Florida Couple Looking for Baby's Biological Parents After Embryo Mix-Up
A Florida couple is suing a fertility clinic after getting implanted with the wrong embryo. And now they're publicly searching for their daughter's biological parents.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills posted on social media asking for prayers as they navigate "this deeply confusing and painful time" with their daughter Shea, born December 11. They also said they live with "unbearable" fear that their daughter might be taken from them at any time.
"I have a million things I want to say and so many emotions I wish I could share, but for now, this is what we are able to tell you: due to a medical error — the wrong embryo implanted by the doctor — Shea is not genetically related to either Steve or me," Score wrote. "While we are profoundly grateful to have Shea in our lives and love her immeasurably, we also recognize that we have a moral obligation to find her genetic parents."
They acknowledged the case has potential for many outcomes. They likely won't comment more until their legal counsel has an update. But they had one final request.
"If you have any information on the family who might be at the other side of this, please contact us."
How They Figured It Out
Questions came up after Score gave birth via emergency c-section and baby Shea appeared to be a different race than Score and Mills, who are white.
Testing confirmed the baby had "no genetic relationship to either of the Plaintiffs," according to the lawsuit filed this month in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
The couple underwent IVF treatment at IVF Life, Inc., doing business as Fertility Center of Orlando. Three viable embryos were created using their sperm and eggs.
In March 2025, Score got implanted with an embryo. That resulted in Shea's birth. Score wrote that despite the mix-up, it resulted in a "healthy baby girl whom we love more than words can express."
The Financial and Emotional Toll
Score's sister set up a GoFundMe to help cover "extensive medical expenses, including prior IVF costs, hospital bills, and mental health therapies."
Money raised will also support efforts to locate baby Shea's biological family and to find Score and Mills' genetic embryos, "which may or may not still exist." The couple is also hoping to retrieve Score's eggs that were frozen at a different clinic seven years ago. That process could cost thousands.
"The emotional trauma produced by such a scenario is impossible to comprehend: desperately wanting to celebrate the miracle that is birth while battling utter shock and confusion," Score's sister Alexa Score wrote. "Not to mention, being unable to talk to family and friends about their grief. This complex situation brings up multiple questions: Who and where are the baby's biological parents? Where are Tiffany and Steve's embryos? Were their embryos implanted into someone else? Do Tiffany and Steve have living breathing children in this world? The possibilities are hard to fathom."
Those are real questions with no answers yet. Somewhere out there, Score and Mills' embryos exist. Or they don't. Or they were implanted in someone else. Or there's a child genetically related to them walking around. Nobody knows.
What the Clinic Said
Fertility Center of Orlando is located in Longwood, about 30 miles north of Orlando. The center offers various fertility services including testing, egg donation, and help with male infertility. The clinic acknowledged the situation in a now-deleted statement on its website.
"We are actively cooperating with an investigation to support one of our patients in determining the source of an error that resulted in the birth of a child who is not genetically related to them," the statement said. "Multiple entities are involved in this process, and all parties are working diligently to help identify when and where the error may have occurred. Our priority remains transparency and the well-being of the patient and child involved. We will continue to assist in any way that we can regardless of the outcome of the investigation."
The statement is now deleted. The clinic isn't talking.
What Happens Now
Score and Mills are stuck in an impossible situation. They love Shea. They want to keep her. But they also know she has biological parents out there somewhere who might be looking for her. And they don't know where their own embryos are. They could've been implanted in someone else. They could have biological children they don't know about.
The couple is asking anyone with information to contact them. They're navigating legal proceedings while raising a newborn and dealing with the fear that she could be taken away. They can't fully celebrate having their daughter because of the circumstances around her birth.
The GoFundMe is active. The lawsuit is filed. The clinic deleted its statement. And a Florida couple is publicly searching for answers while trying to protect the daughter they love but didn't create.
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