The curious and convoluted case of Natalia Grace Barnett has garnered widespread attention, a narrative riddled with conflicting accounts and disputed ages.
At the center of this perplexing narrative are two families entangled in an intricate web of claims and counterclaims. The Barnetts’ accusations against Natalia, led to legal battles and charges of neglect.
With numerous documentaries and media coverage shedding light on this perplexing tale, the truth behind Natalia’s actual age and the circumstances surrounding her tumultuous journey remains enigmatic.
Who is Natalia Barnett?
The age of dwarf American adoptee Natalia Grace Barnett, who was born in Ukraine, has been a subject of debate.
The upcoming Hulu TV series Untitled Orphan Project and the 2023 series The Curious Case of Natalia Grace both center on her.
On September 4, 2003, Natalia Grace was born in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, to Anna Volodymyrivna Gava. She was given up to an orphanage in Ukraine after birth.
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism, was the diagnosis made for her. In the spring of 2010, she arrived in the country as an adoptee and was taken in by Kristine and Michael Barnett.
Before being adopted by the Barnetts, Natalia was placed in several temporary foster homes and had previously been adopted into the United States.
What happened to Natalia Barnett?
Now that she is in Indiana, Natalia—who is still 33 legally—is lodging with a different family. She still says she’s 19, according to reports.
It’s anticipated that Natalia will provide her perspective in a subsequent documentary that will be aired.
However, the Mans family was unable to legally demonstrate that Natalia was a minor eligible for adoption.
Cynthia Mans said on the GoFundMe website for her campaign, “We are The Mans and Natalia Grace is our daughter,” in order to raise money to buy Natalia a wheelchair-accessible vehicle on June 1, 2023.
Natalia has provided few details about her life to the public prior to this year’s docuseries. In 2014, Antwon Mans and Cynthia Mans, another couple from Indiana, took her unofficially.
The Man’s family petitioned unsuccessfully in 2016 to legally adopt her as their ward.
Even though their adoption effort failed, Man’s family has said that they regard Natalia as a teenager and have not experienced any of the deceit or aggravated behavior from her that the Barnetts have alleged.
In the recently released trailer for Natalia Speaks, Natalia states, “They will tell you who I really am.” Natalia remarked, “Neither they nor I will lie.”
While this was going on, Natalia has long maintained that she is older than the date on her original Ukrainian birth certificate and that she never engaged in any of the damaging household practices that the Barnetts have accused her of.
The six-part documentary series The Curious Case of Natalia Grace on Investigation Discovery, which premiered on May 31, has brought the case newfound attention.
Natalia Speaks, a companion special that presents her interpretation of the events, is scheduled to premiere later in 2023.
Who are the parents who adopted Natalia?
According to Michael and Kristine Barnett, Natalia Grace—a person with a type of dwarfism—was actually an adult woman with evil intentions who was just acting like a child.
A couple from Indiana thought they were adopting a 6-year-old orphan from Ukraine in 2010. But they soon started to doubt her age, which resulted in a startling accusation that set the stage for a protracted legal dispute.
Since then, the couple has claimed that their ex-adoptive daughter is a “sociopath” and a “con artist,” who attempted to cause harm to their household.
She started displaying characteristics that are not typical of a young child, like a sophisticated vocabulary, pubic hair, and menstrual cycles, according to ID.
Natalia was charged with attempting to kill Kristine by pulling her toward an electric fence and poisoning her coffee.
To prevent people from stepping on the transparent thumbtacks, Natalia was also accused of placing them face-up on the stairs.
Her birth year was changed from 2003 to 1989 when the couple filed a petition with Marion County Probate Court in 2012 to have her age legally changed to 22.
The following year, she was left alone in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, when Michael and Kristine Barnett moved to Canada without her and their three sons. Neglect of a dependent was the charge brought against the Barnetts.
