The Journal. The Mystery of the Mansion Filled With Surrogate Children
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Aug 15, 2025 Katherine Long, a WSJ reporter, investigates a shocking case in Los Angeles where a couple has 22 children through surrogacy, raising ethical alarms in the industry. She discusses how surrogates felt deceived and the implications of unregulated practices. The episode delves into discrepancies in birth records and the emotional toll on surrogates, highlighting the complexities of a multi-billion dollar market. Long sheds light on the lack of federal oversight and the dire need for regulation to protect all parties involved.
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Mansion Filled With Surrogate Children
- Police found a nine-bedroom Arcadia mansion housing 15 children under age three and six nannies after a hospital reported an injured two-month-old.
- Investigators learned many children were born via surrogacy and belonged to the same couple, prompting an FBI inquiry.
Couple And Their Business Tied To Case
- Sylvia Zhang and Guo Jinxuan ran a real-estate business and lived in the Arcadia house tied to Mark Surrogacy.
- Police found birth certificates and puzzlingly frequent births across the country, triggering FBI involvement.
How Commercial Surrogacy Typically Works
- Surrogacy matches intended parents with gestational carriers and can cost $150k–$300k including agency and medical fees.
- The process usually ends with intended parents taking the newborn home from the hospital and raising the child.