California couple arrested on child abuse charges in surrogacy case

A California couple whose 21 children were taken into state custody last year was arrested Tuesday on child abuse charges, Los Angeles County officials said. The case has drawn scrutiny because most of the children were born through surrogates.

Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang face multiple counts, including conspiracy to commit child abuse and dissuading a witness, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. He said he is seeking bail of $100 million.

“What has been publicly filed in the complaint today is incredibly disturbing. It involves horrific punishment and beatings and child abuse,” Hochman said at a news conference alongside Sheriff Robert Luna.

The children ranged in age from two months to 13 years, with most between one and three, The Guardian reported. Fifteen were removed from the couple’s home in Arcadia, east of Los Angeles, after an abuse allegation last year, and investigators located another six who were living elsewhere, according to The Guardian. CBS News reported that authorities raided the home in July 2025 and took the 21 children into state custody.

The couple had previously been arrested in May 2025 after a hospital reported that their two-month-old infant had suffered a traumatic head injury, The Guardian reported, citing Arcadia police. Police said the injury resulted from a nanny at the home violently shaking the baby. Arcadia police did not file charges at the time, saying they wanted to complete a full investigation.

Investigators believe Zhang gave birth to one or two of the children and that surrogates gave birth to the others, according to The Guardian. The couple told police they “wanted a large family” and provided what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates, including some from outside California, listing Zhang as the children’s mother. Xuan was named as the father on at least some of the certificates, the newspaper reported.

An FBI spokesperson in Los Angeles confirmed to CBS News that agents served a search warrant at the home, separate from a search by the sheriff’s department. A neighbor told CBS News that helicopters and police were at the property and that the entire block had been taped off.

Surrogacy arrangements involve a woman carrying and delivering a baby for another parent. The practice is not regulated at the federal level, leaving states to set their own rules. In California, both sides must have lawyers, and a written, notarized contract must be in place before an embryo transfer, The Guardian reported.