Ukrainian dwarf Natalia Grace's true age will finally be revealed in a documentary this week – after her adoptive parents claimed she was 22 years old, not six.
Natalia was famously accused of being an adult sociopath with dwarfism who posed as a young child to her adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett, an Indiana couple who took her in in 2010.
The first part of the ID Discovery series, 'The Curious Case of Natalia Grace', was viewed by more than 10 million people.
The next episode, airing on January 1, will finally reveal how old Natalia really is through advanced DNA testing.
“I'm pretty sure people will conclude what her age is, probably after two episodes,” says Beth Karas, a legal analyst who appears on the series.
The orphan claims her childhood was 'stolen' by the Barnetts after they legally changed her age
Natalia's age has been a big question for years since her original adoptive parents claimed she was much older than they had originally thought and successfully petitioned to have her “re-aged” so they could abandon her and send her to countries could move.
In July 2013, the Barnetts left Natalia alone in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, while the family moved to Canada. Both parents were later charged with neglect of a dependent causing bodily harm – however, the cases were dismissed.
In the second half of the ID Discovery series, the truth about Natalia's age is revealed. The Ukrainian-born American adopter claims she was born in 2003 and is now 20.
'I was six years old when they adopted me. But the Barnetts have petitioned to change my age to 22. I literally lost my youth,” she said.
'The Barnetts tried to portray me as a big monster, claiming I was lying about my age.'
Karas, without wanting to make her personal opinion public, said: “I think the age issue has now been resolved, given the information we have now that the court that re-aged her did not have.”
She hinted that Natalia was telling the truth, saying, “We get answers to questions in the second season, we have backup confirmation, it's not just Natalia's word against Michael's.”
“This is my side of the story,” Natalia said in a series promo, adding, “Do I look like a monster to you?
“The things that Kristine and Michael said and that I did are a lie. It's all copied from the movie Orphan. Ukrainian girl, Russian girl, check, be, check, all that crazy stuff… standing at the foot of the bed with a knife. Bill.”
'Orphan' is a 2009 horror film that follows the story of a couple who adopted a nine-year-old who turned out to be a psychopath who endangered their family.
The Barnetts were accused of neglecting their child after dumping Natalia in the early 2010s and moving to Canada after petitioning the court to move her birth year back 14 years, which was granted. Kristine's charges were dropped while Michael was acquitted last year
Natalia Grace was adopted by an American family, who soon abandoned her and successfully petitioned the judge to change her date of birth
Natalia will continue her confrontation with her former adoptive father Michael in the new documentary episode
She also promises to address some of the wild accusations that have been made against her, including that she tried to kill her adoptive family.
“In every lie there is a hidden truth, but you have to dig enough to see it,” she added. “They can't get away with this.”
Natalia Gracie also says she has “lost her youth” after the Barnetts asked a judge to change her legal age to 22.
The documentary will feature never-before-seen evidence and footage, as well as new theories and testimony from a range of voices, including the retired FBI agents who initially investigated Natalia's case, genetic experts who are helping determine Natalia's true age, and Tippecanoe County Deputy Prosecutor Jackie. Starbuck who prosecuted Barnett at his October 2022 trial.
The Barnetts were taken into custody in 2019 on charges of child neglect after leaving Natalia in an Indiana apartment while they moved to Canada after changing ages.
Michael was acquitted of the charges in October, while Kristine's case was dismissed in March, just three weeks before her trial.
Cynthia Mans, Natalia's new adoptive mother, claims Michael “grinned” at her when he was found not guilty.
“It was as if I saw my daughter being raped,” Mans says in the documentary. “No justice was served. If I could have caught Kristine in an alley and put on a black hoodie, I would have knocked her upside the head.”
Natalia, pictured days after being picked up by the Barnetts from her Florida adoption center in May 2010, quickly had her new parents suspicious because she was on her period and reportedly had a vocabulary for a six-year-old.
Natalia has now been cared for by Pastor Antwon and Cynthia Mans
The story of Natalia's adoption has generated worldwide headlines in recent years amid the documentary and the arrests of her former adoptive parents.
The married couple adopted Natalia in April 2010, believing they would be bringing home a six-year-old child.
But their dream adoption soon turned into a nightmare when they realized she might not be who she claimed, and they suspected she was a threatening adult pretending to be a child.
Just a year later, they left Natalia in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, as they fled north, claiming she had tried to kill them.
“She tried to poison and kill my wife,” Michael alleged. “(And) one night I opened my eyes and Natalia is standing at the foot of the bed with a knife in her hand.”
Kristine, who is accused in the bombshell documentary of abusing Natalia, told DailyMail.com in 2019 that her family was terrorized by the Ukrainians in the months after they adopted her.
She claimed Natalia threatened to stab the family in their sleep, pushed her towards an electric fence and poured bleach into her coffee.
“She made statements and drew pictures saying she wanted to kill family members, roll them up in a blanket and put them in the backyard,” she told DailyMailTV.
'She was standing over people in the middle of the night. You couldn't go to sleep. We had to hide all sharp objects.
“I saw her putting chemicals, bleach, Windex, something, in my coffee and I asked her, 'What are you doing?' She said, “I'm trying to poison you.”
“The media is portraying me as a child molester, but there is no child here,” Barnett said.
However, Natalia branded her former adoptive parents as 'liars' and claimed they had tried to make her out to be a 'crazy'.
In 2012, a petition filed by the family in probate court was granted and a judge legally changed her date of birth from 2003 to 1989 on her Ukrainian birth certificate.
After the couple granted their petition, they decided to move her into the apartment in Lafayette – three provinces away from where they lived – while they moved to Canada.
Later in court, Natalia would testify that she mainly kept herself alive on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Ramen Noodles, and the occasional pizza. She said she had limited use of her hands and arms and had difficulty opening canned food.