Current:Home > MarketsNatalia Grace Adoption Case: How Her Docuseries Ended on a Chilling Plot Twist -AssetLink
Natalia Grace Adoption Case: How Her Docuseries Ended on a Chilling Plot Twist
View
Date:2025-04-17 21:44:57
The mystery surrounding Natalia Grace continues.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks—which explored accusations lodged against the Ukrainian orphan by her adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett—ended on Jan. 3 in a major plot twist, with her new family also alleging to seeing troubling behavior.
Though Natalia was initially taken in by Antwon and Cynthia Mans after the Barnetts severed ties with her, the couple revealed in the final moments of the ID docuseries that they, too, were "done with her."
"Something ain't right with Natalia. This girl is tweaking," Antwon told producers in a phone call. "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."
Meanwhile, Cynthia accused Natalia of "stabbing her family in the back over a complete lie."
"She's done other things too, but this was a new low," Antwon added. "Natalia does not have emotions for nothing but herself. We're done."
E! News has not been able to obtain Natalia's contact information for comment.
Natalia—who has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism—was first adopted by the Barnetts in 2010. At the time, the Barnetts said they believed she was 6 years old.
The pair grew suspicious of Natalia's age as time went on, alleging that she was actually an adult with intentions to hurt their family. In 2012, the Barnetts petitioned a court to change Natalia's birth year from 2003 to 1989, before moving to Canada with their three sons the following year and leaving Natalia in the United States.
Michael and Kristine, who finalized their divorce in 2018, were subsequently brought up on neglect charges in connection to their move. However, Michael was found not guilty on his charges in 2022 and prosecutors dropped their case against Kristine in March 2023.
On The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, a DNA test conducted by a medical lab concluded Natalia was around 22 years old as of August 2023, indicating that she would've been approximately 9 years old when she moved in with the Barnetts.
"This one little piece of paper throws every single lie that the Barnetts has said right into the trash with a match," Natalia said after receiving the lab results. "They ignored everything that was pointing to the truth just so they could create this stupid lie."
When she confronted her estranged father, Michael offered a tearful apology, which Natalia accepted.
"I forgive you," she told him, prompting Michael to tell her, "You don't have to."
He added, "I don't forgive me."
For her part, Kristine has denied allegations of mistreatment and abandonment brought up in the docuseries.
"She was not abused by anyone in my family," Kristine wrote, in part, on Facebook Jan. 3. "Any discipline of Natalia was very minimal and was not out of the bounds of normal parenting. If anything it was overly permissive as we all felt a tremendous amount of sympathy for Natalia and loved her while she lived with us."
For more true crime updates on your need-to-know cases, head to Oxygen.com.veryGood! (482)
Related
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Pope says it's urgent to guarantee governance roles for women during meeting on church future
- Gwyneth Paltrow reflects on the magical summer she spent with Matthew Perry in touching tribute
- An Israeli ministry, in a ‘concept paper,’ proposes transferring Gaza civilians to Egypt’s Sinai
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- How UAW contracts changed with new Ford, GM and Stellantis deals
- Middle schooler given 'laziest' award, kids' fitness book at volleyball team celebration
- After parents report nail in Halloween candy, Wisconsin police urge caution
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Vonage customers to get nearly $100 million in refunds over junk fees
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Army decided Maine shooting gunman Robert Card shouldn't have a weapon after erratic behavior in July
- Ariana Madix Reveals Unexpected Dancing With the Stars Body Transformation
- Travis Barker Reveals Name of His and Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian's Baby Boy
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Biden administration takes on JetBlue as its fight against industry consolidation goes to court
- Matthew Perry Found Dead in Hot Tub: Authorities Detail Efforts to Save Friends Star
- Supreme Court to weigh fights over public officials blocking constituents on social media
Recommendation
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
Abuse victims say gun surrender laws save lives. Will the Supreme Court agree?
A 16-year-old is arrested in the fatal shooting of a Rocky Mountain College student-athlete
Boston Bruins exact revenge on Florida Panthers, rally from 2-goal deficit for overtime win
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Police: Man arrested after throwing pipe bombs at San Francisco police car during pursuit
Iranian teen Armita Geravand, allegedly assaulted by police for flouting strict dress code, has died
Zoos and botanical gardens find Halloween programs are a hit, and an opportunity