A woman is sharing her story amid an investigation into whether a California couple misled surrogate mothers across the country.
In January 2024, Kayla Elliott was contacted by Mark Surrogacy via a Facebook group.
Public filings reveal March Surrogacy Investment LLC was registered to Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang’s home address in Arcadia, California, with Zhang listed as the manager.
Elliott was sent a “parent profile” that said a couple was seeking surrogacy because they had one daughter but were unable to conceive again after 10 attempts.
But the couple turned out to be part of an alleged surrogacy scam that investigators say involved people from around the country carrying embryos for the couple at the same time.
“It was kind of like they preyed on my vulnerability, being a first-time surrogate,” Elliott said.
Elliott, who has four kids of her own, said she gave birth as a surrogate in March and that the baby is now in foster care. She’s fighting to gain custody of the child. She said she’s been contacted by the FBI. The bureau’s Los Angeles field office declined to comment to CBS News.
“We were lied to about so much, that I mean it’s disgusting,” Elliott said.
Investigation details
Xuan and Zhang were arrested in May on felony child endangerment charges in connection to a possible child abuse incident involving a 2-month-old baby. They were released on bond as the investigation expanded.
Police say security video from Xuan and Zhang’s property showed a nanny shaking and hitting the baby. The child was admitted to a hospital with severe head trauma.
“Upon reviewing the footage, detectives observed that a nanny employed by the child’s parents violently shook and struck the infant on May 5, 2025, resulting in the child losing consciousness,” the Arcadia Police Department said in a news release.
Police issued an arrest warrant for the nanny, Chunmei Li, who remains on the run.
According to police, 21 children are in protective care;15 of whom were taken from the mansion in Southern California including the 2-month old baby.
CBS News was at the property on Thursday when someone emerged from the mansion to pick up a package. The individual was on the phone with Zhang, who said, “this home is good. There’s no human trafficking.”
Arcadia police say they haven’t spoken to any surrogate mothers as that doesn’t pertain to the child abuse investigation.
The couple hasn’t entered a plea yet or responded to a request for comment from CBS News Los Angeles.
