Since Tiffany Schock and Steven Mills discovered there was a mix-up and that their newborn daughter was not genetically related to them, more than a dozen people have come forward and the process to find her biological parents is already underway, according to the couple’s attorneys.
According to a legal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, the Florida couple sought help starting a family from the Orlando Fertility Center in Longwood, Florida, and Dr. Milton McNicholl. The couple had three viable embryos together, but when their baby was born in December, the couple, who are both white, discovered the baby looked nothing like either of them.
News of the couple’s lawsuit and the release of photos of the parents and baby Shay generated widespread media attention. Now, attorney Jack Scarola, who represents Scola and Mills, said, “There are multiple families who believe they may be genetically related to Shea.”
Scarola said his law firm has received calls from people asking if they might be the parents of baby Shay or wondering if the child they welcomed through in vitro fertilization was their genetics. They were told to contact a clinic and suggested genetic testing was the only way to know for sure.
According to Scarola, the court directed the clinic to first offer free genetic testing to patients who received implants in April 2025, which is what Score did at that time.
Scarola told People that one couple is currently awaiting results, which the clinic’s attorney told a judge should be available by the first week of March.
The second set of tests ordered by the court will be on those who underwent extraction surgery at the clinic in March 2020, when Score and Mills also did so. According to Scarola, there are about 20 patients in the second group.
Scow and Mills also worried about what happened to their frozen embryos and whether they might have a biological child living in someone else’s home.
Sco’s extracted eggs and Mills’ sperm produced one viable male embryo and two female embryos, which have been frozen and stored. “Their male embryo may still be there. They were told there was an embryo in storage – it has not been confirmed whether it was actually theirs,” Scarola said.
Scarola said legal progress has been slow, but a judge has ordered weekly hearings to speed up the process.
Privacy has been a sticking point, with lawyers for doctors and clinics claiming some IVF patients prefer to keep their cases private, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Attorneys for McNicholl and the clinic have not responded to messages or declined to comment.
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Their attorney said Scow and Mills have “developed a close relationship with their children” and are experiencing the joys of parenting, but he said at the same time, they worry that Shay’s biological parents could gain custody at any time. “Every day counts for this family,” Scarola said, noting that Shea has already celebrated her birthday in two months.
Although Scow and Wells love their daughter, they have previously said they feel “morally obligated to find her biological parents” – and their lawyers have said they plan to expand the search if necessary.
“We pray for a miracle,” Scarola said.
Score’s sister has also set up a GoFundMe for the couple to help pay for their search and possibly another in vitro fertilization using Tiffany’s eggs that she had frozen at another clinic seven years ago, “an option they never expected they would need.”
The next status hearing is scheduled for March 4.
Read the original article on People
