Six-year-old Ukrainian orphan was adopted in 2013, but ended up abandoned three years later after being accused of being an adult disguising herself as a child
Starring Vera Farmiga e Peter Sarsgaard, the film ‘The Orphan’ (2009) tells the story of a couple who adopt a Russian girl who they think is only 9 years old. However, the girl is a 33-year-old serial killer posing as a child.
The plot may seem a little crazy and somewhat fictional, but that’s precisely why Michael e Christine Barnett claim to have passed after they placed Natalia Grace inside your home. The truth, however, is far from that.
The adoption
In 2010, the couple Michael e Christine Barnett adopted Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace just six years old. However, in July 2013, they left her alone in an apartment while they moved to Canada. Thus, they faced several accusations of negligence.
But Michael e Kristine claim that things are not quite like that: Natalia it would be an adult disguised as a child. In 2012, they even managed to legally change the year of birth of Grace from 2003 to 1989 — which would make her 22 at the time, not 8.
Natalia Grace and the Barnetts – Reproduction/Video/Inside
In an interview with Good Morning America, in 2019, Michaelraised the possibility of Grace be an adult of 33. According to People, the Barnett’s also claimed that Natalia she would be a “con artist” and “sociopath” who would be determined to harm her family.
During the two years he lived with his adoptive family, Grace was accused of trying to poison coffee Kristine; dragging it to an electric fence and even leaving transparent tacks on a ladder for them to step on and have an accident.
In the documentary ‘The Curious Case of Natalia Grace’, Michael even gave more details of the alleged threats of Natalia against him and his ex-wife (the couple separated in 2014). “She threatened to stab my children, drag their bodies outside and bury them below deck.”
I promise you that within five years someone will be dead,” Grace was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian has always denied all the accusations, showing her version of the facts in ‘The Curious Case of Natalia Grace’ — a six-hour overtime version of the documentary.
“In every lie there is a hidden truth, but you have to dig deep enough to see it,” said Natalia. “They’re not going to get away with this. This is my side of the story.”
Do I look like a monster to you?” he asks.
The orphan
According to People, the Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace arrived in the United States in 2008. She was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism called congenital spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia. Over the years, she lived with several different foster families before being adopted by Michael e Christine Barnett em 2010.
At the time, the couple believed they had adopted a girl who was just six years old, however, they soon became suspicious of this for several reasons. In the documentary, they say that Grace I already had pubic hair, adult teeth and was menstruating.
Therefore, in mid-2012, they asked the Marion County Probate Court to legally change the age of Natalia.
Natalia Grace as a child – Disclosure
Next year, Michael e Kristine they moved to an apartment in Lafayette, in the US state of Indiana. But everything was nothing more than a bridge for them to leave Grace alone in the place; since they and their three other children went to live in Canada. Cutting off any kind of contact with her.
The history of Natalia It only gained repercussions in 2019, when Indiana prosecutors brought charges against the couple for neglect of a dependent. In several interviews, the Barnett’s They accused their adopted daughter of being an adult posing as a child who would do anything to harm them.
Grace’s fate
Since 2013, Natalia Grace lives with another couple from Indiana: Cynthia e Antwon Mansin addition to their children, explains The Lafayette Journal & Courier. Grace would have met his new family after moving with his Barnett’s to the new city before it was abandoned.
Upon learning of the girl’s situation, Cynthia invited her to live with his family. In 2016, the Mans filed a legal request to become Natalia’s guardians. However, it was up to the Court to determine whether Grace was a minor or an adult.
By maintaining her identity as an adult, the family withdrew their request for guardianship, but still began to care for her. With the battle against Barnett’s and subsequent media attention, Cynthia e Antwon supported her.
In an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw’s talk show, in 2019, the Mans appeared alongside Grace and also testified on his behalf in a trial three years later against Michael.
They finally managed to adopt her in 2023. However, the then happy ending ended due to a shocking revelation in the last episode of ‘The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks’.
Natalia Grace during interview – Disclosure/Video
The documentary, released a month ago, revealed that the producers of a show received a worrying phone call from Antwon Mans: “Something is not right with Natalia… I feel like she is the enemy of the house.”
And she told us that we held her hostage. She made us look like we were the enemy,” she continued.
Still on the call, Cynthia Mans continued: “Natalia is stabbing her family in the back, because of a complete lie!” Antwon adds: “She also did other things, but this was a new low. Natalia has no emotions for anything other than herself… We broke up with her.”
The destiny
The move to Canada served the Barnett’s Prioritize your child’s studies Jacob, who was 15 years old at the time. With autism, he was a prodigy in mathematics and science, approved to do postgraduate studies in physics.
Still in 2013, however, Michael returned from Canada to Indianapolis, notes The Lafayette Journal & Courier. The following year, in February, he filed for divorce from Kristine after almost 20 years of marriage. The process was only completed in 2018.
In September 2019, the former couple was accused multiple times of neglect of a dependent for leaving Natalia alone in an apartment while they moved to Canada.
An Indiana judge dismissed the charges based on his new age. Nataliahowever, the prosecutors managed to continue with the process by presenting that Grace She was unable to live alone because of her dwarfism. Michael was found innocent in 2022, a year before the charges against Kristine be rejected.
Despite all the controversy, Grace never said that she didn’t feel loved by her Barnett’sbut refuted all the accusations made against her: “I’m hearing all these things that never happened from Kristine and Michael. It’s shocking and frustrating because it’s not true. And people are believing what Kristine and Michael are saying, even without hearing my opinion”.
In a family publication Manson Instagram, they celebrated the 20th anniversary of Grace on September 4, 2023 (considering the year of birth originally listed on the Ukrainian birth certificate of Natalia). However, according to her current record, she would be turning 34 years old.
In August 2023, a blood test carried out by the TruDiagnostic medical laboratory showed that Natalia is approximately 22 years old — which suggests she was a child when the Barnett’s adopted her.
This little piece of paper trashes every lie the Barnetts told with a match,” Natalia said in the documentary. “It just proves that I wasn’t lying about my age.”
“They ignored everything that pointed to the truth just so they could create this stupid lie,” she said. “They knew that and they still did what they did.”
Natalia Grace’s story became the subject of a documentary series by ID available on the Max streaming platform. In ‘The Curious Case of Natalia Grace’, the public sees details of the story.