21 Children Removed From LA County Couple Accused Of Tricking Surrogate Mothers: Report

ARCADIA, CA — Police in Arcadia are investigating a case of suspected child abuse and neglect that led authorities to take custody of 21 children who were under the care of two people arrested in May, according to the Arcadia Police Department. Women interviewed by KTLA say the arrested couple tricked them into carrying babies through surrogacy.

A local hospital notified Arcadia police of the child abuse on May 7, the day a 2-month-old baby was admitted for a traumatic head injury and brain bleeding. As part of the ensuing investigation, police served a warrant at an Arcadia home, where they found surveillance footage showing a nanny shaking and hitting the infant on May 5, which caused the baby to lose consciousness, police said in a written statement.

"Despite being made aware of the incident, the child’s parents failed to seek timely medical attention. The child was not transported to the hospital until two days later, after the onset of seizures," the Arcadia Police Department announced.

On May 9, police issued warrants for the arrest of the baby's parents — Silvia Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65 — as well as the nanny, Chunmei Li, 56.

The parents were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment/neglect, and bail was set at $500,000 each, according to police.

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services responded to the home and took the remaining 21 children into custody. The infant remains hospitalized, Lt. Kollin Cieadlo told Patch.

Fifteen children were removed from the couple's opulent home in Arcadia after an abuse allegation in May, and another six living elsewhere were also located, Cieadlo said. They range in age from 2 months to 13 years, with most between 1 and 3.

“We believe one or two were born biologically to the mother,” he said. “There are some surrogates who have come forward and said they were surrogates for the children.”

Zhang produced what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates, including some from outside California, that list her as the mother of the children, Cieadlo said.

He said the FBI is also part of the investigation. A spokesperson declined to comment when reached Wednesday by The Associated Press.

“I'm not familiar with how the surrogacy laws work,” Cieadlo said. “We need to do a much deeper dive.”

In an in-depth report, the station interviewed four women who said they were all hired as surrogates through an agency called Mark Surrogacy. In one instance, a woman was told she was carrying for a couple struggling to have a second child due to infertility — but in reality she, like the other women, were all carrying children for Xuan and Zhang.

The couple's home address is the same as Mark Surrogacy's address, KTLA reported.

“It was something I never would have expected to happen—something almost unbelievable unless you’re living it,” one of the surrogate mothers told the station.

Detectives believe all of the children are the biological offspring Xuan and Zhang, with most born through women hired through the surrogacy business, KCAL reported.

Neighbors told the station that that the couple's $4 million, 10,000-square-foot home is similar to a hotel.

“It’s kind of set up like a hotel with a big, giant lobby, and all the rooms are like suites,” neighbor Hobart Young said.

“And like a round — what I can only describe as a hotel desk — and a gentleman sitting behind it like a clerk,” said Art Romero, another neighbor of Zhang and Xuan.

One of the surrogate mothers said she is trying to get back the baby she carried for 9 months. Surrogate mother Kayla Elliot of Pennsylvania has a fundraiser set up to help her get custody of the baby.

"I’m reaching out with a heartfelt request for support as I 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," she wrote. "This little one deserves stability, love, and a safe home. I am prepared and deeply committed to providing that for her, but the legal process to secure placement is complex and costly."

As of Wednesday afternoon, she had raised more than $5,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.