FLORISSANT, Mo. — Two weeks ago, Ashley and Kwasi Oyirifi received an email.
After years of struggling to start a family, the Florissant, Missouri couple finally had good news: the surrogate carrying their baby was pregnant, and they had entrusted tens of thousands of dollars with a Houston firm to secure the payment for her.
However, their hopes were dashed when they learned that all operations were on hold at the firm, with phones not working, social media accounts shut down, and payments not being processed.
This left the Oyirifis and potentially hundreds of other families in a similar predicament.
Kwasi and Ashley Oyirifi pose with a sonogram of their daughter, who is being carried by a surrogate in Wisconsin, at their home in Florissant on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Houston authorities are investigating Surrogacy Escrow Account Management (SEAM) after receiving numerous complaints.
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“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” said Officer William Wright of the Houston police, who first heard from a SEAM client on June 16.
