'The Curious Case of Natalia Grace': New docu delves into life of sociopathic orphan, 21, posing as girl, 6
LAFAYETTE, INDIANA: The new Investigation Discovery documentary series 'The Curious Case of Natalia Grace' revisits the strange life of an adult sociopath who posed as a child. She was adopted from Ukraine in 2010 by an Indiana couple but they grew suspicious of the age of their adopted 6-year-old daughter.
Michael and Kristine Barnett eventually claimed that Natalia Grace who has been diagnosed with a form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal was an adult female with a personality disorder. The docuseries based on the life of the orphan will be aired on ID for three consecutive nights. The first part will be aired on Monday, May 29, from 9 pm to 11 pm ET/PT.
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Grace was accused of trying to kill the couple's biological children
Featuring exclusive interviews with the Indiana couple, the docuseries has footage that has not been disclosed before. The couple accused Grace of harming their biological children. They also claimed that she tried to poison Kristine's coffee and murder her by dragging her toward an electric fence. She was also accused of trying to make them step on thumbtacks she placed on the stairs.
Talking to Good Morning America, Michale claimed that doctors treating their adopted daughter told the Barnetts that "this person is a sociopath. This person is a con artist. You are all in danger." Two years after she was adopted, the Barnetts petitioned Marion County Probate Court in 2012 to change Grace's birth year back 14 years, meaning she was actually in her 20s. In 2013, the couple who later divorced left Grace alone in an apartment in Lafayette and moved to Canada with their three sons.
Natalia said she 'wanted to be with the Barnetts'
Following their shift to Canada, the Barnetts were charged with neglect of a dependent. Based on Grace's change in age as per the court's order, prosecutors were not able to charge them with neglect of a child, reported People.
During Michael's trial for the charges, Grace testified that she wished to live with the Barnetts and did not want to live in Indiana. "I wanted to be with the Barnetts. I wanted to live with them," she said, reported the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
In 2022, the adoptive father was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. Charges against Kristine were dropped in March 2023, reported WTHR.