A staggering 21 children are in state custody, after being snatched from an LA-area mansion! The children, ranging in age from 2months to 13 years old - all born out of an alleged surrogacy/trafficking scam, cops say!
A NY gym teacher's sick & harassing texts to an underage student led to charges & outrage! Plus, Fido rescued from Fentanyl exposure! Jennifer Gould reports.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alart hourly update, Breaking crime News Now, I'm Jennifer Gould.
A sprawling, four point one million dollar mansion in an
upscale southern California suburb became the epicenter of a truly
shocking discovery. Police rescued a staggering twenty one children, including
seventeen toddlers and infants, all born through surrogacy, from the
(00:24):
home of Guujangchang and Sylvia Zang thirty eight. The scene
on Earth after a hospital reported a two month old
infant with traumatic head injuries has blown open a complex
investigation involving alleged child abuse, human trafficking, fears, and a
surrogacy scam that has left surrogate mothers across the country reeling.
(00:49):
Surrogate Kayla Elliott is one of many women who bore
a child for the couple and says Sylvia told her
it was all a mistake. Kyla spoke to NBC News
and that they're accusing her of selling babies. She still
swears that that's not what she's doing, that it's you know,
they just want a big family. Kayla is now fighting
(01:10):
to regain custody of her baby girl, who's now in
foster care. The horrifying unraveling began in May when Arcadia
police responded to the hospitals alert inside Juananzang's sprawling, ten
thousand square foot estate on Camino Reel Avenue. Officers found
fifteen children, ranging from two months to thirteen years old.
(01:33):
Six more kids linked to the couple were later found
in other homes, bringing the total to twenty one. All
were confirmed as the legal offspring of Hwangen Zang, primarily
birth through their own company, Mark Surrogacy Investment, LLC, which
is no longer now in business. But the horror deepened
(01:53):
with the discovery of surveillance footage allegedly showing the couple's nanny,
Chunemey Lee fifty six, violently shaking and striking the injured infant.
Police a other nannies were also implicated in abusing additional
children with discipline described as quote unquote severe, and arrest
warrant has been issued for Lee, who remains a fugitive.
(02:16):
Investigators alleged Schwan and Zang ran a massive deception, misleading
surrogate mothers from states like Texas and Florida. These women
believed they were carrying babies for an infertile couple unaware
they were part of a vast, hidden army of children
being created for the same pair. Lieutenant call It Seldo
(02:37):
with the Azuza Police Department spoke to KNBC four News.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The magnitude involving the number of children was something that
our agency had never seen and also something that our
partners at DCFS it was unique to them.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Also, Zwang and Zang were arrested for felony child endangerment
and neglect, but released after Zang provided legal documentation, and
they deny any wrongdoing, calling the accusations quote unquote misguided.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has not yet
filed additional charges as the FBI now joins this probe.
(03:13):
All twenty one children are now in protective custody with
the Department of Children and Family Services as authorities try
to piece together the full truth of this hotel like
mansion turned baby mill. California is one of fifteen states
that allows a woman to be paid for surrogacy without conditions.
Louisiana is the only state that completely prohibits all paid surrogacy.
(03:38):
More Crime and Justice News. After this, a New York
gym teacher stands accused of an unimaginable pattern of harassment
against a female student, allegedly threatening her with a dog
collar and making grotesque trade offers involving his own family.
(04:00):
Matthew Houseman, fifty nine, a physical education teacher at Yonkers
Middle High School, was arrested by Yonker's police, sparking outrage
among parents. Tracy Pamala spoke to News twelve. I really
hope that they investigate and do not put this under
the rug. These children are in danger. According to prosecutors,
(04:20):
the Summer's residents' unsettling behavior dates back to at least
October of twenty twenty four. Among the most shocking claims,
Houseman allegedly asked the victim if he could quote send
my daughters and my wife to the pupil's father end quote,
implying he could get the student in return, a sickening
proposition made just two months into the alleged harassment. But
(04:43):
the depravity did not stop there. In February, Houseman allegedly
referred to the girl as a quote unquote bitch while
holding a dog collar in his hands, then open the
collar and insinuated he wanted her to wear it. The
same month, he re reportedly kissed the girl on her birthday.
Prosecutors also revealed a string of inappropriate, romantic and sexual
(05:07):
overtures Housemen allegedly made. In January, he texted the student
asking if he was being quote unquote ghosted or if
she had a new boyfriend, writing quote, Hi, are you
angry with me? I felt blown off at the dance.
Didn't hear from you all weekend end quote. By April,
his alleged texts grew even more sinister, with one stating quote,
(05:28):
now I can be a stalker if I had the
time end quote. After he obtained her class schedule. He
also allegedly confessed romantic feelings for her and complained about
the victim hugging a male teen, stating that that student
was no longer allowed in his classroom. Houseman was hit
with a pair of harassment charges on account of endangering
(05:48):
the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. He pleaded not
guilty to all accounts and was released without bail due
to the nature of the charges, though the judge immediately
granted a temporary order of protection for the victim. The
age of that victim remains unclear. Though Houseman taught eleventh
graders at the school, which serves grades six through twelve,
(06:09):
the Yonkers School Board has not yet commented on the
ongoing investigation. In the meantime, authorities urge anyone with similar
interactions with Houseman to contact the DA's office at nine
one four nine, nine five eight four seven seven. And finally,
a positively unbelievable story, in a scene ripped straight from
(06:30):
a prime time drama, fast thinking Washington firefighters just pulled
off a miracle using narcan to snatch a tiny puppy
back from the brink after a terrifying fentanyl exposure. Talk
about a rough day. This little fur ball was found
completely unresponsive inside a car where the deadly drug was present,
(06:53):
but before it turned fatal for little Fido, the heroes
from Lacey Fire Department sprang into action, administer during a
small dose of narcan, the very same life saving nasal
spray used to reverse opioid overdoses in humans. They revived
the tiny pup right there on the scene, turning a
potential tragedy into a triumph. The department, barking with pride
(07:17):
on Facebook, declared quote, It's not every day we use
narcan on a four legged patient. But our teams are
ready for just about anything. End quote. They even shared
a heartwarming pick of a responder cradling the conscious canine,
proving some heroes wear fire suits, not caps. For the
latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly
(07:38):
update on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert.
I'm Jennifer Gould.
Crime Alart hourly update, Breaking crime News Now, I'm Jennifer Gould.
A sprawling, four point one million dollar mansion in an
upscale southern California suburb became the epicenter of a truly
shocking discovery. Police rescued a staggering twenty one children, including
seventeen toddlers and infants, all born through surrogacy, from the
(00:24):
home of Guujangchang and Sylvia Zang thirty eight. The scene
on Earth after a hospital reported a two month old
infant with traumatic head injuries has blown open a complex
investigation involving alleged child abuse, human trafficking, fears, and a
surrogacy scam that has left surrogate mothers across the country reeling.
(00:49):
Surrogate Kayla Elliott is one of many women who bore
a child for the couple and says Sylvia told her
it was all a mistake. Kyla spoke to NBC News
and that they're accusing her of selling babies. She still
swears that that's not what she's doing, that it's you know,
they just want a big family. Kayla is now fighting
(01:10):
to regain custody of her baby girl, who's now in
foster care. The horrifying unraveling began in May when Arcadia
police responded to the hospitals alert inside Juananzang's sprawling, ten
thousand square foot estate on Camino Reel Avenue. Officers found
fifteen children, ranging from two months to thirteen years old.
(01:33):
Six more kids linked to the couple were later found
in other homes, bringing the total to twenty one. All
were confirmed as the legal offspring of Hwangen Zang, primarily
birth through their own company, Mark Surrogacy Investment, LLC, which
is no longer now in business. But the horror deepened
(01:53):
with the discovery of surveillance footage allegedly showing the couple's nanny,
Chunemey Lee fifty six, violently shaking and striking the injured infant.
Police a other nannies were also implicated in abusing additional
children with discipline described as quote unquote severe, and arrest
warrant has been issued for Lee, who remains a fugitive.
(02:16):
Investigators alleged Schwan and Zang ran a massive deception, misleading
surrogate mothers from states like Texas and Florida. These women
believed they were carrying babies for an infertile couple unaware
they were part of a vast, hidden army of children
being created for the same pair. Lieutenant call It Seldo
(02:37):
with the Azuza Police Department spoke to KNBC four News.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The magnitude involving the number of children was something that
our agency had never seen and also something that our
partners at DCFS it was unique to them.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Also, Zwang and Zang were arrested for felony child endangerment
and neglect, but released after Zang provided legal documentation, and
they deny any wrongdoing, calling the accusations quote unquote misguided.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has not yet
filed additional charges as the FBI now joins this probe.
(03:13):
All twenty one children are now in protective custody with
the Department of Children and Family Services as authorities try
to piece together the full truth of this hotel like
mansion turned baby mill. California is one of fifteen states
that allows a woman to be paid for surrogacy without conditions.
Louisiana is the only state that completely prohibits all paid surrogacy.
(03:38):
More Crime and Justice News. After this, a New York
gym teacher stands accused of an unimaginable pattern of harassment
against a female student, allegedly threatening her with a dog
collar and making grotesque trade offers involving his own family.
(04:00):
Matthew Houseman, fifty nine, a physical education teacher at Yonkers
Middle High School, was arrested by Yonker's police, sparking outrage
among parents. Tracy Pamala spoke to News twelve. I really
hope that they investigate and do not put this under
the rug. These children are in danger. According to prosecutors,
(04:20):
the Summer's residents' unsettling behavior dates back to at least
October of twenty twenty four. Among the most shocking claims,
Houseman allegedly asked the victim if he could quote send
my daughters and my wife to the pupil's father end quote,
implying he could get the student in return, a sickening
proposition made just two months into the alleged harassment. But
(04:43):
the depravity did not stop there. In February, Houseman allegedly
referred to the girl as a quote unquote bitch while
holding a dog collar in his hands, then open the
collar and insinuated he wanted her to wear it. The
same month, he re reportedly kissed the girl on her birthday.
Prosecutors also revealed a string of inappropriate, romantic and sexual
(05:07):
overtures Housemen allegedly made. In January, he texted the student
asking if he was being quote unquote ghosted or if
she had a new boyfriend, writing quote, Hi, are you
angry with me? I felt blown off at the dance.
Didn't hear from you all weekend end quote. By April,
his alleged texts grew even more sinister, with one stating quote,
(05:28):
now I can be a stalker if I had the
time end quote. After he obtained her class schedule. He
also allegedly confessed romantic feelings for her and complained about
the victim hugging a male teen, stating that that student
was no longer allowed in his classroom. Houseman was hit
with a pair of harassment charges on account of endangering
(05:48):
the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. He pleaded not
guilty to all accounts and was released without bail due
to the nature of the charges, though the judge immediately
granted a temporary order of protection for the victim. The
age of that victim remains unclear. Though Houseman taught eleventh
graders at the school, which serves grades six through twelve,
(06:09):
the Yonkers School Board has not yet commented on the
ongoing investigation. In the meantime, authorities urge anyone with similar
interactions with Houseman to contact the DA's office at nine
one four nine, nine five eight four seven seven. And finally,
a positively unbelievable story, in a scene ripped straight from
(06:30):
a prime time drama, fast thinking Washington firefighters just pulled
off a miracle using narcan to snatch a tiny puppy
back from the brink after a terrifying fentanyl exposure. Talk
about a rough day. This little fur ball was found
completely unresponsive inside a car where the deadly drug was present,
(06:53):
but before it turned fatal for little Fido, the heroes
from Lacey Fire Department sprang into action, administer during a
small dose of narcan, the very same life saving nasal
spray used to reverse opioid overdoses in humans. They revived
the tiny pup right there on the scene, turning a
potential tragedy into a triumph. The department, barking with pride
(07:17):
on Facebook, declared quote, It's not every day we use
narcan on a four legged patient. But our teams are
ready for just about anything. End quote. They even shared
a heartwarming pick of a responder cradling the conscious canine,
proving some heroes wear fire suits, not caps. For the
latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly
(07:38):
update on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert.
I'm Jennifer Gould.
Host
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