NATALIA Grace was accused of posing as a child by the first family who adopted her.
Her adoptive parents went on to claim she was a sociopath who tried to kill them, but the truth was stranger than fiction.
InstagramSix-year-old Natalia Grace was adopted by the Barnetts in 2010, but they claimed she was a sociopath in her twenties[/caption]
Who is Natalia Grace?
Natalia Grace was born in Ukraine on September 4, 2003.
She was diagnosed with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita — a rare form of dwarfism.
Natalia was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2010, when she was six years old.
Barnetts’ allegations
But the Barnetts claimed that Natalia was actually an adult masquerading as a child.
They alleged that she exhibited violent behavior and made threats against their family.
Michael detailed the threats he and his ex-wife (they split in 2014) allegedly faced from Natalia in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace — a three-part docuseries that premiered on ID in May 2023.
He said in the documentary: “She threatened to stab my sons, drag their bodies outside and bury them underneath the deck.”
Michael added: “I promise you within five years someone is dead.”
He also told Good Morning America: “We were told by doctors, ‘This person is a sociopath. This person is a con artist. You are all in danger.’
“Natalia would do things like place clear thumbtacks on the stairs face up so that when we would walk up the stairs we would be stepping on thumbtacks to pain and injure ourselves.”
Kristine Barnett also alleged that Natalia attempted to poison her coffee with a cleaning agent.
Natalia has always denied Michael and Kristine’s allegations that she attempted to harm them and their three biological children.
Petition to change Natalia’s age
According to the Barnetts, Natalia was 21 years old when they adopted her on April 26, 2010 — not six years old.
In 2012, they successfully petitioned a court to legally change Natalia’s birth year from 2003 to 1989, effectively altering her age from 8 to 22.
The following year, the Barnetts moved Natalia into an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, before relocating to Canada with their biological children.
It’s a blessing to be alive today because looking back at my seven-year-old self, I should have been dead.
Natalia Grace
DNA age verification
In August 2023, a DNA test estimated Natalia’s age to be around 22, supporting her claim about her true age.
Her birth year was later legally restored to 2003.
Natalia had also always denied the speculation surrounding her ‘real age’, maintaining that she was in fact a child when the Barnetts adopted her.
Legal proceedings
In September 2019, Michael and Kristine Barnett were charged with counts of neglect of a dependent, neglect of a dependent causing bodily injury and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent for the abandonment of Natalia in 2013.
Following a trial, however, Michael was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent in October 2022.
Tippecanoe County JailMichael and Kristine Barnett faced charges of neglect, but they were ultimately dropped[/caption]
Kristine’s charges were also dropped in March 2023.
Second adoptive family
Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans legally adopted Natalia in June 2023 — but she had already been living with them for around a decade.
She joined the Mans family in their strict religious lifestyle while living with them in Indiana and Tennessee, helping to care for her 10 adoptive siblings.
Natalia alleged that the Mans family was controlling and forbade her from contacting outsiders.
So she orchestrated a complex escape plan with the assistance of her boyfriend Neil, whom she met on Facebook.
MaxNatalia has featured in multiple TV shows, including The Curious Case of Natalia Grace[/caption]
Natalia contacted Nicole and Vince DePaul, who had previously unsuccessfully attempted to adopt her in 2009.
The plan required several months of careful preparation and coordination.
Neil played a crucial role in facilitating communication between Natalia and Nicole DePaul.
Initially skeptical of Neil’s identity and intentions, Nicole eventually confirmed his relationship with Natalia and became involved in the escape plan.
The arrangement culminated in Nicole and her daughter Mackenzie driving from upstate New York to Nashville, to secretly retrieve Natalia from the Mans family home.
Matt Symons for The US SunNatalia finally found a happy home with Nicole and Vince DePaul, both of whom are also little people[/caption]
Just three days before Christmas 2023, Natalia escaped with her new family.
Where Natalia is now
As of February 2025, Natalia Grace, now 21 years old, is living with Nicole and Vince DePaul — both of whom are also little people — in upstate New York.
In the ID show The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter (2025), Natalia said: “The last thing I told my sisters were, ‘You guys go ahead to the church sanctuary and I love you.’
“And then I saw [the DePauls] pull up and Mack jumped out and I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, she’s actually here.’
“My heart started pounding. I was terrified. I was completely terrified.”
On her new life, Natalia added: “It’s a blessing to be alive today because looking back at my seven-year-old self, I should have been dead.
“Learning everything that I have about how to live with my dwarfism— it’s been a great experience.
“I love it. I mean, of course, I still miss my siblings and everything. But I love it. I feel free.”
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