Texas surrogate's baby one of 21 removed from California home in child abuse investigation

CALIFORNIA - What began as a surrogacy journey rooted in hope turned into heartbreak for a Texas woman — and is only a piece of a disturbing child abuse investigation in California involving more than 20 children and a now-defunct surrogacy company.

Surrogacy nightmare 

Local perspective:

Kayla Eliott, a Corpus Christi native, gave birth to a baby girl on March 13, 2025, after signing on with Marks Surrogacy, a company she believed would match her baby with a loving family.

"They reached out really fast. I was excited," she said. 

Elliot herself was adopted, and she felt in her heart this was the perfect way to bless a family with a child.

"They told me they only had one child," she said. 

 The intended parents, Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan, lived in California. 

"The pregnancy went great," Eliott said. "But the mom wasn’t there at the delivery. That felt strange."

Elliot says she found the receiving mother rather cold and the moment transactional, but was ultimately happy she helped the couple. 

Months later, she says a stranger messaged her on Facebook: "We all carried for the same person. Can we add you to our group?" 

Eliott says she learned she was one of several women who had carried children for the same couple and that Zhang and Xuan were operating Marks Surrogacy all along. Online business records show Marks Surrogacy LLC — now terminated — was registered to the couple’s Arcadia address. 

Eliott says she's currently in contact with at least five other surrogates who say they were also paired with Zhang and Xuan - some of them still pregnant. 

California child abuse investigation

What we know:

Shortly after, the nightmare worsened as officials in California launched an abuse investigation after they say the couple brought an infant to the hospital. 

Arcadia police say on May 7, a local hospital alerted police that a two-month-old boy had been admitted with a traumatic head injury and intracranial bleeding. The child had reportedly suffered seizures and had not been brought to the hospital until two days after the injuries occurred.

Detectives say they served a search warrant at the couple’s home and seized surveillance footage, which showed a nanny violently shaking and striking the infant on May 5, causing the baby to lose consciousness. 

Despite witnessing the assault, authorities say Zhang and Xuan did not seek medical attention for two days. 

The infant boy remains hospitalized in stable condition. 

On May 9, arrest warrants were issued for Chunmei Li, 56, the nanny (still at large), Zhang and Xuan. 

The couple were arrested without incident and booked on felony child endangerment and neglect charges, with bail set at $500,000 each. They were later released as the investigation continues, according to Arcadia police. 

Arcadia Police say video and digital evidence supported further allegations of ongoing physical and emotional abuse by a group of six nannies employed by the couple. Authorities found a total of 21 children living between the Arcadia residence and other locations — ranging in age from 3 months to 16 years, with most of them being toddlers.

‘The state of California thinks she’s selling babies’

What they're saying:

Zhang reportedly told Eliott during a call after her release that she was "arrested because the state of California thinks she’s selling babies," but insisted she "just wanted a big family."

"She called me and was clearly upset," Eliott said. "Just knowing there was abuse going on… no child, no person, deserves to be treated like that."

Police say the Department of Children and Family Services responded to the scene and took the children into protective custody. Police say the couple had told them they "wanted a large family and loved having children around." 

Arcadia Police are now working with the FBI to determine whether the case may extend into federal jurisdiction. 

While no charges have been announced, detectives said that due to the breadth of the evidence, they plan to re-arrest Zhang and Xuan once the case is fully built.

Meanwhile, Eliott says she's working to get her daughter legally into her custody. 

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