Ever since the release of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace and now the follow-up docu-series Natalia Speaks, a pertinent question has remained: how old is Natalia Grace? And has her real age now been proven? Here’s what you need to know.
ID’s The Curious Case of Natalia Grace left viewers in shock when it dropped last summer. The six-episode documentary series delved into the stranger-than-fiction story consisting of two conflicting accounts, the truth of which remained murky – until now.
On the one hand is Natalia, assumed to be a six-year-old Ukrainian orphan with a rare bone growth disorder who was passed around from home-to-home before ending up with Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010. On the other are the Barnetts, who previously accused Natalia of being a psychopathic adult masquerading as a child with one goal in mind: to harm their family.
At the center of the case is a 2012 court ruling filed by Michael and his then-wife Kristine Barnett, which saw Natalia’s age legally changed from eight to 22. This has been a significant point of contention, but Natalia Speaks has shed some light on the truth.
What is Natalia Grace’s real age?
In the first episode of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, TruDiagnostic – which performs biological age determination via advanced DNA testing – ruled that Natalia is approximately 22 years old as of August 2023.
This means that Natalia was, in fact, a child when she was adopted by the Barnetts in 2010, and was a minor when Michael and Kristine had her age legally changed and moved her into an apartment on her own in Westfield and later Lafayette in Indiana.
When Natalia and her new adoptive father, Antwon Mans, receive the results, she breaks down in tears, saying: “This one little piece of paper throws every single lie that the Barnetts have said right into the trash with a match.
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“This is so big because literally this has been 13 years of just two people lying their butts off. They ruined a kid’s life; they painted them as some big monster when in reality they were the ones.”
Although Michael appears in Natalia Speaks and even sits down with Natalia, Kristine is yet to comment on the situation. The Barnetts were previously accused of neglect of a dependent but the charges against them were later dropped. It’s unclear whether they will face any consequences in the future.
There are still two more episodes of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks to go, which are set to air on ID tonight (January 3) at 6-9pm PT and 9-11pm ET. Once they’re released, all new episodes are available to stream on Max and Discovery+.
To read more about The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, head here, and you can find more of our documentaries coverage below:
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