California Couple Arrested on Child Abuse Charges in Surrogacy Scheme, Police Say

This case is unprecedented. It is horrific. And the physical abuse, beating and punishment that these very young children received, is despicable, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a news conference, as reported by the Associated Press. California authorities arrested Silvia Zhang and her husband, Guojun Xuan, on child abuse charges following an investigation into a surrogacy scheme involving at least 21 children.

Zhang and Xuan Face Child Abuse Charges

Zhang and Xuan face multiple counts of child abuse, conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact, and dissuading a witness, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors sought a $100 million bail due to the serious nature of the charges and flight risk potential. The Associated Press reported that 15 children were removed from the couple’s Arcadia home last year following an abuse allegation, while another six children living elsewhere were subsequently located. The children ranged in age from 2 months to 13 years, with the majority between 1 and 3 years old. Police stated that Zhang gave birth to one or two of the children, while surrogates delivered the remainder.

Couple Operated Surrogacy Agency with Surveillance System

Investigators discovered that the couple operated a surrogacy agency from their residence, using it to hire surrogates across the United States. Hochman described the residence as a house of horrors, noting that the couple established three rooms designated as learning centers where young children spent several hours a day sitting at desks supervised by nannies. According to the Associated Press, the couple utilized an extensive surveillance system featuring motion-activated cameras to watch nannies subject the children to daily beatings and physical abuse. Nannies were instructed not to leave physical marks on the children, and the couple allegedly told the children to deny the abuse before police arrived to investigate in May 2025. The initial arrests followed a hospital report regarding a 2-month-old infant with a traumatic head injury caused by a nanny violently shaking the baby, as reported by Arcadia police.

Surrogates Claim Couple Provided Misleading Information

Surrogacy agreements in California require written, notarized contracts and legal representation for both sides. Investigators examined whether the couple misled surrogates nationwide, with at least eight women coming forward to state they were aggressively pursued with incomplete or misleading information regarding the family situation. The couple produced what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates listing Zhang as the mother and Xuan as the father. Meanwhile, surrogate Kayla Elliott is seeking custody of a baby she birthed for the couple, according to the Associated Press.

Defendants Await Arraignment as Police Seek Nanny

The defendants were scheduled for arraignment at the Pasadena courthouse, with one defendant facing more than 17 years in prison if convicted. Police issued an arrest warrant for a nanny identified as Chunmei Li, who was captured on surveillance footage hurting the 2-month-old infant, but authorities have been unable to locate her. Hochman stated that the parentage of each child and the motivation behind the strict discipline remain under investigation by law enforcement authorities.