Tiffany Score and Steven Mills decided to start a family, turning — as so many hopeful parents do — to IVF for help.

Only what was supposed to be a beautiful — albeit sometimes challenging — journey welcoming their child into the world has been marked by the kind of moral complication that would be any parent's worst nightmare.

Because even though Tiffany carried her daughter Shea for nine months with Steven by her side, their baby is not genetically theirs. An IVF mix-up means their embryos have gone missing and their daughter is the genetic child of two complete strangers.

It all started when they turned to the Fertility Center of Orlando in Florida, USA, for fertility assistance.

Undergoing IVF treatment, Tiffany and Steven were able to produce and store three viable embryos, according to a lawsuit previously obtained by PEOPLE.

Then Tiffany underwent an embryo transfer to fall pregnant. According to PEOPLE, she was allegedly implanted with what she thought was one of the three embryos she and her partner had produced.

They were ecstatic that they were finally growing their family. According to a GoFundMe created for the couple, "they spent months anticipating their first child, sharing their excitement and joy with family and friends who hosted numerous baby showers in multiple states".

They never questioned the status of their embryo throughout their pregnancy, per PEOPLE, but they soon realised something had gone awry.

Tiffany and Steven awaited their first child with excitement. Image: GoFundMe.

On December 11, 2025, Tiffany and Steven welcomed their baby daughter, Shea Score Mills, into the world but their elation was coupled with confusion when they saw that their baby looked nothing like either of them.

The couple sought out genetic testing, according to court documents obtained by News 6 Orlando, that proved that Shea is not biologically related to them.

The couple previously told PEOPLE that while they love Shea "more than words can express", they felt they had "a moral obligation to find her genetic parents".

They proceeded to file a lawsuit against the Florida fertility clinic in hopes of finding their daughter's genetic parents and determining whether another patient received Tiffany's embryo.

That lawsuit was filed in January. At the time, the couple's attorney told News 6 Orlando in a statement: "While our clients continue to fall more deeply in love with a beautiful little girl who is someone else's child, they are also living with the unbearable knowledge that there may be one or more of their own children unknowingly in the care of strangers."

Four months after Shea's birth, the couple confirmed they were able to identify her genetic parents.

"The results of testing delivered to us today confirm that our baby's genetic parents have been identified," the couple said in a statement to PEOPLE, via their attorney, on April 22.

They said they would keep the identity of their daughter's genetic parents confidential, noting they "fully intend to cooperate in respecting their privacy".

Tiff with baby Shea. Image: Facebook/TiffScore.

On their GoFundMe page, Tiffany's sister wrote that "the entire family lives with the constant fear that Shea could be taken from us at any moment" and given to her genetic parents.

The couple's lawyer told PEOPLE that since the identification of Shea's genetic parents, they haven't made such a request.

Tiffany and Steven have reached a custody agreement with Shea's biological parents.

Court documents, sighted by PEOPLE, report the couple reached a "mutually devised custody agreement" with the parents, whose identities will remain "confidential".

The details of the custody agreement remain private but PEOPLE reports that Tiffany and Steven will continue as permanent custodial parents of Shea.

"Tiffany and Steven recognise the public interest in the details of their IVF experience, and they appreciate the role the news media has played in bringing them and Shea to the point where Shea's genetic parents were able to be identified and fears about Shea's future have been settled," a representative told PEOPLE.

The rep added that the couple are "committed to respect the privacy concerns of Shea's genetic parents with whom they have begun and intend to continue to foster a relationship of friendship and trust".

Despite the question marks surrounding their IVF process, Tiffany and Steven say they haven't questioned the love they have for their daughter.

"Only one thing is as absolutely certain today as it was on the day our daughter was born — we will love and will be this child's parents forever," the couple previously wrote in a statement to PEOPLE.

In a post on social media in February, Tiffany said despite the "impossible and deeply frustrating situation", they were grateful for their "healthy, beautiful baby girl".

"Gratitude that we get to hold her, kiss her, and love her. She is the light of our lives and the one beautiful thing that has come from all of this," she said.

"No matter how or why this happened, she is ours in every way that matters. The moments we share with her are everything."

Tiffany said Shea brings the couple so much joy.

"We are completely obsessed with her smiles and giggles and look forward to more milestones: reading books, ponytails, taking her to the beach, etc," she said. "The love we have for her is indescribable and nothing short of the love we would have for our own genetic child."

Steven and Tiffany share an 'indescribable' love for their daughter. Image: Facebook/TiffScore.

While Tiffany and Steven are committed to raising their daughter, one question remained: What has happened to the couple's embryos?

"This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved," the couple told PEOPLE in April.

"In addition, questions about the disposition of our own embryos are still unanswered and are even more unlikely to ever be answered."

Now PEOPLE has reported that one remaining embryo exists, which will be transferred to a new clinic secured by the couple for treatment and storage.

The embryo will be "tested for parentage" and then the couple "will determine next steps", per court documents cited by PEOPLE.

The couple previously told PEOPLE that they hoped taking legal action would allow them to live more freely and "to finally celebrate the one beautiful thing that has come from all of this: our daughter. Shea is completely innocent and so undeserving of any of this."

The Fertility Clinic of Orlando recently announced its closure in April.

A statement on the clinic's website reads: "After thoughtful consideration, Fertility Center of Orlando will be closing its operations on May 20, 2026".

The centre is yet to formally comment on the case. However, in court documents, per NBC, the defendants have not disputed that Tiffany and Steven's baby "should be, but is not, the genetic child" of the plaintiffs.

Feature image: GoFundMe.