The Shocking True Story of Natalia Grace

The Shocking True Story of Natalia Grace

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re looking at the facts, accusations, and theories surrounding Natalia Grace.

There are two sides to every story. In the case of Natalia Grace, though, people have gone back and forth between who’s lying, who’s telling the truth, and whether one person is being 100% honest. While investigators have been able to pin down some facts, much of this story boils down to she said, they said. Grace is either a monster or a victim depending on who you ask. The answer may never be clear-cut, but everyone can agree on one thing: this is among the most fascinating and unsettling stories to grace the true crime scene in some time.

Natalia’s Adoption & Abandonment

Natalia Grace was born in Ukraine with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, an uncommon bone growth disorder. Spending much of her childhood in a Ukraine orphanage, Natalia was eventually adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett. This wealthy Indiana couple already had three sons. Their eldest, Jacob, has autism, inspiring his mother to create a non-profit special needs learning center. Jacob was also the subject of Kristine Barnett’s book, “The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism.” Looking to adopt another child, the Barnetts received a call about Natalia in 2010. Given a 24-hour window, the Barnetts flew to Florida and formally made Natalia a part of the family. The Barnetts celebrated with a trip to Disney World, but things soon took a hairy turn.

At the hotel, Kristine prepared to give Natalia a bath. Although Natalia was said to be roughly around six or seven, Kristine claimed that she found hair in areas that normally wouldn’t see development for at least a few more years. This wasn’t the last time that the Barnetts cast doubt surrounding Natalia’s age. The Barnetts allegedly discovered signs of menstruation and found that Natalia was much taller than another girl with the same form of dwarfism. Even more concerning, the couple believed that Natalia was attempting to harm the family, claiming that she put Pledge in Kristine’s coffee, hid knives in her room, and attempted to push Kristine into an electric fence at a farm. These were supposedly enforced by verbal death threats.

If you’re thinking, “This sounds exactly like the 2009 horror film ‘Orphan,’” you’re not the only one to draw that parallel. Making Natalia out to be a sociopath, the Barnetts placed her in a mental health hospital. Although Natalia wasn’t deemed mentally unstable, some did question her age with accusations of her “propositioning men.” Around the same time that Natalia was in the hospital, her adoptive parents petitioned successfully to have her legally re-aged from 8 to 22. Shortly after Natalia’s release, the Barnetts sent her to live in a Westfield apartment. She was later moved to a Lafayette apartment while her adoptive family uprooted to Canada. Natalia would be taken in by Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who were skeptical of the Barnetts’ claims and actions.

Who’s the True Victim & Monster?

Natalia has denied the accusations against her, swearing that she was the one being abused. According to Natalia, Kristine was the primary source of torment, inflicting physical harm and attempting to set her up with older men. Natalia further claims that Kristine pressured her to lie about her age, among other things. Jacob Barnett was supposedly instructed by his mother to kick Natalia down the stairs. Although Natalia says that Michael didn’t participate in the beatings, she blames him for not stopping Kristine. Although Michael has spoken ill of his adoptive daughter in the past, he’s since had a change of tune, arguing that Kristine abused Natalia and himself. In any case, Natalia believes that Michael still played a major role in her abandonment.

Michael filed for divorce in 2014 with his marriage to Kristine officially ending in 2018. The following year, Michael and Kristine were charged with child neglect. A jury found Michael not guilty after roughly two hours of deliberation, although some key details were excluded from the trial, namely Natalia’s age when the Barnetts abandoned her. It had been determined that Natalia’s biological mother was Anna Volodymyrivna Gava, who was born in 1979. When the Barnetts had Natalia re-aged, her birth year was changed to 1989, which would’ve made Gava a 10-year-old at the time. It seemed more likely that Natalia was born on September 4, 2003, as her original records indicated. Nevertheless, the charges against Kristine were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

In August 2023, a DNA test found that Natalia was roughly around 20. Thus, she would’ve been about nine when the Barnetts put her in an apartment. This seems to conclude once and for all that Natalia wasn’t an adult pretending to be a child. What remains up for debate is whether Natalia was ever violent toward the Barnetts. Natalia and Michael have since come together, agreeing that Kristine put them both through hell. They also denied Kristine’s allegation that there was a sexual relationship between them. Although Natalia forgave Michael, she still believes that he holds some accountability. Natalia is especially suspicious of whose idea it was to re-age her, a subject that Michael refuses to talk about.

As for why the Barnetts adopted Natalia in the first place, it’s been theorized that Kristine wanted to exploit and profit off her. When that didn’t go according to plan, they sought to distance themselves from Natalia. Cynthia Mans even suspects that Kristine took direct inspiration from the movie “Orphan” in an attempt to paint Natalia as a monster. After serving as her guardians for a decade, Antwon and Cynthia Mans officially adopted Natalia in June 2023. Assuming that Natalia really was an innocent victim, this might seem like the happiest ending possible. There’s just one more revelation that has given people pause.

Who is Natalia Grace?

Natalia Grace has presented her side of the story on “Dr. Phil” and the docuseries, “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.” Both make Natalia out to be a more sympathetic figure than the Barnetts implied. However, the Investigation Discovery series ends its second season on a note that throws everything into question. In a phone conversation, Antwon and Cynthia Mans are heard accusing Natalia of lying, backstabbing, and only caring about herself. While the docuseries exists to inform, its goal above all else is to entertain. For all we know, this phone call might’ve been taken out of context to hook us in for a potential third season. That said, we’re not sure how else to interpret this bombshell as of writing.

Following the Season 2 finale, Natalia posted on social media that she was “doing well,” but couldn’t elaborate because she “signed an agreement with the show to keep things confidential for now.” This won’t be the last that we hear from Natalia Grace. While a third season of the docuseries has yet to be announced, the showrunners have set viewers up for more. Natalia’s story will also be dramatized in a Hulu limited series starring Ellen Pompeo. By that point, perhaps we’ll have a clearer answer of who Natalia Grace is. Until then, she remains something of a mystery. Maybe this is due to limited information and conflicting accounts. Depending on how much the media truly know, though, Natalia might be an enigma by design.

What are your thoughts on the Natalia Grace case? Let us know in the comments.