The biological parents of a child at the center of confusion over the birth of an embryo have been found. Still, the couple’s attorney for raising the children said there are no plans or considerations to move the children.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills are a Florida couple at the center of this saga.
Score gave birth to a baby girl on Dec. 11 after undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment at an Orlando fertility clinic in April 2025, according to a lawsuit filed in January against IVF Life Inc. and Dr. Milton McNichol, the physician in charge of the clinic.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills with their children. The baby’s face was blurred by the family attorney.
The lawsuit says the baby she gave birth to appeared to be of a different race than Skok and Mills, both of whom are white, and tests showed she had “no genetic relationship” to her parents.
The child has been cared for by the couple since birth. A look back at the case and what might happen next after the biological parents are found.
“We will always love this child and be his parents forever”
In an emailed statement to USA TODAY on April 23, the couple’s attorney, Jack Scarola, said genetic test results recently confirmed the identity of the child’s biological parents. However, their identities have not been released as they requested privacy.
“This closes a chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new questions that must be addressed,” the couple said in a written statement provided by their attorneys. “Questions about what happened to our own embryos remain unanswered, and with what is currently known, they are even less likely to be answered.
“Only one thing is as absolutely certain today as it was the day our daughter was born – we will always love this child and will always be her parents.”
The couple believed their only remaining embryo was still at the clinic. Transport of the embryos is scheduled for early May, according to court documents. The couple has secured another treatment facility.
The couple remains concerned that other patients may have had their embryos implanted, become pregnant or be the parents of one or more children, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit requires the clinic to provide free genetic testing to all patients and children born through embryo implantation within the past five years, the five years the clinic has had the couple’s embryos.
Photo of Tiffany Score with her children. The baby’s face was blurred by the family attorney.
What happened at the fertility clinic the couple used?
Earlier this year, the clinic sent a letter to patients informing them of the closure. The clinic also announced that a fertility center will open in the same location in the New Year. The letter did not provide a reason for the closure.
The company also has not revealed when its last day of operations will be, but is asking patients to arrange for the transfer of all cryopreserved specimens by April 15. Plaintiffs allege in court records that McNicholl is associated with the entity that took over the clinic.
Now that the biological parents have been identified, what happens now?
It’s unclear what happens now that the child’s biological parents have been found. Scarola confirmed in an email to USA TODAY that the couple did not give the child to her biological parents.
A status report filed April 22 said the birth parents and the couple will meet in person to discuss next steps.
While no transfer is currently planned, the lawsuit adds that Scow and Mills are willing to keep her in their care but acknowledge that the baby should legally and morally be reunited with her biological parents as long as they are healthy, able and willing to remove her.
More: Fertility clinic closed after couple gave birth to someone else’s baby
The lawsuit does not specify the specific damages sought.
“There is no adequate remedy at law for the ongoing losses, injuries and damages suffered by Plaintiffs as a direct result of Defendants’ foregoing actions and omissions,” the lawsuit states.
Michelle Del Rey is a popular news reporter for USA Today. Contact her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mixed biological parents found in Florida embryos. What happens next?
