In 2010, Kristine and Michael Barnett adopted Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian orphan.
To commemorate the birthday of one of their boys, Michael and Kristine Barnett were joined by their family at a dairy farm in Indiana. The family’s adopted daughter Natalia Grace urged them to halt as they were wandering close to an electric fence on the property.
While Michael and his three boys proceeded to go ahead, Kristine remained behind with Natalia.
Barnett and his boys heard sirens a little while afterwards.
“I immediately assumed Kristine was dead when I heard the sirens,” Barnett said. Natalia had been attempting to drag Kristine into the barrier, he said.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, a new ID docuseries that will premiere over three nights starting on Monday, May 29, and broadcast every night from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT, tells the unusual story of Natalia’s adoption-gone-wrong. (The video below is an exclusive.)
According to Barnett, “[Natalia] had been yelling loudly at the dairy farm. I’m going to murder you, you f—— b——You will pass away.
Natalia was sent to a mental hospital for treatment despite the fact that Barnett and his wife wanted her to be detained, according to police authorities.
When they arrived to the 911 call, she openly declared, “I am trying to kill her,” according to Barnett. They were able to distinguish because of what they saw, which indicated that the child was just pretending to be attempting to murder someone. She’s ill. Instead, we’re going to take her to the hospital.
The Barnetts adopted Natalia, a Ukrainian orphan, and her adoption tale made headlines all around the globe.
The couple said they mistakenly assumed they were adopting a 6-year-old girl when they adopted Natalia in 2010. Soon after, they said they became skeptical of her age, which led to the shocking assertion that Natalia, who has a type of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal, was really an adult lady with evil intents who was only acting as a kid.
Natalia allegedly attempted to hurt the Barnetts and their biological children, according to the Barnetts. The pair said that Natalia attempted to poison Kristine’s coffee in addition to electrocuting her and placing transparent thumb tacks on the stairs face up so the couple would trip over them.
Natalia was adopted by the Barnetts in 2010, and two years later, in 2012, the pair petitioned Marion County Probate Court to modify Natalia’s birth year from 2003 to 1989 and change her legal age to 22.
She was left alone in a Lafayette apartment when the couple relocated to Canada with their three boys the next year.
The Barnetts were accused of neglecting a dependant after a subsequent divorce. Due to Natalia’s court-ordered age shift, the prosecution was unable to accuse the couple of neglecting a child.
Natalia said that she didn’t want to reside in Lafayette in her testimony during Michael’s trial.
She reportedly said, “I wanted to be with the Barnetts,” according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. I want to live with them.
According to the Associated Press, Michael was acquitted in 2022 of three charges of maltreatment and conspiracy to mistreat a dependent.
According to WTHR, accusations against Kristina, who wrote “The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius” about her prodigy son, were dismissed in March.
Starting on Monday, May 29, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace will be shown on ID over three nights in a row from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT.
