A Surrogate’s Dream Turns Into a Legal Battle
Surrogacy Nightmare: What started as Kayla Elliott’s heartfelt decision to help a family grow has spiraled into a painful legal and emotional battle. The 27-year-old mother from Corpus Christi, Texas, now fights for custody of the baby she delivered after carrying the child for a Southern California couple through a surrogacy agency. Authorities placed the baby in foster care during a shocking child abuse investigation, leaving Elliott desperate for answers and justice.
From Joy to Shock: A Surrogacy Gone Wrong
Elliott, a mother of four, was matched with a couple through an agency called Mark Surrogacy. “I missed being pregnant,” she said, reflecting on her motivation. “I loved being pregnant.” The embryo transfer was successful, and Elliott delivered a healthy baby girl, Hays, on March 13. She then traveled to California to hand the child over to the intended parents, Silvia Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65.
But just two months later, Elliott received devastating news: baby Hays had been placed in foster care following allegations of abuse at the couple’s Arcadia home.
A Shocking Discovery: 21 Children Removed
On May 9, Arcadia police arrested Zhang and Xuan on felony child endangerment and neglect charges. Los Angeles ER staff treated a baby with a head injury, suspecting intentional harm, prompting investigation.When police visited the couple’s home, they found 15 children living there, ranging in age from 2 months to 13 years.
The couple converted the single-family home into a makeshift daycare or school, adding classrooms, desks, and learning materials. Surveillance footage obtained through a search warrant revealed disturbing evidence of child abuse. Police issued warrants for the couple and a nanny, who has since fled and remains at large.
Los Angeles County’s child welfare agency removed 15 children from the home and later discovered six more children staying with family friends. Authorities took 21 children into protective custody.
A Web of Surrogacy Scams Unfolds
As Elliott dug deeper, she discovered she wasn’t alone. Through social media, she connected with other women who had also been surrogates for the same couple—some simultaneously. One woman warned Elliott during her pregnancy that the agency was conducting multiple surrogacies without informing the surrogates.
Women from Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and Georgia all reported similar experiences. Several had already given birth, and others were still pregnant. Some are now working with attorneys to explore legal options for gaining custody of the children they carried.
Public records revealed that the address for Mark Surrogacy was the same as Zhang’s residence. The agency has since filed paperwork to dissolve the company.
Legal Hurdles and a Mother’s Hope
Surrogacy Nightmare continues for Kayla Elliott as she launches a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for legal fees in her fight to gain custody of baby Hays. The FBI interviewed Elliott, joined the surrogacy probe, and with Arcadia police, plans to charge the couple. Elliott stays hopeful. I expected my first surrogacy to be magical, but it broke my heart and turned into a nightmare. “It was quite the opposite.”
Her 8-year-old daughter often asks when baby Hays will come home. Elliott refuses to give up and stays determined to reunite with her daughter and bring her home.