In Arcadia, California, 21 children, mostly born from a surrogate, are now in the protection of a state child-welfare agency after investigators searched the home in connection to a child abuse case. According to investigators, they originally opened a probe after a 2-month-old baby suffered a serious head injury.
Authorities originally took 15 kids, ranging in age from 2 months to 13 years old, according to the Associated Press, into custody in May. Then, they located another six kids, allegedly living elsewhere, and took them into custody as well.
Police say most children were born through surrogacy
Arcadia Police Lt. Kollin Cieadlo spoke with KABC Los Angeles.
“Many of the children were birthed through surrogacy,” he said. “And then the male and female at the residence took legal guardianship of those kids.”
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Authorities initially arrested Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38, for felony child endangerment, according to ABC 7 Los Angeles. However, they were later released. Investigators also say they took surveillance footage from the couple’s home and issued an arrest warrant for the couple’s nanny, Chunmei Lei, 56, the main suspect in the 2-month-old’s head injury.
Police believe Lei is responsible for violently shaking the 2-month-old baby and accuse the couple of waiting two days before getting medical help for the baby, who is still hospitalized.
Surrogacy operation allegedly run by couple
Investigators allege the couple ran a surrogacy operation, the Associated Press reports.
They claim surrogates were matched through an agency called Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC, which is connected to the same address as Zhang’s Arcadia home. Some of the surrogate mothers are now seeking legal custody of the babies they carried.
Surrogate speaks out
Kayla Elliot, one of the surrogate mothers, spoke with KABC and said the couple told her they only had one other child.
“These agencies, we’re supposed to trust them and follow their guidance and come to find out this whole thing was a scam, and the parents own the agency — that was not disclosed at all beforehand,” Elliot told KABC.
