A Southern California couple who had 21 children, most of whom were birthed by different surrogate mothers, lied to the surrogates and then subjected the children to vicious beatings and punishments, authorities said.
\n\nSilvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan were arrested Tuesday after authorities served a search warrant at their Arcadia mansion as part of a child abuse investigation. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation.
\n\nXuan also faces one felony count of child abuse, one felony count of accessory after the fact, and five felony counts of dissuading a witness. Zhang also faces one count of accessory after the fact and four counts of dissuading a witness.
\n\n“This house could only be described as a house of horrors for these incredibly young children,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a Tuesday news conference.
\n\nAuthorities began investigating the couple last year after a 2-month-old child was brought to the hospital with head injuries. Hochman, citing a criminal complaint, alleged that a nanny struck the baby in the head on May 4, 2025.
\n\nXuan and Zhang did not seek medical attention until days later, he said, noting that the baby has since recovered.
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health