Florida parents Tiffany Score and Steven Mills say DNA testing has finally identified the genetic parents of the baby girl they conceived through IVF, but later learned was not biologically theirs, according to their attorney.
Latest Development
In a new statement released through their lawyer, Jack Scarola, the couple said test results confirmed that their daughter's genetic parents have now been identified after months of searching.
They stressed that those parents' names will remain confidential and said they intend to fully respect the other family's privacy. The update comes as Score and Mills continue a lawsuit against the Fertility Center of Orlando, which they accuse of transferring the wrong embryo during an IVF procedure.
The couple said learning the results "concludes one chapter" of their ordeal but opens new questions about what happened to their own embryos. They still do not know whether another patient may be raising their biological child or where their genetic material ended up, according to Fox35 Orlando.
Background on the IVF Mix-Up
Score and Mills, who live in Central Florida, turned to IVF in 2025 after struggling to conceive. Court filings say the clinic created and stored several embryos and performed an embryo transfer that year. In December, Score gave birth to a baby girl at the end of what they believed was a successful fertility journey.
Soon after delivery, the couple noticed their daughter did not resemble either of them and appeared to be of a different ethnicity. Genetic testing later confirmed that neither Score nor Mills had any biological connection to the child.
Their lawsuit alleges the clinic mistakenly implanted another patient's embryo and failed to maintain safe labeling and storage practices, KATU reported.
Ongoing Legal Fight and Next Steps
The Florida couple is asking the court to order the clinic to reveal what happened to their embryos and to identify and notify any other families who may have been affected. Earlier this year, a judge scheduled regular hearings in the case as lawyers pressed for records and broader genetic testing of former patients.
Separately, the Fertility Center of Orlando has faced other lawsuits, including claims it failed to properly vet a surrogate in an unrelated case in which a newborn later died. The clinic has since shut down and told patients to transfer their stored reproductive material elsewhere.
Despite the latest breakthrough, Score and Mills say their main certainty is their commitment to the little girl they have been raising since birth. "We love this child and will be her parents for life," they said, while also calling it a moral duty to make sure she can one day know and, if all sides agree, meet her genetic parents, as per the New York Post.
