Southern California couple charged with child endangerment after more than 20 children removed from their home, police say

CBS News

3 days ago

A Southern California couple has been charged with child endangerment and neglect after more than 20 children were removed from their home in Arcadia, most of whom were born to surrogate mothers, according to police.
The children ranged in age from two-months to 13-years-old, but most were between one-year and three-years-old, the Arcadia Police Department said.
Investigators believe the surrogate mothers were from around the country and none knew they were carrying embryos for the couple at the same time.
Officers were notified by a local hospital about a possible incident of child abuse on May 7, the department said. When officers arrived, they learned that a two-month-old infant had been admitted with a traumatic head injury and intracranial bleeding.
During their investigation, detectives served a search warrant at a home in Arcadia and seized surveillance camera footage, the department said.
"Upon reviewing the footage, detectives observed that a nanny employed by the child's parents violently shook and struck the infant on May 5, 2025, resulting in the child losing consciousness," a police news release said.
Detectives said that even though the child's parents were aware of the incident, they didn't seek quick medical attention, only bringing the baby to the hospital after the infant suffered seizures two days later.
On May 9, arrest warrants were issued for the nanny, 56-year-old Chunmei Li, and the parents, Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38, police said.
Zhang and Xuan were located and arrested without incident, but Li remains at large.
As the investigation continued, police contacted the Department of Children and Family Services, which took 15 children into protective custody. Six others were sent to stay with family members or friends of the couple, police said.
Detectives tell CBS News Los Angeles that other nannies employed by the family were also seen abusing all the children at the home on the surveillance camera footage.
Both Zhang and Xuan were booked for felony child endangerment and neglect, police said. It was unclear if they would face charges for the agreements with the surrogate mothers.
Neighbors say the massive 10,000-square-foot property, worth approximately $4 million, has nine bedrooms and is set up like a hotel, with a lobby and suite-like rooms.
"And (it has) like a round, what I can only describe as a hotel desk and a gentleman sitting behind it like a clerk," said Art Romero, who lives in the area.
Detectives tell CBS News Los Angeles it's unclear if the family planned to place the children into permanent housing elsewhere or keep them, but that the mother told them she always wanted a very large family.
The couple hasn't responded to request for comment from CBS News Los Angeles.
Police urge anyone who knows more to contact them at [phone].