- - - 21 kids removed from California home amid probe into possible surrogacy scam, police say

Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY July 17, 2025 at 7:04 PM

More than 20 children are in the custody of a Southern California child-welfare agency as authorities investigate allegations of child abuse and whether surrogate mothers were deceived by a Los Angeles-area couple.

Authorities removed 15 children from the couple's multi-million-dollar home in Arcadia, an affluent suburb located about 13 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, after receiving a child abuse allegation in May, Arcadia police Lt. Kollin Cieadlo told USA TODAY on July 17. Further investigation revealed that another six children were found living at other residences within Los Angeles County.

Cieadlo said he believes the additional six children were discovered across two different homes in the Los Angeles County area. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services responded to those homes and took the six children into protective custody.

The children were between the ages of two months and 13 years, but most were between one and three years old, according to Cieadlo. The children's legal parents were identified as Silvia Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65, according to a news release from the Arcadia Police Department obtained by USA TODAY.

"We believe that there were three biological children, a 13-year-old, a six-year-old, and a four-year-old," Cieadlo said, noting that police were still investigating whether the children may have been part of a surrogacy scam.

"The surrogacy case — the thing that's kind of gained the majority of the attention on this — is something that we're going to have to continue to investigate," Cieadlo added.

Police said they are primarily focused on the child abuse and neglect allegations. Once charges are formally pursued and filed in the case, Cieadlo said police will work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services to look into potential criminal violations related to the surrogacy allegations.

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Investigation stems from report of 'possible incident of child abuse' in May

The Arcadia Police Department said it was notified by a local hospital on May 7 about a "possible incident of child abuse," according to the news release. Officers responded and learned that a two-month-old baby was admitted to the hospital with a traumatic head injury and intracranial bleeding.

An investigation was immediately launched, leading detectives to a residence in the city of Arcadia, police said. Detectives served a search warrant and seized surveillance cameras.

"Upon reviewing the footage, detectives observed that a nanny — employed by the child’s parents — violently shook and struck the infant on May 5, 2025, resulting in the child losing consciousness," Arcadia police said in the news release. "Despite being made aware of the incident, the child’s parents failed to seek timely medical attention."

Police noted that the child was not transported to the hospital until two days after the incident, when the child started having seizures.

On May 9, police issued arrest warrants for Zhang, Xuan, and the nanny, Chunmei Li, 56, the news release added. Detectives located and arrested Zhang and Xuan without incident, and the couple was booked into the Arcadia Police Department jail for felony child endangerment and neglect.

Bail had been set at $500,000 each for Zhang and Xuan, but online booking records showed that the couple was later released from custody. Cieadlo confirmed on July 17 that the couple had been released from custody with no formal charges being filed.

"When we went back to present the case to the district attorney, the district attorney and our detectives decided that it was best to release the mother and father so that we could complete our investigation," Cieadlo said. "With that said, we anticipate filing formal charges probably within the next two to three weeks, or at least presenting the case to the district attorney for their review."

Li, who police believe was "solely responsible for the trauma to the two-month-old," had fled and remains at large as of July 17, according to Cieadlo.

Following the child abuse report, police said the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services was notified of the incident and responded to the residence.

"The remaining children in the home were taken into protective custody," Arcadia police said in the news release.

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Online business records from the California Secretary of State showed that a company called Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC had been previously registered under the home address of Zhang and Xuan. The company's business license was terminated on June 13, according to online records.

Multiple women told KTLA that they had been surrogates for Zhang and Xuan, and at least two had worked with Mark Surrogacy. One woman from Florida told the television station on July 16 that Zhang and Xuan alleged they had only one child and could not have another due to infertility issues. The woman alleged that she later discovered that several other women were told similar stories, according to KTLA.

Kallie Fell, executive director for the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, an organization that believes that the fertility and surrogacy industry exploits women, told People magazine and KNBC that she had been working with a Texas woman who was allegedly hired as a surrogate by Zhang and Xuan. Earlier this month, Fell posted a YouTube video of her interview with the woman, who was identified as Kayla Elliott.

"Halfway through her pregnancy, other women reached out... and they started talking, and they found out that there were many different women who were pregnant at the same time as Kayla with a baby for the same intended parents... and then not only that, but one of the babies had been harmed by a nanny and Child Protective Services was involved," Fell told People magazine.

On the YouTube video, Fell also shared a GoFundMe page from Elliott, who said she was raising money to "seek legal placement of the baby girl I delivered as a surrogate."

"Due to unexpected circumstances, babygirl, along with many others, have been placed in foster care," Elliot said on the GoFundMe page. "I am prepared and deeply committed to providing that for her, but the legal process to secure placement is complex and costly."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 21 kids taken from California home amid child abuse probe: Police

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