The Natalia Grace case is both confusing and fascinating. The whole story began in 2010 after the Indiana couple, Kristine and Michael Barnett, adopted a 6-year-old Natalia. The child was born in Ukraine. However, she suffered from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a condition that causes dwarfism.
While nothing looked extraordinary at the start, Kristine and Michael Barnett soon began suspecting that their adopted daughter was not a child. According to the Guardian, Michael said that his wife noticed that Natalia was menstruating. Furthermore, during a trip to Disneyland, Kristine was bathing their daughter when she saw her “full pubic hair.” A girl that young is not supposed to have these.
The couple also noticed that Natalia was much taller than she was supposed to be and had good command over vocabulary. Furthermore, her English did not have an accent, and she couldn’t even understand Ukrainian. This was highly abnormal for someone who lived in the European nation from birth to turning five.
The most shocking part about this story was that Kristine and Michael Barnett revealed that Natalia had ill intentions. They claimed that their adoptive daughter tried to harm their family. They even called her a con artist and a sociopath. Apart from Natalia, the couple also has three biological sons.
Natalia Grace is currently living with a different family from Indiana. According to People Magazine, she is legally 33 years old. However, she claims that she is 19. While season 1 of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace narrated this captivating case from Kristine and Michael Barnett’s point of view, the new season will see Natalia reveal her side of the story.
Season 2 of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace will premiere on Investigation Discovery (ID) on Monday, January 1, 2024, at 9/8c. The new season is titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks.
What did Natalia Grace’s adoptive parents accuse her of?
According to People Magazine, Kristine and Michael Barnett claimed that their adoptive daughter tried to poison Kristine’s coffee. They even said that she tried to kill Kristine by dragging her towards an electric fence. Furthermore, they believed that Natalia placed thumbtacks on the stairs face up to injure the Barnetts.
According to Entertainment Tonight, In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Natalia says that everything she’s accused of is false and that Kristine and Michael Barnett are liars.
Natalia says, “This is my side of the story, and I’m going to say what happened because I never got a chance to say what happened. The things that Kristine and Michael have said that I have done is a lie. I have never done anything that Kristine and Michael have said that I have done.”
She further stated, “It’s frustrating. It’s very frustrating to hear everything that’s being said from Kristine and Michael. And because I already don’t know who I am and I want to know who I am and what happened to me, but I’m hearing all this stuff that never actually happened from Kristine and Michael.”
She ended her statement by saying, “I’m like, ‘It’s shocking and it’s frustrating.’ Because that’s not even true. And people are believing what Kristine and Michael are saying without even hearing my side.”
In 2013, the Barnett family moved to Canada and left Natalia in Lafayette, Indiana. She was soon adopted by a new couple, Antwon Mans and Cynthia Mans. They became her legal guardian in 2016 and believe that their adoptive daughter is a teenager.
