Helpless Orphan or Dangerous Adult: The Strange Tale of Natalia Grace

Critics had a good laugh when Orphan came out in 2009.

A story reminiscent of “The Bad Seed,” revolves around a family who welcomes an adoptee from Russia, but it turns out, this isn’t a child! Instead, we have a 33-year-old woman from Estonia with a unique hormonal imbalance. Surprisingly, she poses a significant threat to those around her.

If director Jaume Collet-Serra aimed to create a humorous take on common horror movie tropes, according to AV Club, he achieved this remarkably well.

A full ten years had passed, and Michael Barnett and his former spouse Kristine Barnett claimed they found themselves in a harrowing situation straight out of a film that once seemed too far-fetched.

The six-part series titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” on Investigation Discovery, aired in May 2023, portrayed Michael’s heartbreaking tale of an adoption that turned tragically awry. This narrative was contrasted with the doubts expressed by other case observers about the Barnetts’ account of events.

Moreover, during this occasion, Natalia Grace didn’t just reiterate her perspective; instead, she presented a comprehensive account when ID’s follow-up series titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks debuted on January 1.

In episode one, a DNA test on Natalia revealed that as of August 2023, she was 22 years old. This suggests she was around 9 years old when she was adopted by the Barnetts, which is older than they were led to believe (as Michael recounts the story), but she was still a child at the time.

In the show, Natalia stated, “This small document discredits every falsehood the Barnetts have spoken. It’s monumental because it represents 13 years of deception – two individuals who lied repeatedly. Their actions tarnished a child’s life and portrayed me as an unspeakable monster.

Michael emotionally expressed his apology to Natalia in front of the camera, but even though she stated that she had forgiven him, he responded, “I cannot find it within myself to forgive myself.

In her concluding remarks, Natalia noted that Antwon and Cynthia Mans, whom she resided with following the Barnetts, also observed concerning conduct from their ward.

Yet Cynthia told The Sun after the Jan. 3, 2024, finale that her family was “absolutely perfect.”

Natalia resides with companions who frequently communicate with her. Cynthia chipped in, saying, “It’s tough, but with God’s help, we’ll get through this.” She is keeping faith through prayers.

On January 4th, 2024, Kristine, who had previously criticized the network when the first series debuted in 2023 with the comment “Your programming is off-base,” finally spoke up following the broadcast of the second installment of the storyline.

Kristine stated on Facebook last year that Natalia was deeply cherished and well-taken-care-of by our family. There were no instances where anyone in our family harmed or mistreated Natalia… Any form of discipline towards Natalia was minimal, falling within the parameters of typical parenting. If anything, it could be said that we were overly lenient with her, as we all felt a strong sense of compassion for Natalia and loved her during the time she resided with us.

As a captivated admirer, I couldn’t help but notice that Natalia’s on-screen persona seemed to clash starkly with the vibe I picked up from her off-camera. It sent chills down my spine, as if she was meticulously trained in her appearances – the way she dressed, behaved, and presented herself.

Viewers weren’t seeing the “real Natalia,” she alleged.

However, let me add this extra piece of information: Beginning January 6th, the intriguing tale of Natalia Grace continues with ID’s four-part series titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter“.

In this version, the structure and flow are preserved, but the language used is more conversational to make it easier for readers to understand.

In an interview with People before the release of the latest installment, Natalia shared, “Many were accusing me of being inauthentic, dishonest, and even a pedophile. This is not who I am.” She also mentioned her association with the character known for being a victim of abuse and neglect. “I’m not that helpless child who was beaten and starved. However, that seems to be all people remember about me, which causes me deep pain.

Before the trilogy is complete, brush up on the story about Natalia Grace that’s been told so far:

How did Natalia Grace come to live with Michael and Kristine Barnett?

Michael shared in the 2023 film titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” that he, Kristine, and their three sons, namely Jacob, Wesley, and Ethan, were experiencing the peak of their lives around 2010. They were a content family, residing in a spacious home in Westfield, Indiana, boasting a substantial amount in their bank account.

Initially, they planned to adopt a child from Haiti, as Michael mentioned. However, the catastrophic earthquake in 2010 that ravaged the country halted the adoption process.

On the 26th of April, 2010, they formally welcomed Natalia Grace into their family with Kristine. Her Ukrainian birth certificate indicated her birthday as the 4th of September, 2003, Michael explained, and they learned that she had a rare form of dwarfism known as spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.

Natalia has consistently stated, during both interviews and in court, that she was merely a young child at the time of adoption by the Barnetts. It’s important to note that she never threatened or attempted to hurt any family members while under their care.

Prior to encountering her, Judith Irving, a potential adoptive mother from Clinton, Indiana, had already developed feelings for Natalia after seeing her photo. However, when it came to the $25,000 in legal fees that Natalia’s current adoptive parents demanded, Judith’s husband hesitated. This was recounted in the 2023 series.

“In my heart,” Judith laments, “Natalia is the daughter I never had.”

Later on, I attempted to reach out to her via social media, asserting that Natalia posed a threat to our family. However, she remained unperturbed, revealing that as an educator, she had dealt with numerous distressed students before.

“I’ve been threatened, so what?” she noted. “That child needs help, so you get that child help.”

A pair, Dwayne and Robin Farris from Austin (much like Judith), who also have forms of dwarfism, were hesitant when Natalia’s previous adoptive parents requested reimbursement for past medical costs related to the child. However, despite their suspicions, they still decided to travel to New Hampshire to meet her personally. To them, everything seemed off.

Dwayne commented, “I wasn’t sure if it was the circumstances themselves that were questionable, or if there was something amiss about Natalia, but something just felt off to me.” He also added, “That’s the first instance where I fully relied on my gut feeling.

Why did the Barnetts suspect that Natalia Grace wasn’t really 6 years old?

A day after bringing home Natalia, Michael mentioned in the series, Kristine found herself giving the girl a bath, only to shriek upon noticing that Natalia already had pubic hair. Michael admitted to looking up online if this was feasible and discovered that some girls may develop pubic hair as early as 8 years old. However, he added, he and his wife concluded that this child required love and empathy above all else, regardless of her slightly older age than initially disclosed.

In 2019, Natalia mentioned on ‘Dr. Phil’ that she was about 8 years old, or nearly 9, when the Barnetts took her in.

A few months after, Natalia confided in them that she had been experiencing menstruation and concealing the proof, as Michael stated. It was reported by a family acquaintance from an audio recording that Kristine discovered stained socks which Natalia used as makeshift sanitary pads and subsequently tossed out of the window. The friend quoted, “She expressed, ‘This isn’t typical, what have I gotten myself into?'” The friend then advised, “You need to begin discovering her age.

As your trusted lifestyle guide, let me share an intriguing detail I picked up from the series: it was mentioned that the Barnetts discovered some specialized undergarments, often referred to as menstrual or period underwear, stashed away in Natalia’s private space.

In no time after welcoming Natalia into our family, we eagerly planned a playdate for her with Therese, Elva Reyes’ little girl, who, like my precious Natalia, was a remarkable 6-year-old battling the same extraordinary form of dwarfism.

It was clear to Elva and Therese, as they looked at photographs from 2010, that Therese (aged 14 at the time) and Natalia did not share the same age.

Why did the Barnetts say Natalia Grace was dangerous?

As reported by Michael and his son Jake, who were filming a series at the time, Natalia exhibited unusual behavior. This included wetting and soiling herself during car journeys, exiting the vehicle just as it was about to move, and tossing her siblings’ toys onto the road.

Later on, Michael mentioned that they found out Natalia had been secretly stashing knives from the kitchen in her room. At that time, a neighbor named Rachel Ambler remembered the instance when Kristine and her son Wesley visited her home to share this information. Following their disclosure, Rachel instructed her own child not to engage with Natalia anymore.

In the program, Michael mentioned that they had multiple professionals evaluate Natalia, anticipating that she would receive a diagnosis of a serious psychological condition, which might shed light on her actions.

However, they found themselves taken aback when a specialist they consulted diagnosed their adopted daughter as a sociopath – this term implies that she has complete mastery over her actions and is fully aware of the consequences of her actions.

He remembered the therapist saying, “‘You are both in grave peril,'” but they had already understood that. They were well aware of it because they had been experiencing it for some time.

Despite finding Natalia’s actions troubling, Michael and Kristine never even entertained the thought of welcoming her back, remaining steadfast in their belief that they, along with therapy, could assist her in her recovery.

In the program, Jake stated that since the incident where Natalia claimed to have added cleaning fluid to Kristine’s coffee and openly declared her intention to poison her, he has been extremely cautious about his drinks. He explained that he still finds it difficult to consume anything if it’s not in his immediate presence (Natalia denied any intent of putting cleaner into the cup or attempting to poison Kristine).

How did authorities get involved with the Barnetts and Natalia Grace?

As a lifestyle expert, I would rephrase it as: “On my son’s birthday, we decided to visit Traders Point Creamery, a charming dairy where you can actually milk cows! The look of excitement in Natalia’s eyes lit up when the staff cautioned us about the potentially hazardous electric fence on the premises. It just added to the unique experience!

It’s said that Michael claimed Natalia attempted to shove Kristine towards a fence, causing a commotion which led others to rush over. At the location of the scuffle, Natalia was seen struggling wildly.

In the series, two employees from Two Traders Point offered contrasting accounts, as one interviewee remembered the smaller individual appearing more composed and logical, while another perceived the mother as exacerbating the situation.

In a 2019 video recording of a forensic interview, it appears that Natalia mentioned to an investigator from the prosecution that she was experiencing foot pain on that specific day. Upon seating herself, Kristine attempted to lift Natalia up but subsequently fell, according to Natalia’s account, coming “quite near the fence,” although there was no intent to harm her mother.

That day, an ambulance was summoned to the dairy, as Michael remembered. Consequently, Natalia was admitted to Larue Carter, the Indiana State Mental Hospital, for a psychiatric examination.

Anonymous hospital staff, as evidenced by audio recordings, disclosed that Natalia was moved to the adult ward following a discovery: during the process of giving her a sedative via her lower body, they observed signs of pubic hair.

Among adult males at the hospital, staff members observed that Natalia frequently displayed flirtatious behavior. After spending several weeks there, it was reported that they had to retrieve Natalia as she was causing disruption due to her amorous advances.

At home, Michael recollected, Kristine warned Natalia that if she didn’t start being honest, she’d be forced to spend the night outside.

In response, she secured the girl outside the house, and even though Michael expressed sympathy, feeling it was unfair to keep her out in the cold all night, the girl remained outside for an extended period, which allowed a neighbor to spot her and contact child protective services.

When did the Barnetts try to cut ties with Natalia Grace?

In the year 2012, Michael and Kristine requested the Marion County Probate Court to alter Natalia’s legal birth date from 2003 to 1989, thereby making her 20 years old at the time of their adoption. According to the series, their request was approved by the court.

The next year, the couple relocated to Ontario, Canada, specifically to support Jake – a prodigy who was featured on 60 Minutes in 2012, and whose story was told in Kristine’s book ‘The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius and Autism published in 2014 – as he embarked on his graduate studies.

Natalia remained at an apartment they had leased in Lafayette, Indiana, while Michael listed nearby amenities such as a Salvation Army, a grocery store accepting food stamps, and a learning center where Natalia planned to earn her GED. (Michael continued to cover the rent and bills, with Natalia sharing this information on Dr. Phil’s show.)

What happened to Michael and Kristine Barnett?

Back in 2014, I found myself standing at the threshold of a new chapter in life as I initiated the divorce proceedings against my partner of nearly two decades, Kristine. Fast forward to 2018, and our marital journey officially came to an end, marking the close of this significant phase in both our lives.

Despite what her revised birth certificate stated about Natalia’s age, investigators remained skeptical that the Barnetts were innocent and pursued them on charges of neglect.

In 2019, Michael and Kristine were both accused in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, with various charges related to the neglect of their dependent, which included neglect resulting in minor injury, serious injury, and endangering the life of the dependent. Other charges included abandonment or cruel confinement of the dependent, as well as conspiring to neglect a dependent.

They both pleaded not guilty.

In February 2022, several accusations against Michael were thrown out by a judge, yet he was still brought to trial in October for three charges of negligence and one charge of conspiring to neglect a dependent.

On the witness stand, Natalia, who was obligated to state her birth year as 1989, testified that when Michael and Kristine relocated, she was not self-sufficient. They left her in a second-story apartment with stairs she found challenging to maneuver, and she had no culinary skills nor knowledge on how to operate most appliances.

“I wanted to be with the Barnetts,” she said. “I wanted to live with them.”

In response to the claim that she’d indicated no interest in Michael or Kristine, they presented footage showing Natalia shopping independently at a grocery store and crossing the street on her own, implying her independence from them.

In a short while following discussions, it was determined that Michael was free from any charges. Originally summoned to provide testimony against Kristine, the prosecution eventually decided to abandon their legal action against his former spouse, which was set to commence in March 2023, three weeks before the trial was due to start.

At the specified moment, the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor, Patrick Harrington, referred to the words in his motion to discard the case: “We, the state, believe that there wouldn’t be enough evidence during the trial to convict the accused of these charges with certainty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Mark Nicholson, representing Kristine, expressed to WLFI’s News 18 that his client is astonished as they feel the case should not have been initiated, stating it’s now concluded.

What has Natalia Grace had to say about the allegations she was a child “masquerading” as an adult?

Natalia refutes the claims made by Michael and Kristine that she is a fraudulent individual pretending to be a child, and they claim she’s potentially harmful as well.

On Dr. Phil in November 2019, I made it clear: What was being said about me wasn’t accurate. Not in the slightest. I simply yearn for the opportunity to share my perspective with everyone.

Natalia asserted that she did not secretly store knives in her room, plot to poison Kristine, or forcefully push her near an electric fence. Regarding the videos showing her apparently shopping alone, she explained to the host, “In reality, I didn’t go grocery shopping at all. My landlord drove me to a gas station or something like that just to pick up a few items. The Barnetts had provided me with food, such as canned goods and similar supplies.

When the Barnetts informed her about their move to Canada, she found herself at a loss for words. Later, as events unfolded, she felt puzzled and disoriented.

She made an appearance on the Dr. Phil show alongside Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who are the parents of a girl she had been residing with since 2013. According to Cynthia, a friend who lived near Natalia in Lafayette contacted her, expressing concern about a young woman living alone who claimed to be 22 years old, but seemed suspiciously different.

Cynthia and Antwon, her legal guardians since 2016, called her a “genuine, loving girl.”

Shortly following the debut of the six-part series in May 2023, ID began hinting at a sequel titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia’s Voice“.

Natalia asserted, as revealed in a sneak peek from Entertainment Tonight, “Whatever Kristine and Michael claim I’ve done is untrue.” Or simply, “Kristine and Michael’s allegations about me are false.

In a similar vein, Natalia expresses her frustration by stating, “Listening to Kristine and Michael talk is incredibly frustrating since they seem to be discussing things about Cynthia and Antwon that never transpired. Given my current quest for self-discovery and understanding of my past, it’s disheartening not to get accurate information from them.

I’m expressing something along the lines of, “That’s astonishing and infuriating.” Since what they’re stating is clearly untrue. Regrettably, many individuals are accepting their version of events without giving mine a chance.

However, when the second documentary series ended, it was revealed that the couple who had cared for Natalia following the Barnetts abandoning her also faced difficulties with her.

In the series finale, Antwon expressed concern to producers about Natalia, stating, “There seems to be something unusual about her. She appears to be acting oddly.” He further explained, “I believe she is creating conflict within the house and making us appear as the antagonists.” Without elaborating, he mentioned that this was a particularly egregious instance among other questionable actions she had taken. “Natalia seems only to care about her own feelings,” Antwon concluded, indicating that their alliance was at an end.

After the show’s broadcast, Cynthia shared that everything was fine, but “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter” reveals that Natalia has been residing with Nicole DePaul, her spouse Vince, and their 19-year-old daughter Mackenzie for the past year.

In a sneak peek at the show, Nicole claims that she was informed by someone that Natalia was in a situation with the Manses and required saving.

And so, the plot thickens. Again.

You can find all installments of the series titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” and its sequel “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks” on Max streaming platform. The concluding chapter, “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter“, is set to debut on Monday, Jan. 6, at 9/8c.

2025-01-05 19:19