Parents Abandon Their Adopted Daughter Thinking She Is 22 – Now She Speaks after Birth Mom Confirmed Her Age

A couple adopted a dwarf girl thinking she was a child, but later claimed she was an adult pretending to be a kid. Soon, they abandoned her because they thought her behavior was concerning. Years later, the girl proved she was a kid when they left her to live alone.

Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian dwarf girl, was adopted by an Indiana couple, Michael and Kristine Barnett, in April 2010. The pair was happy to have her in their lives until the apparent young girl started acting strange.

According to the adoptive parents, Natalia threatened to hurt them and even added bleach to their coffee. After witnessing her unusual behavior, they suspected she was not an eight-year-old girl and asked the authorities to have her re-aged.

The results of the re-aging procedure done in 2012 revealed that the girl was 22, which allowed the Barnett family to make her live in a separate house. Although the move relieved them, it also led to legal trouble when they were charged with child neglect five years later.

Upon investigation, the authorities charged them for leaving a dependant alone, but the couple soon walked out of court without any charges. After learning about this story, Beth Karas, an ex-legal representative, claimed that the procedure used to re-age Natalia wasn't suitable and needed investigation. She said:

"Natalia didn't know anything about any of this."

According to the legal expert, Natalia should have been present in the court, or someone on her behalf should have been there while the judge reconsidered her age. She added that Natalia's apartment was not convenient for her.

Years after her adoptive parents abandoned her, Natalia opened up in court about her experience living alone. She said that she survived on ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pizza.

Moreover, she had to move into another apartment because her neighbors complained about her behavior, saying she couldn't take care of herself and maintained poor hygiene.

What Did the Couple Say about Natalia?

The Barnetts explained what made them believe Natalia wasn't a child. They recounted an incident from a trip to Disney World where Kristine screamed in shock while bathing their adopted daughter. She claimed she saw "full pubic hair" on Natalia's body.

They also claimed she got her period, which usually begins when a girl is about 12. Besides that, they said Natalia didn't understand Ukrainian despite living in her home country for about five years. Their suspicions deepened when she threatened to stab them. Michael said:

"(And) one night, I opened my eyes, and Natalia is standing at the foot of the bed with a knife in her hand."

The Barnetts thought Natalia was a "con artist sociopath" who had turned their lives upside down. They were certain Natalia was not a child, but she recently proved she was only eight when her foster parents moved her out of their house.

How Did Natalia Prove She Was a Child?

The legal expert, Karas, revealed that the prosecutors have evidence, including a statement from Natalia's birth mother, which proves that she was born on September 4, 2003. Moreover, the girl opened up about everything in a recent documentary called "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks."

In the documentary, the Ukrainian-born girl claims that the Barnetts lied about everything. According to her, whatever her foster parents said about her was untrue. "It's very frustrating to hear everything that's being said from Kristine and Michael," she explained.

After being abandoned by the Barnetts, Natalia was adopted by Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who believe she was a teenager. In the documentary, Natalia says people can ask the Mans family about her behavior. She claimed:

"They will tell you who I really am. They're not going to lie, and neither am I."

Natalia noted that the entire ordeal had taken a toll on her. She felt helpless when people believed her ex-adoptive parents without listening to her side of the story. Many people dismissed her outright, preferring not to listen to both accounts.

"Y'all have heard from Kristine and Michael and what they have said. But you need to hear both sides in order to know what happened," she insisted in the docuseries. She disagreed with whatever the Barnetts said about her.

Click here to read another story about a man born without a lower body. No one wanted to adopt him when he was born, but he finally found a foster mother and broke a Guinness world record.