Additional Coverage:
- Couple accused of fooling women across US into carrying babies through surrogacy as 21 kids seized from home (themirror.com)
Arcadia Couple Investigated After 21 Children Taken Into Protective Custody
Arcadia, CA— A local couple is under investigation after authorities removed 21 children, ranging in age from two months to 13 years, from their home. The children are now in protective custody. Police allege the parents, Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan, endangered and neglected the children.
The investigation began in early May following reports of possible child abuse. Police had previously visited the residence after a two-month-old infant was hospitalized with head trauma, allegedly caused by a nanny.
The parents are accused of delaying medical treatment for the child. On May 9th, warrants were served for Zhang and Xuan’s arrest on suspicion of felony child endangerment and neglect.
They were later released.
Adding another layer of complexity to the case, it has been revealed that the children were born via surrogacy. Zhang and Xuan operated an agency called Mark Surrogacy, headquartered at their Arcadia home.
Multiple surrogate mothers from across the country allege they were misled into believing the couple was infertile and needed assistance building their family. They later discovered they were all carrying children for the same couple, sometimes concurrently.
One surrogate, Kayla from Texas, shared her experience with KTLA 5 News. She described her initial joy in helping the couple grow their family, only to be shocked two months after giving birth when she learned the baby had been placed in foster care. Another surrogate from Pennsylvania revealed she is currently 26 weeks pregnant with the couple’s child.
Zhang, who police confirmed is the legal mother of all 21 children, denies any wrongdoing. In a text message from a phone associated with her, she stated, “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.”
While Mark Surrogacy has reportedly filed paperwork for termination, the investigation continues, leaving the future of these 21 children uncertain.