angeles County surrogates accidental they besides carried for this couple, 1 who gave commencement successful March, different who had 2 babies: 1 successful 2022, different successful 2024. The women accidental they each worked with Mark Surrogacy.

Public records database an Arcadia location arsenic the code for Mark Surrogacy and besides arsenic the residence of Silvia Zhang, the pistillate the surrogates accidental they carried for. In aboriginal May, Arcadia constabulary launched a kid maltreatment investigation, responding to that aforesaid location aft a two-month-old babe was hospitalized with caput trauma.

Arcadia constabulary accidental the baby’s ineligible parents, Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65, were arrested connected suspicion of felony kid endangerment/neglect with warrants served connected May 9. They were aboriginal released.

Police allege a nanny abused the baby, and the parents delayed seeking aesculapian attraction for 2 days. The Department of Children and Family Services also investigated and removed each children from the couple’s custody, 21 children successful total.

Police accidental the children scope successful property from 2 months to 13 years old, astir being babies and toddlers.

They besides told KTLA that Silvia Zhang was capable to amusement that she is the ineligible ma connected each of their commencement certificates.

In caller months, Mark Surrogacy has filed paperwork to terminate the company, according to nationalist records.

But a surrogate successful Pennsylvania, who asked to stay anonymous owed to contractual restrictions, says she is presently large with a kid for Mark Surrogacy.

“We are carrying for Mark Surrogacy, and we are 26 weeks,” she told KTLA. “It truly deed hard erstwhile each of this came through.”

Via a substance connection from a telephone associated with Zhang, KTLA was told, “Any accusations of wrongdoing are misguided and wrong. We look guardant to vindicating immoderate specified claims astatine the due clip erstwhile and if immoderate actions are brought.”

The babe who was allegedly abused successful aboriginal May remains hospitalized. While the parents person been arrested, constabulary accidental they person not been capable to find the nanny accused of injuring the child.

Arcadia Police allege that 56-year-old Chunmei Li was captured connected location information video violently shaking the baby.

Of the 21 children removed, 15 were from the Arcadia location and six from different determination wherever they were receiving childcare astatine the time.

Police besides accidental they person grounds of further maltreatment involving different nannies, and program to contiguous their findings to the District Attorney soon.

Kayla has started a GoFundMe run for ineligible fees truthful she tin effort to get custody of the kid she delivered, and says she has been interviewed by the FBI.

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