LONGWOOD, Fla. — A major development in the Central Florida embryo mix-up case is bringing both answers and new uncertainty for the families involved.
The biological parents of the baby at the center of the controversy have now been identified, according to Jack Scarola, the attorney representing the couple who gave birth to the child, Steven Mills and Tiffany Score.
The update came late Tuesday evening after the couple received the results of genetic testing.
Rob Marcereau, the attorney of the biological parents, told Channel 9 his clients only recently learned the news and are “still processing the reality that a child who is biologically theirs exists and is with another family. As you can imagine, they are devastated. We are currently evaluating all options.”
Nearly five months ago, Mills and Score welcomed a baby girl who wasn’t biologically theirs. The couple previously underwent IVF treatment at the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood. Earlier court filings claim the mistake may have happened in one of two ways: the embryo could have been mislabeled as far back as 2020, or the wrong embryo may have been used during the transfer procedure last April.
Testing results delivered to the couples Tuesday confirmed the identity of the baby’s genetic parents, though their names will remain confidential, according to the attorneys.
The court, fertility clinic and the legal teams considered a patient couple, labeled “Patient Four,” as the strongest possible match among roughly 20 couples flagged as “high risk.”
“None of the other patients, based on self-reported ethnicity, appear to be a match, other than Patient Four,” said Mara Hatfield, an attorney for the birth parents.
But even with this latest development, Mills and Score described how there is a long road ahead.
“This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved. In addition, questions about the disposition of our own embryos are still unanswered and are even more unlikely to ever be answered. Only one thing is as absolutely certain today as it was on the day our daughter was born- we will love and will be this child’s parents forever.”
The case now raises complex legal questions, including who will have custody of the child — the couple who gave birth or the biological parents.
The attorney for the biological parents says they are also reviewing their options. As of now, no future court date has been scheduled.
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