A couple who discovered they had been given the wrong baby through an IVF mix-up have located the biological parents of their young daughter. Tiffany Score and Steven Mills welcomed a baby girl last December through a now-shuttered fertility clinic in Orlando, Florida, where the couple’s embryo had been implanted. However, the couple realized soon after the birth that the child did not resemble them, prompting them to question the IVF procedure. Subsequent testing confirmed that the baby, named Shea, was not biologically related to Tiffany or Steven.
In January, the couple filed a lawsuit against the clinic and fertility doctor Milton McNichol for negligence and sought legal assistance to find the biological parents of the child. Following the public disclosure of the mix-up, another couple treated at the same clinic came forward suspecting that their embryo might have been mistakenly transferred. Both families underwent DNA testing, which revealed this week that the second couple are indeed the baby’s genetic parents.
Despite their deep emotional connection with Shea, Tiffany and Steven feel both a legal and moral obligation to allow the biological parents to have a chance to claim their daughter. If the anonymous second family decides not to take custody of the baby, the couple has pledged to continue raising Shea themselves, confident that she will remain with them.
In a statement issued by their legal representatives, Tiffany and Steven acknowledged the end of one phase of their challenging journey, while acknowledging the emergence of new unresolved issues. Concerns about the fate of their remaining embryos remain unanswered, with slim prospects for closure. The Fertility Center of Orlando recently announced its closure due to mounting legal and financial difficulties.
The clinic had confirmed earlier its cooperation with an investigation to address an error leading to the birth of a child not genetically related to the intended parents.