Current:Home > InvestNatalia Grace Adoption Case: How Her Docuseries Ended on a Chilling Plot Twist -DollarDynamic
Natalia Grace Adoption Case: How Her Docuseries Ended on a Chilling Plot Twist
SignalHub View
Date:2025-04-09 06:22:18
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! (17999)
Related
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Texas’ Brazos River, Captive and Contaminated
- Abducted U.N. workers free after 18 months in Yemen
- Alabama inmate arrested after ‘security incident’ at state prison
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- See Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Netflix's first 'Maestro' teaser trailer
- OK, we can relax. The iPhone ‘hang up’ button might not be moving much after all
- Labor Day TV deals feature savings on Reviewed-approved screens from LG, Samsung and Sony
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Group behind Montana youth climate lawsuit has lawsuits in 3 other state courts: What to know
Ranking
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- MLB investigating Rays shortstop Wander Franco as team puts him on restricted list
- WeWork sounds the alarm, prompting speculation around the company’s future
- Intersex surgery stole their joy. Now they're trying to get it back.
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- England vs. Australia: Time, odds, how to watch and live stream 2023 World Cup semifinal
- Magoo, ‘Up Jumps da Boogie’ rapper and Timbaland collaborator, dies at 50
- ESPN, anchor Sage Steele part ways after settling lawsuit
Recommendation
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
West Virginia Public Broadcasting chief steps down in latest shakeup at news outlet
Florida students and professors say a new law censors academic freedom. They’re suing to stop it
Game of Thrones Actor Darren Kent Dead at 36
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Number of dead from Maui wildfires reaches 99, as governor warns there could be scores more
Former Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott signing with Patriots on 1-year deal
Young environmentalists won a landmark climate change ruling in Montana. Will it change anything?