California Couple Arrested in Controversial Surrogacy Case
WHO:
CBS News - Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang are the California couple arrested in the surrogacy scandal.
CBS News - Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman and LA County Sheriff Robert Luna are involved in the case.
WHAT:
ABC News - Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman described the couple's home as “a house of horrors.”
ABC News - Police reported that Zhang gave birth to one or two of the children, while the rest were born by surrogate.
ABC News - The couple produced what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates, including some from outside California, listing Zhang as the mother and Xuan as the father on at least some documents.
ABC News - An arrest warrant was issued for the nanny, Chunmei Li, seen in surveillance footage hurting the 2-month-old infant, but she could not be found.
ABC News - Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang face several counts of child abuse and conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact, and dissuading a witness.
ABC News - Prosecutors are seeking a $100 million bail for the couple due to the serious nature of the charges and their flight risk potential.
ABC News - Fifteen children were removed from the couple’s home, and another six were located living elsewhere, with ages ranging from 2 months to 13 years, most between 1 and 3.
ABC News - The couple was first arrested in May 2025 after a hospital reported that their 2-month-old infant had a traumatic head injury caused by a nanny.
ABC News - Police examined surveillance footage showing nannies beating children in a classroom-like room during the search warrant of the couple’s home.
ABC News - At least eight women have come forward claiming they were misled by the couple regarding their family situation and intentions when approached to be surrogates.
ABC News - Kayla Elliott is trying to get custody of a baby she birthed for the couple.
CBS News - Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang were arrested on a Tuesday.
CBS News - The FBI served a search warrant at the couple's home.
CBS News - Authorities took 21 children, mostly surrogate-born, into state custody during a raid in July 2025.
TMZ - The lawyer for Guojun Xuan claims he wanted to raise the children for altruistic reasons.
WHERE:
CBS News - The couple's home is located in Arcadia, California.
CBS News - The entire block around their mansion was taped off during the police activity.
WHEN:
CBS News - The raid that led to the custody of the children occurred in July 2025.
CBS News - The arrests were confirmed shortly before a news conference held by law enforcement.
WHY:
TMZ - The lawyer for Guojun Xuan claims that the father wanted to raise the children to contribute positively to the world.
HOW:
ABC News - Investigators are looking into whether the couple misled surrogates across the country, with at least eight women claiming they were aggressively pursued by the couple.
CBS News - The FBI's involvement included serving a search warrant at the couple's residence, separate from actions taken by the sheriff's department.
(UPDATED October 7, 2026 01:31 UTC)
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has described a couple's home as “a house of horrors,” as investigators look into allegations that they misled surrogates across the country, with at least eight women claiming they were aggressively pursued by the couple. Police reported that one of the individuals, Zhang, gave birth to one or two of the children, while the rest were born by surrogate, and the couple produced what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates listing Zhang as the mother and Xuan as the father. An arrest warrant has been issued for their nanny, Chunmei Li, who was seen in surveillance footage harming a two-month-old infant, but authorities have been unable to locate her.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 20:00 UTC)
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang are facing multiple charges, including child abuse and conspiracy to commit child abuse, with prosecutors seeking a staggering $100 million bail due to the serious nature of the allegations and concerns about their potential flight risk. Authorities removed fifteen children from the couple's home, with another six found living elsewhere, and the children range in age from just 2 months to 13 years, most being between 1 and 3. Additionally, at least eight women have come forward, claiming they were misled by the couple regarding their family situation when approached to be surrogates, while Kayla Elliott is currently seeking custody of a baby she birthed for them.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 19:09 UTC)
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, a couple from Arcadia, California, have been arrested in connection with a surrogacy scandal that has drawn significant attention. The FBI executed a search warrant at their home, leading to the custody of 21 children, mostly born through surrogacy, during a raid in July 2025. Authorities, including Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman and LA County Sheriff Robert Luna, are actively involved in the case, while Xuan's lawyer claims he intended to raise the children for altruistic reasons.