REVEALED: 6 women who were hired by Chinese couple as surrogates come forward

Six women have come forward claiming that they all carried children through surrogacy for a Chinese couple in California that was revealed recently to have 21 children, 17 of whom are under the age of three.

Perla, 31, of Florida, told KTLA that she had been told Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38, of Arcadia, were seeking a sibling for their only child due to infertility issues. She later found out that she was one of multiple women told similar stories.

Xuan and Zhang were arrested in May on suspicion of child endangerment and neglect after a two-month-old baby under their care was brought into a local hospital with a traumatic brain injury. They were released, and charges have not been filed. A warrant is out for the arrest of their nanny, Chunmei Li, who investigators say is the main suspect in the child abuse case.

Perla had gone into pre-term labor and spent a month in the hospital, ultimately delivering a stillborn baby on June 3. She said that the couple had delayed critical paperwork and were unresponsive when complications arose during the pregnancy. The couple did not come to the hospital for the birth or take responsibility for the child’s remains, she said.

"I think what hurt me the most was that I feel like the baby was abandoned—and I was too," Perla said.

She and another surrogate, Kayla Elliot, both underwent embryo transfers at the Western Fertility Institute in 2024, three months apart from one another. They said that the embryos were created using the father’s sperm and a donor egg.

One woman in Virginia is currently carrying a child for the same couple and told the outlet that she is concerned for the child’s future. She is due on October 1. Another woman in Pennsylvania is currently carrying a child for the couple. Yet another woman in the Los Angeles area gave birth in March, while another gave birth in both 2022 and 2024 for the couple.

Elliot, a Texas mother of four, said she wanted to carry a baby for a childless couple because "I really enjoy being pregnant." Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC, a company registered to the couple’s Arcadia address, reached out to her directly through Facebook.

She said that it seemed strange that the company had already chosen a Chinese couple as the parents of the child she would carry, but "I didn’t have enough knowledge." She added, "I didn’t know [that as a surrogate,] you’re supposed to choose your family."

Per the New York Post, the couple has said that they want to have as many children as possible due to Xuan’s age.

Elliot said that when she showed up for the embryo transfer in California, an elderly man who said he was the father met her. He said that the mother of the child had a "stomach bug" and did not want to infect Elliot. Kallie Fell, executive director of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, said that the same story was given to other women who were surrogates for Mark Surrogacy. They never met the mother; Fell told The Post.

Elliot said that a few days after she gave birth to the baby girl, a young Chinese woman came to collect her. The woman was not equipped with a car seat, and showed no joy. "Usually, you are overjoyed to meet your child, but there was nothing like that," Fell said, adding that Elliot’s family "drove the woman to the airport with the baby, because she seemed totally lost." The woman also gave Elliot and her children $200 each in the hospital room.

Elliot has started a GoFundMe to "seek legal placement of the baby girl I delivered as a surrogate." As of Friday, the fundraiser has received over $7,500.

“It’s very devastating and really bad for these kids,” Perla said. “It’s shocking. I knew something was wrong with my situation—I just couldn’t put two and two together.”

A text message from a phone associated with Zhang to KTLA stated, “Any accusations of wrongdoing are misguided and wrong. We look forward to vindicating any such claims at the appropriate time when and if any actions are brought.”