(KTLA) – A Florida surrogate mother says she felt disregarded and essentially discarded after the child she carried for a California couple did not survive.

“I think what hurt me the most was that I feel like the baby was abandoned — and I was too,” said Perla, 31, in an interview with Nexstar's KTLA, as new details emerged in the bizarre case in which a Los Angeles-area couple may have misled surrogate mothers around the country.

Perla said she was told that Silvia Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65, of Arcadia, California, had only one child and were seeking a sibling due to infertility issues. She later discovered she was one of several women who had been told similar stories.

So far, six women have come forward.

After going into pre-term labor, Perla spent a month in the hospital and delivered a stillborn baby on June 3. She stated that Zhang and Xuan delayed critical paperwork during the medical emergency, remained unresponsive even when complications arose with the pregnancy, and never came to the hospital for the birth or to take responsibility for the baby's remains.

In May, the couple was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment after one of their children was hospitalized with head trauma. Authorities say surveillance footage showed a nanny abusing the child and allege the parents failed to seek immediate medical care.

The couple’s 21 children, at least some of whom were born via surrogacy, were later taken into protective custody by the Department of Children and Family Services.

Police say the children range in age from two months to 13 years old. They also told KTLA that Silvia Zhang was able to show that she is the legal mom on all of their birth certificates.  

Investigators say they uncovered additional evidence suggesting that other children in the couple’s sprawling Arcadia home were subjected to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of nannies. A neighbor described the home as resembling a hotel, with frequent visitors and a front desk-like setup.

Zhang and Xuan are currently free on bond while facing felony charges of child endangerment and neglect.

“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.”

Perla and another surrogate, Kayla from Texas, said they both underwent embryo transfers at Western Fertility Institute in 2024, just three months apart. Both said they were told the embryos were created using the father’s sperm and a donor egg.

When contacted for comment, multiple receptionists at the clinic told KTLA that administrators instructed them not to speak on the matter.

In a text message from a phone associated with Zhang, KTLA was told, “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.”

A Virginia woman who is currently pregnant as a surrogate for the same couple told KTLA she is concerned about the future of the baby she is carrying. The woman, who asked not to be identified, is due to give birth on Oct. 1.

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