Two surrogates speak out about California couple under investigation
[July 19, 2025]
By JAIMIE DING and HALLIE GOLDEN
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who almost served as a surrogate for a
Southern California couple now under investigation by authorities said
she backed out after the couple asked her if any of her friends would
like to carry a child for them too.
The request as well as conflicting information she was getting left the
woman, Esperanza, unnerved and she decided not to sign a surrogacy
contract with Silvia Zhang, who offered her $60,000. Esperanza spoke to
The Associated Press on the condition that her last name not be used
because she has not shared her surrogacy experience publicly.
Zhang, 38, and her husband, Guojun Xuan, 65, are now the target of an
investigation by local and federal authorities after their infant child
was taken to the hospital with a traumatic head injury in May.
Authorities have since taken 21 children from the couple's custody, many
of whom were born by surrogate, said Lt. Kollin Cieadlo of the Arcadia
Police Department, near Los Angeles.
Surrogacy is an agreement between parties for a woman to become
pregnant, typically through an embryo transfer, and deliver a baby for
the intended person or couple to raise.
The children range in age from 2 months to 13 years, with most between 1
and 3.
Federal authorities' role in investigation
Esperanza is one of at least eight women who say they were aggressively
pursued by the couple to serve as surrogates. The women, many of whom
were first-time surrogates, say they were given misleading or incomplete
information about the couple's family situation and intentions. Some,
like Esperanza, did not move forward with carrying a child for the
couple. Another who did, Kayla Elliott, is now trying to get custody of
a baby she birthed in March for the couple.
Arcadia police say the FBI is involved in the investigation over whether
the couple misled surrogates around the country. The FBI has not
confirmed its investigation. Elliott said she was interviewed by the FBI
at the end of May.
Elliott worked through a business called Mark Surrogacy, according to
the contract she signed and shared with the AP. California state records
show a company called Mark Surrogacy Investments LLC registered at the
company's Arcadia home until this June. Elliot's contract listed an El
Monte address for the company. An AP reporter visited that location
Thursday and did not find anyone who recognized the names of the couple
or Mark Surrogacy.
Zhang did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment. Lawyers
for Mark Surrogacy did not respond to emails seeking comment, nor did a
fertility clinic involved in the embryo transfer.
In social media posts, other women who say they served as surrogates for
Zhang and Xuan outlined suspicious actions including the couple not
fulfilling payment obligations and weren't present for the children's
births. Many women contacted by the AP did not respond or said they
would only speak after securing an attorney.
Injured infant draws concern
Zhang and Xuan were arrested in May after a hospital reported that their
2-month-old infant had a traumatic head injury, the result of a nanny at
the home violently shaking the baby, according to Arcadia police.
Arcadia police did not file charges at the time, in order to finish a
full investigation, Cieadlo said, and detectives were looking into
possible child abuse charges and anticipated presenting a case in a few
weeks.
The couple told police that they “wanted a large family" and produced
what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates, including some from
outside California, that list Zhang as the mother of the children,
Cieadlo said. Xuan was listed as the father on at least some of the
birth certificates, Cieadlo said.
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An aerial view shows the home of Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan on
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Arcadia, Calif., where a number of
children were removed from the couple's home after a child abuse
allegation in May, according to Arcadia police. (AP Photo/Jae C.
Hong)
 Potential surrogate backs out
Esperanza's dealings with Zhang began in 2023. She had posted in a
Facebook group for people interested in surrogacy and received a
message from Zhang.
Zhang said she and her partner already had an 8-year-old daughter in
China but were having fertility issues. Zhang said she was working
with a surrogate who was already pregnant but that she wanted
“twins," so she was pursuing a second surrogate. But Esperanza said
things started to feel amiss after Zhang asked if she had any
friends who also wanted to be surrogates.
“She said that she’s a realtor in Arcadia and that’s how she has a
lot of money and was able to afford a lot of surrogates at the
time,” Esperanza said.
Esperanza backed out of the surrogacy after the lawyer for the
couple abruptly hung up on her while discussing the contract. She
said the document said the couple would implant two embryos instead
of one and the section requiring background information on the
couple was cut out. The couple became angry when she decided not to
move forward.
Esperanza showed text messages to the AP that showed Zhang offering
$3,000 more if she agreed to keep going, and another $2,000 bonus
after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Surrogate who wants custody of child
Elliott gave birth to a baby girl in March. She chose to be a
surrogate because she “really wanted to give somebody a family.”
The Texas woman began the process when Mark Surrogacy reached out to
her directly on Facebook. She signed a contract listing Xuan and
Zhang as the intended parents. The contract said Elliott would
receive $65,000 in a series of payments by the end of her 16th
gestational week.
Elliott became wary when early in the pregnancy she flew to
California to meet the couple and only Xuan showed up. As the
process went on, Elliott had almost no direct contact with the Xuan
and Zhang, which is uncommon in surrogacy. Most of the messaging was
through texts and emails with representatives from the agency, who
discouraged her from reaching out to Zhang.
“The agency was always like, ‘Oh, they’re very busy people,’” she
said.
When she learned that the couple had at least two other surrogates
having babies for them, she was told by the agency “they just want a
big family."
Elliott flew to California for the embryo transfer, which was done
at Western Fertility Institute in Los Angeles. The clinic declined
to comment on the investigation.
Neither parent were there for Elliott's labor or delivery, and only
Zhang showed up a few hours after the baby was born. The woman
“didn’t seem very connected with the child ... she kind of barely
looked at her," Elliott said.
After handing Elliott $2,000 in cash and giving three of her family
members in the room $200 each, the woman left with the baby girl.
Now, Elliott wants custody of the girl and says she just hopes all
the babies are safe. When the news first broke about the couple, she
confronted Zhang on the phone and over text.
In text messages Elliott showed to the AP, Zhang wrote: “All the
babies really important in our life.”
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