The Natalia Grace case has taken a dramatic new turn. True crime fans were riveted over the story of the Ukrainian orphan whose former adoptive parents accused her of secretly being an adult with sinister intentions when she joined their family in 2010. Now, Natalia comes forward in a new follow-up series out now on Investigation Discovery and alleges that she has been vindicated. In the first episode, a medical lab’s DNA test conducted in 2023 allegedly confirmed Natalia’s real age to be approximately 22 at the time, which would have made her about 9 when Michael and Kristina Barnett adopted her. “This one little piece of paper throws every single lie that the Barnetts has said right into the trash with a match,” Natalia claimed. “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 [me] as some big monster.” The Barnetts have claimed that Natalia, who has a rare genetic disorder, was dangerous and attempted to harm them and their children multiple times. After suspecting that Natalia had been lying about her age, they successfully petitioned a court to legally change her birth year from 2003 to 1989, which would indicate that she was almost 20 at the time she joined their family. The now-former couple faced charges of dependent neglect after Natalia was left to live in an Indiana apartment by herself after they moved to Canada with their three sons in 2013. Michael was found not guilty in 2022 and charges against Kristina were dropped the following March. The Barnetts divorced in 2018. “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks” premiered Jan. 1 on ID.
