A Florida IVF mix-up has left two families facing an emotional and complicated reality after a baby girl was born to one couple but later confirmed to be genetically related to another.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills welcomed their daughter, Shea, in December 2025 after undergoing fertility treatment at the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood, Florida. But soon after her birth, the couple realized something did not seem right.
Score and Mills, who are both white, noticed that Shea did not appear genetically related to them. Genetic testing later confirmed their fear: the embryo implanted in Score had belonged to another couple.
The discovery led to a painful legal and emotional situation involving both the birth parents and the biological parents. The identities of Shea’s biological parents have remained confidential because of privacy concerns.
According to court documents and statements from attorneys, Score and Mills have now reached a custody agreement with Shea’s biological parents. Under that agreement, Score and Mills will remain Shea’s permanent custodial parents.
The agreement also allows Shea’s biological parents to remain involved in her life. Both families reportedly plan to build a relationship based on trust, communication, and continued contact.
For the biological parents, the decision was deeply painful. Their attorney, Rob Marcereau, said they would have wanted custody if the law and circumstances had given them a realistic path forward.
Marcereau explained that Florida law generally favors the parents who give birth to and raise a child, making a custody fight extremely difficult for the genetic parents. He described the situation as heartbreaking for everyone involved.
Rather than begin a long legal battle that could further hurt the child and both families, the biological parents agreed to a private arrangement. Their attorney said there were tears and hugs as the two families tried to move through an impossible situation.
Score and Mills have said they love Shea as their daughter and remain committed to raising her. At the same time, they have acknowledged the importance of her biological parents being part of her life.
The case began with fertility treatment at the now-closed Fertility Center of Orlando, which operated under IVF Life, Inc. Score and Mills said they had created and stored viable embryos while trying to start a family.
In April 2025, Score was implanted with what the couple believed was one of their own embryos. After Shea’s birth and later genetic testing, they learned the embryo had not been theirs.
The couple’s own embryos have also become part of the legal concern. Reports say one embryo remains frozen and has been moved to another clinic, one reportedly resulted in miscarriage, and another remains unaccounted for.
Both Score and Mills and Shea’s biological parents are expected to pursue legal action against the fertility clinic and the doctor involved. The biological parents’ attorney called the mix-up agonizing and inexcusable.
The Fertility Center of Orlando has since closed, but the damage from the alleged mistake continues. For Shea, the custody agreement creates a path forward, but for the adults involved, the case remains a painful reminder of how one IVF error changed two families forever.
