In 2010, Kristine and Michael Barnett of Indiana adopted Natalia Grace, thinking she was a 6-year-old orphan from the Ukraine.
This unbelievable story didn’t make headlines until September 2019, when it was reported that Kristine and Michael claimed Natalia was actually a 30-year-old woman with dwarfism who was pretending to be a child the whole time she was with them.
The claims against Natalia were disturbing and extreme. They said she tormented them and even tried to kill them multiple times. On one occasion, Kristine revealed that Natalia attempted to poison her by spraying bleach in her cup of coffee!
The story didn’t end there. The Barnetts eventually legally changed Natalia’s age to 30, and in 2013 they reportedly left Indiana for Canada with their other kids — but left Natalia behind to fend for herself.
Natalia says this happened when she was just 9 years old, and was all alone with no supervision for a year until the police found her there.
Kristine and Michael Barnett have pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse and are now facing jail time.
And in 2019 Natalia sat down for a TV interview with Dr. Phil McGraw. She was joined by Cynthia and Antwon Mans, the couple who took Natalia into their family all those years ago.
“I just want people to hear my side,” Natalia told Dr. Phil.
Any medical professional would be able to determine whether a person is a child or an adult. Dwarfism has specific traits, and those traits cannot be mistaken for childhood. Why is it that no one challenged the age change when it occurred?