Authorities in Arcadia, California, have taken 21 children into protective custody after uncovering a suspected illegal surrogacy and child exploitation scheme. The children, all born via surrogacy, were living in a mansion owned by Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38. The case came to light when a two-month-old baby in their care was hospitalized with a severe head injury caused by a nanny.
Police reviewed surveillance footage showing verbal and physical abuse by the nanny, Chunmei Li, who is now wanted on felony child endangerment charges. Xuan and Zhang have been charged with multiple counts of child neglect and abuse. Investigators also discovered evidence suggesting the couple operated a surrogacy business, Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC, which may have misled surrogate mothers about the true purpose of their pregnancies.
Several surrogate mothers have come forward, claiming they believed they were carrying only one child each and were unaware the children might be placed in questionable living arrangements. Child welfare officials said the conditions “smelled of trafficking,” prompting the California Department of Children and Family Services to place all 21 children under state protection. The FBI has joined the investigation to determine if the case has ties to broader human trafficking networks.
