Her birthdate has been the topic of a lot scrutiny, ever since her adoptive mother and father accused her of being a lot older than they initially thought. Natalia Grace’s age was lastly revealed in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks—a six-part documentary collection on iD.
Natalia is a Ukrainian-born woman who gained media consideration because of a controversial and extensively publicized case. In 2010, Kristine Barnett, an American girl, and her then-husband Michael Barnett adopted Natalia from Ukraine. The Barnetts believed that Natalia had a uncommon type of dwarfism, which they believed to be a child-like look however with an grownup thoughts.
Sustaining that Natalia was truly an grownup with psychiatric points who deceived them about her age, they petitioned to have her age legally modified to 22, based mostly on a bone density take a look at. In 2012 and a yr later, the Barnetts moved to Canada, leaving Natalia behind to fend for herself when she was solely 9 years outdated.
In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, we’re provided unique entry to Natalia as she shares her story and confronts her former adoptive mother and father Michael and Kristine Barnett’s accusations head-on. All through six elements, Natalia Speaks retraces her adoption saga and the Barnett’s allegations from Natalia’s perspective, providing perception into what actually went on behind closed doorways within the Barnett’s residence and the way a lot fact there truly is to their declare Natalia was not a 6-year-old Ukrainian orphan with a uncommon genetic dysfunction, however relatively a homicidal grownup intent on harming them and their kids. With all that stated, Natalia Grace’s age is lastly revealed thanks to classy DNA testing.
Natalia Grace’s age
Natalia Grace’s age, at the moment, is round 22 years outdated, that means she wasn’t an grownup when the Barnetts legally modified her age. “I used to be six years outdated once they adopted me. However the Barnetts did a petition to vary my age to 22 years outdated. I actually misplaced my childhood,” Natalia stated within the documentary. “The Barnetts tried to color me as this huge monster, they claimed I’m mendacity about my age.”
The documentary returned to the dentist’s workplace the place she underwent an x-ray whereas she was residing with the household. Trying again on the X-rays taken on the time, it confirmed grownup tooth rising within the gums beneath Natalia’s child tooth—one thing that clearly wouldn’t be taking place to somebody of their 20s. “You may’t pretend tooth coming in like this,” the dentist explains, noting she would’ve been 8 or 9 years outdated when the x-ray was taken in 2011. This proof was backed up by a blood pattern.
“I’ve identified the reality for so long as I can bear in mind, that I used to be a child,” Natalia stated within the documentary, breaking down in tears after getting the outcomes. “I simply need individuals to actually see the reality about my age.” That is considerably youthful than 34, which is the age she could be now together with her legally modified birthdate of 1989, that means she was 4 when she got here to america from Ukraine and he or she was solely eight years outdated when the Barnetts legally modified her age.
“This one little piece of paper throws each single lie the Barnetts have stated proper into the trash, with a match. That is so huge, this has been 12 years of simply two individuals, mendacity their butts off. They ruined a child’s life,” Natalia stated after she was given the outcomes.
“They painted me as a giant monster when in actuality, they had been those. It simply proves I used to be not mendacity about my age. They ignored all the things that was pointing to the reality, simply so they might have this silly lie. They knew it they usually nonetheless did what they did.”
In a teaser for the episode that aired on January 1, 2023, Natalia confronted her adoptive father, Michael. “Why did you undertake me within the first place?” she requested. “Many of those questions there’s not going to be a single reply to,” he replied. “I’ve discovered just lately you and I’ve the identical monster: Kristine. And we’re right here as a result of we each had been unimaginable victims of an other-worldly kind of abuse.”
Michael alleged he “was exceptionally managed and put down and threatened” by his spouse, including, “Something that was who I used to be was ripped from me and I used to be guided and instructed to be precisely what she needed me to be.” He continued: “I attempted to depart her a minimum of 10 occasions. I ended up within the hospital recurrently for it.” Michael filed for divorce from Kristine in 2014 after nearly 20 years of marriage.
Natalia Speaks additionally options beforehand unseen proof and photographs, in addition to new theories and testimony from an array of voices, together with the retired FBI brokers who initially investigated Natalia’s case, genetic specialists who helped decide Natalia’s true age, and the Tippecanoe County Deputy Prosecutor Jackie Starbuck who prosecuted Michael in his October 2022 trial. As well as, the docuseries sheds mild on Natalia’s subsequent chapter, providing a portrait of her life together with her new adoptive household and unique interviews together with her adoptive mother and father, Bishop Antown and Christina Manns.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks premieres throughout three consecutive nights on ID starting Monday, January 1 at 9 pm ET.
