Some stories are stranger than fiction - and in the case of Natalia Grace, this certainly rings true.
Good American Family has just become available to stream in the UK, and already people are gripped. The drama tells the story of a US couple who adopted a girl with a rare form of dwarfism — only to later accuse her of lying about her age. The drama is inspired by the real-life experience of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian child who was adopted by American parents Kristine and Michael Barnett – only to be abandoned by them one year later.
Naturally, the internet has a lot of questions about the real Natalia Grace. We've broken them down below...
Who was Natalia Grace?
Natalia Grace was born in Ukraine, and placed in an orphanage shortly after her birth. She was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism, and moved to the US where she was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in the spring of 2010 when she was seven years old. While the adoption agency were able to provide a Ukrainian birth certificate stating that Grace had been born in 2003, the family began to wonder if she was actually an adult posing as a little girl.
How old was Natalia Grace?
The answer to this is complicated. In 2013, Kristine and Michael Barnett successfully petitioned for Natalia's birth year to be changed to 1989 from 2003 on her birth certificate. This changed her age to 22.
However, Grace's birth certificate has since been legally restored to reflect her birth year is 2003. This came after Grace took a DNA test, which proved she was close to 22-years-old in August 2023. This would mean she was a young child when the Barnett family adopted her in 2010.
Where does Natalia Grace live now?
After having her age changed, the Barnetts left Natalia to live alone in an apartment, and moved to Canada, cutting off contact with her in the process. It was while living in the apartment that Natalia met her neighbour, Cynthia Mans, and the pair struck up a friendship. Natalia was reportedly struggling to live in the apartment, and Cynthia invited her to move into the home she shared with her husband, Antwon, a pastor, and their 10 kids. The family eventually gained guardianship of Natalia, though that also meant they had to petition the courts to vacate the previous age-change order. This came after years of legal back-and-forth between the Barnetts and the Manses.
'I didn't understand why I was alone,' Natalia told PEOPLE earlier this year. 'I just knew I had this instinct in me to push and survive. All I was told was, ‘You're 22 now. Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you're 22 and you tried to murder your family. I was taught to lie.'
Where are Kristine and Michael Barnett now?
The Barnetts are no longer together. According to Today.com, Michael Barnett filed for divorce from Kristine Barnett in 2014, and their divorce was finalised in 2018. It's thought that Michael is living in Indianapolis, Indiana, and he has reportedly remarried and divorced again following his split with Kristine.
Meanwhile, it's thought that Kristine moved back to the US from Ontario, and is reportedly located in Indiana.
Were Kristine and Michael Barnett charged?
Yes. In 2019, the Kristine and Michael Barnett were each charged with six counts of neglect of a dependent and two counts of conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. Michael Barnett was acquitted of his charges after a jury trial in 2022. In 2023, charges against Kristine in connection with the abandonment of Grace were dismissed.
What have Kristine and Michael Barnett said about Natalia Grace?
Natalia's story was retold in a documentary The Curious Case of Natalia Grace. In it, she alleges that she was abused by Kristine, claiming she pepper sprayed her several times and hit her with a belt. Michael also claimed that he was manipulated and mistreated by his now ex-wife when he met up with Natalia ten years on.
Kristine, who did not appear in the series, took to Facebook in 2024 to deny the accusations against her.
'Natalia was a very much loved and cared for member of my family,' she wrote, calling the abuse allegations against her 'just plain false.' Kristine continued, 'If there had been any abuse of Natalia or evidence of it, I would have been found guilty of it and I would be in jail.'
Addressing the allegations against her by her husband, Kristine wrote: 'Michael Barnett and Natalia Barnett may have the same monster but that monster is not me,' continuing 'That monster whether it’s mental illness sociopathy or whatever it actually is may be different for each of them. But it’s within their own psyche.'