Natalia Grace: the truth about the girl who was mistaken for an adult, and her path to independence
20 february 2025 в 23:37
In 2023, Natalia Grace became the main news when her story was featured in the documentary series Investigation Discovery titled The Mysterious Case of Natalia Grace. The series highlighted how her adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, accused her of trying to harm them after being adopted. They also claimed that despite her appearance, she was not a child but rather an adult sociopath with hidden motives, all while she was struggling with her rare genetic disorder — spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.
However, in her own perspective, shared in the subsequent series The Mysterious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Grace clearly stated that she was indeed a child when she was adopted. She claims that it was not her adoptive parents who found themselves in a nightmare situation, but rather she herself.
Learn more about her story and where she is now below.
Grace was born in Ukraine to a 24-year-old mother who abandoned her due to her dwarfism. After being in orphanages and unstable families, she was brought to the United States through international adoption by a couple from New Hampshire, Diane and Gary Chicone, in 2008, according to court documents and PEOPLE magazine. However, they later abandoned her, and in 2010 she was adopted by the Barnetts, a couple from Indiana with three sons.
Grace was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010 at the age of six. However, the Barnetts began to suspect her age when they claimed to have found pubic hair, menstruation, and many adult teeth on her. In 2012, they went to the Marion County court to officially change Grace’s birth year from 2003 to 1989. This process, known as «age reassessment», - effectively turned their 8-year-old daughter into a 22-year-old adult overnight.
In 2013, the Barnetts moved Grace to apartments in Westfield and Lafayette, Indiana, where they left her to live alone while the rest of the family moved to Canada.
Ultimately, Grace moved in with another family, Cynthia and Antwon Mans, a Christian pastor, along with their 10 children. However, life remained difficult for Grace as she struggled with the traumas of her past, trying to become more independent. In 2023, the Mans family officially adopted Grace and restored her birth year to 2003. However, after 10 years of living with the family, Grace decided to leave in December 2023 and leave the Mans' home.
Grace, born in 2003, is now 21 years old.
After leaving the Mans family, Grace went to live with Nicole and Vince DePaul, a couple who had previously tried to adopt her, in their home in northern New York.
In January 2025, Grace shared with PEOPLE magazine that she is now preparing for independent living, studying driving and preparing to take the GED exam. Reflecting on her journey, she said: «For me, it has been a huge learning process. Overall, I have come to terms with it. It is truly a blessing to be alive today. I cannot change anything in the past»
However, in her own perspective, shared in the subsequent series The Mysterious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Grace clearly stated that she was indeed a child when she was adopted. She claims that it was not her adoptive parents who found themselves in a nightmare situation, but rather she herself.
Learn more about her story and where she is now below.
Grace was born in Ukraine to a 24-year-old mother who abandoned her due to her dwarfism. After being in orphanages and unstable families, she was brought to the United States through international adoption by a couple from New Hampshire, Diane and Gary Chicone, in 2008, according to court documents and PEOPLE magazine. However, they later abandoned her, and in 2010 she was adopted by the Barnetts, a couple from Indiana with three sons.
Grace was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010 at the age of six. However, the Barnetts began to suspect her age when they claimed to have found pubic hair, menstruation, and many adult teeth on her. In 2012, they went to the Marion County court to officially change Grace’s birth year from 2003 to 1989. This process, known as «age reassessment», - effectively turned their 8-year-old daughter into a 22-year-old adult overnight.
In 2013, the Barnetts moved Grace to apartments in Westfield and Lafayette, Indiana, where they left her to live alone while the rest of the family moved to Canada.
Ultimately, Grace moved in with another family, Cynthia and Antwon Mans, a Christian pastor, along with their 10 children. However, life remained difficult for Grace as she struggled with the traumas of her past, trying to become more independent. In 2023, the Mans family officially adopted Grace and restored her birth year to 2003. However, after 10 years of living with the family, Grace decided to leave in December 2023 and leave the Mans' home.
Grace, born in 2003, is now 21 years old.
After leaving the Mans family, Grace went to live with Nicole and Vince DePaul, a couple who had previously tried to adopt her, in their home in northern New York.
In January 2025, Grace shared with PEOPLE magazine that she is now preparing for independent living, studying driving and preparing to take the GED exam. Reflecting on her journey, she said: «For me, it has been a huge learning process. Overall, I have come to terms with it. It is truly a blessing to be alive today. I cannot change anything in the past»
© Smirnova Olga
