Natalia Grace Barnett is a Ukrainian orphan with a rare form of dwarfism. She has captured the attention of the world due to her legal dispute with her ex-adoptive parents Kristine and Michael Barnett. The legal dispute has been heavily publicized and likened to a television drama.
The intricate story of Natalia Grace Barnett is the focus of Investigation Discovery’s latest six-part documentary series, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, now streaming on Max. This series is a sequel to The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, first released in May 2023.
Who is Natalia Grace Barnett?
In 2010, Michael and Kristen Barnett, a couple from Indiana, adopted Grace, who had three biological sons. According to Michael’s account in the first episode of the docuseries, Natalia Grace Barnett’s Ukrainian birth certificate stated that she was born on Sept. 4, 2003, making her six years old at the time of the adoption.
The New York Post reports that her birth year was originally stated as 2003 on her birth certificate. However, her adoptive parents successfully requested a court order to officially change it to 1989 in 2012, which is a significant difference.
According to Michael, the family strongly suspected Grace was not a child but a fully developed adult pretending to be one. In the debut episode of the first season, he also mentioned that Grace had a dark side and desired to harm their three sons.
In the docuseries’ first season, Michael claims that Grace attempted to murder Kristine by poisoning her coffee and pulling her into an electrified fence. Natalia Grace Barnett has refuted any accusations of intending harm towards the Barnetts and asserts that she was still a child when she was adopted.
In 2019, NBC News obtained legal papers that revealed hospital records from 2010 estimated Grace’s age to be around 8, while records from 2012 indicated she was about 11. A dentist featured in the documentary series stated that based on X-rays from 2011, Natalia’s age was approximately 8 or 9 years old.
What happened to Kristen & Michael Barnett?
During the second season of the docuseries, the Barnetts revealed that they were able to alter Natalia Grace Barnett’s birth certificate to show her year of birth as 1989. After doing so, they arranged for her to live in her apartment and then relocated to Canada.
Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans, an Indiana couple, have taken care of Grace since then. According to Michael in the initial season of the documentary series, the Mans crossed paths with Grace while she was living by herself and welcomed her into their household within three days of meeting her.
In 2022, Michael and Kristine, who are no longer married, were accused of committing felony neglect against a dependent. Michael was found not guilty and in 2023, Kristine’s charges were dropped.
The recent episode of Natalia Speaks featured a confrontation between Grace and Michael, where a DNA test revealed that her current age is around 22, suggesting that she was adopted as a child.
In one of the latest episodes of the docuseries, Natalia Grace Barnett accused her former adoptive parents of robbing her of her childhood.
“The Barnetts tried to paint me as this big monster. I literally lost my childhood.”
In the 2023 documentary series, Michael spoke about his family’s encounter with Grace.
“I can’t put into words the everyday abject horror that we had to go through and live with.”
During the initial season of the documentary series, Michael shared that he and Kristine became uncertain about Grace’s age after observing body hair during bath time.
In that episode, Michael also mentioned that they found out she had her period. In season two, Natalia revealed that the blood was due to Kristine pressuring her to use tampons at the age of 7.
During the initial four months of her adoption, in the first season of the docuseries, Michael observed a change in Grace’s behavior, with her exhibiting a “dark side” by instigating conflicts with his children through actions such as hiding their toys, throwing them onto the street, and urinating on his youngest son.
In the same episode, Michael also mentioned that Natalia Grace Barnett would purposely exit their car in public places while the engine was still running, in an attempt to portray herself as a “poor, helpless little girl.”
Where is Natalia Grace now?
In the final episode of the docuseries “One Door Closes,” which aired in June 2023, viewers witnessed an emotional court ceremony where Indiana couple Antwon and Cynthia Mans officially became the guardians of Natalia Grace Barnett after caring for her for about a decade.
In the season finale, Natalia Grace Barnett said,
“Being adopted, it’s an awesome thing. Especially when you find that perfect family.”
Despite their initial happiness, their ending takes a negative turn. As shown in the docuseries, six months after Grace was adopted, the producers were contacted by Antwon and Cynthia Mans.
In a recorded call, Antwon is heard talking about Natalia Grace Barnett’s strange behavior.
“Something ain’t right with Natalia. This girl is tweakin’. I feel like she’s the enemy in the house. And she said to us, we have held her hostage. Made us look like we’re the enemy.”
Grace’s guardian Cynthia said,
“Natalia is stabbing her family in the back over a complete lie.”
Antwon added,
“She’s done other things too. But this was a new low. Natalia does not have emotions for nothing but herself. We’re done. We’re done with her.”
