In 2023, ID’s remarkably docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace streamed on Max and Discovery Plus. In 2010 an American couple, Michael and Kristine Barnett, adopted a young Ukrainian girl named Natalia Grace. The series told the story of their extraordinary relationship with Natalia, and the outcome of the two court cases that followed.
As they understood it, Natalia had been born in 2003 and had been diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism. However, certain aspects of Natalia’s behavior and appearance – her unusual height for her age, her large vocabulary, and other characteristics – soon led them to suspect otherwise.
As per The Guardian, when a doctor informed them he thought Natalia was in fact an adult, the couple successfully petitioned an Indiana court to alter her legal age to 22, although another medical examination estimated her age to be around 11. The Barnetts rented an apartment for Natalia in Lafayette, Indiana, and left her there to live alone.
But where are the couple now?
Where are the Barnetts now?
The Barnetts moved to Canada in 2013, but later divorced. As per In Touch, as of 2023 Michael is residing in Indiana, while Kristine lives in Florida.
The Barnetts went through a punishing court case in 2019 in which they were tried for neglect. In the series, the Barnetts were accused of cruelty and heartlessness and Natalia was said to have threatened them with a knife. The case against Kristine was dismissed, and in October 2022, Michael was acquitted.
They now seem to have moved on with their lives, but that may all be turned on its head when Grace gives her side of the story. That documentary, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks will air on Netflix in January.
