A Couple Thought They Adopted 6-Year-Old, Natalia Grace, but Then Claimed She Was an Adult

The strange tale of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian orphan who was adopted by an Indiana couple, has made headlines worldwide.

Grace, believed to be of Ukrainian nationality, was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2010, who thought they were adopting a 6-year-old girl.

They soon began to speculate about her true age in the early days following her adoption. The initial concerns surfaced while Kristine was bathing Grace and noticed that she had full pubic hair.

Natalia Grace. (Source: Instagram)

The Barnetts claimed that matters worsened in the months that followed, including their discovery that she had been hiding her menstruation from them for months.

The Barnetts claimed Grace, who has a form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal, was an adult lady with evil intentions who was posing as a child.

The case gained significant attention, leading to a docuseries titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, which explores the story and interviews with the Barnetts.

The Barnetts claimed Grace exhibited concerning behavior, including attempts to harm them and their biological children. 

Allegations were made that she had tried to poison Kristine’s coffee, dragged her toward an electric fence, and placed thumbtacks on the stairs to cause harm. 

The Barnetts told Good Morning America that doctors had labeled Grace as a sociopath and a con artist, warning that the family was in danger.

The mystery behind Natalia Grace’s age

The age of Grace has been a topic of much debate. According to her original birth certificate, she was born in 2003. 

However, her adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine, petitioned a court in 2012 to legally change her birth year to 1989. 

In 2012, two years after her adoption, the Barnetts sought to change her legal age to 22 through the Marion County Probate Court. This alteration changed her birth year from 2003 to 1989. 

Natalia Grace. (Source: Instagram)

The following year, the Barnetts moved to Canada with their three sons, leaving Grace behind in an apartment in Lafayette.

Subsequently, the Barnetts faced charges of neglect of a dependent, as prosecutors could not charge them with neglecting a child due to Grace’s court-ordered age change. 

During Michael’s trial, Grace testified that she wanted to live with the Barnetts and didn’t want to reside in Lafayette. 

In 2022, Michael was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent, and the charges against Kristine were also dropped.

Where is Natalia Grace now?

After Grace was abandoned by the Barnett family, Antwon and Cynthia Mans adopted her. In November 2019, she sat with Phil McGraw on the show Dr. Phil alongside her new adoptive parents.

During the interview, she shared her perspective on the events surrounding her adoption and abuse allegations. She allegedly denied being an adult and insisted that she never deceived the Barnett family. She also denied all claims of trying to harm the Barnetts or their children.

Despite the abuse allegations made by Kristine and Michael, the Mans family did not harbor any concerns. They did not witness any evidence of the violent behavior that was attributed to Grace. 

On the contrary, they described Grace as a loving individual who cared deeply for her siblings and nephew. Cynthia said, “We have other children. We have a grandson. She does nothing but love her siblings and her nephew.”

In an attempt to gain legal guardianship of Grace, Antwon and Cynthia filed a petition in 2016. However, court records revealed that they later withdrew their petition after it was determined that Grace was born in 1989 and not 2003.

This discrepancy in her age played a role in the legal proceedings. Nonetheless, Garce resides with the Mans family.