Amid the upcoming release of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter, here’s a detailed breakdown of the case – including where Natalia is now and what Freddie Gill said about Michael Barnett.
The case of Natalia Grace truly is stranger than fiction. The first season boiled down to two conflicting accounts: one side claims an orphan was abused and abandoned by her adoptive family, while the other claims she is a dangerous psychopath who masquerades as a child to exploit her guardians.
Although events started back in 2010, with the woman at the center of it appearing on Dr. Phil in 2019, a 2023 docu-series titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace sparked renewed interest, while a follow-up – Natalia Speaks – shed further light on the case.
A lot’s happened since then, as is explored in The Final Chapter. If you’re looking for a rundown of what’s happened, here’s everything you need to know about Natalia, her former adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett, and her new legal guardians, Cynthia and Antwon Mans. Warning: Some may find this content distressing.
Where is Natalia Grace now?
According to The Curious Case of Natalia Grace Season 3, aka The Final Chapter, Natalia Grace is now living in upstate New York with the DePauls, a supportive family of little people who rescued her from the Manses in Tennessee. She moved in with the DePauls – including husband and wife Vince and Nicole and their daughter Mackenzie – in December 2023.
The Barnetts adopted Natalia in 2010, before having her age legally changed from eight to 22 in 2012. The following year, Michael and Kristine Bartnett moved Natalia into an apartment on her own in Westfield, Indiana, and later Lafayette, Indiana.
This is where Natalia met the Manses, who we learned more about in the follow-up docu-series, Natalia Speaks. In 2023, they finalized the adoption process.
Although it seemed like Natalia was ready to move on and enjoy a happy life with the Manses, a truly unexpected twist arrived in the very final scene. Six months after legally adopting Natalia, Cynthia and Antwon phoned producers to claim Natalia “stabbed her family in the back” and that they are “done with her.”
Speaking to the US Sun in January 2024, Cynthia broke her silence, saying she and Antwon are sorting through their issues with Natalia. “We are absolutely perfect,” she told the outlet, before confirming, “No, she doesn’t live with us but we are fine.”
Cynthia went on to say Natalia is currently “living with friends,” but that she and Antwon are in regular contact with their adopted daughter, sharing a screenshot of them FaceTiming together.
Natalia also shared a post on her Instagram account, reassuring her supporters: “I am okay and doing well and thank you all for your support and prayers. I wish I could tell you more about the show but I signed an agreement with the show to keep things confidential for now.
“I will let you guys know when I can for sure, but just know I am okay. Love y’all.”
However, in The Final Chapter, new allegations come to light claiming the Manses were controlling Natalia and had taken over her finances. They have also been accused of abuse, although police were unable to confirm whether an active investigation is taking place.
In December 2023, with the help of Natalia’s UK-based boyfriend Neil, the DePauls were able to help Natalia escape. They picked her up in Tennessee and took her to their home in New York, where she’s been ever since.
What is The Curious Case of Natalia Grace about?
The first season of the docu-series examines the case of Natalia Grace and the Barnetts, which contains elements that seem to be taken right out of a movie plot. It started in 2010, when Natalia, of Ukrainian origin, was adopted by American couple Michael and Kristine Barnett.
Starting off with Michael’s side of the story, he describes how their family believed that Natalia was a six-year-old child. The Barnetts were said to be happy to welcome the little girl into their lives, already having experience with children with special needs, including their son Jacob, a child prodigy diagnosed with autism.
As time went on, the Barnetts claim they had doubts about Natalia’s age, suggesting that they discovered she had full pubic hair and a period.
Michael also claimed that Natalia began threatening to kill their family, and that he woke up in the night with her standing at the foot of their bed holding a knife. In 2012, the family sought and successfully received a court order to change Natalia’s age from eight to 22 years old based on various analyses.
This meant the Barnetts were no longer legally obligated to financially support her, and they moved Natalia to an apartment nearby. The family then moved Natalia to another apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, before relocating to Canada for their son’s education.
This has proven to be one of the most contentious points in the whole story, as many criticize the Barnetts for abandoning a vulnerable person.
In 2019, legal actions were pursued against the couple, who were charged with neglect of a dependent. At the time, public opinion remained divided – some sided with the Barnetts, convinced by their claims about Natalia’s age, while others sympathized with Natalia, viewing her as a victim of abandonment.
But this is where The Curious Case of Natalia Grace sheds light on the situation while uncovering some shocking accusations against the Barnetts.
Initially, Michael used much of his interview time to criticize Natalia. However, he later shifted his focus to his ex-wife, Kristine.
The pair went through a bitter divorce, and Michael continues to claim Kristine is a “master manipulator” who used to beat Natalia, make her stand up against a wall for hours at a time, spray her with pepper spray, and make up fake stories about her to paint her in a bad light.
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At another moment in the documentary, Jacob alleges that when he was 12 years old, Kristine coerced him into urinating on Natalia’s bed as “revenge” for her doing the same in their home.
He expressed deep shame and regret over the incident, suggesting that Natalia’s acting out was likely a result of her behavioral problems, caused by the trauma of being passed from home to home.
The issue of Natalia’s age also comes into question. While she was legally 22 when the Barnetts moved her out of their house, Anna Gava – who was confirmed to be Natalia’s biological mother after doing a DNA test – claimed this is not the case.
“She was born on September 4, 2003,” Gava said in the documentary. “She was born at 6.25 am in the Maternity Hospital No. 1. She is my biological daughter.” If this is true, this would mean that Natalia was, in fact, a child when the Barnetts adopted her and left her to live on her own.
In the follow-up documentary, Natalia Speaks, extensive DNA testing proved this to be the case, with Natalia and the Manses questioning whether her age was changed so the Barnetts were no longer legally obligated to look after her. They also refute the claims made against Natalia, alleging that the Barnetts were her abusers.
Many continue to question both Michael and Kristine for leaving a vulnerable person to stay in an apartment and fend for herself, with no assistance or accessibility despite her disability. A number of Natalia’s neighbors, meanwhile, believe she needed care and should not have been abandoned.
In October 2022, Natalia took Michael to court, although four counts of neglect against him were dismissed after he was found not guilty. She testified in the trial, stating that she did not have the skills to live alone at the time and that she had wanted to live with the Barnetts when they moved her to Lafayette.
Kristine was also supposed to stand trial in April 2023, with Michael subpoenaed to testify against his ex-wife, but the court dismissed any charges based on Natalia’s age, and the other charges of neglect of a dependant were also dismissed, citing “insufficient evidence.”
Due to the abuse allegations made against Kristine in Natalia Speaks, some viewers were left wondering whether the case could be reopened. At the time of writing, it’s currently unclear whether she will face any legal consequences or if the allegations will be investigated.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace Season 3, The Final Chapter, completely moves away from the Barnetts, instead focusing on allegations against Cynthia and Antwon and Natalia’s journey towards healing with the DePauls.
What did Freddie Gill say about Michael Barnett?
In the first season, entertainer and former acquaintance of Kristine, Freddie Gill, appeared at the end to make claims about what Kristine had told him, although this was cut short.
However, the Natalia Speaks finale showed him saying: “Kristine told me in a series of messages that Natalia ruined her life and, in so many ways, Kristine basically said that Michael… Natalia started f***ing her husband.
“She had either caught Natalia having sex with her husband or became aware of it. And then apparently Natalia also tried to f*** one of the neighbors’ husbands or one of the neighbors. I specifically remember Kristine just telling me how heartbroken she was over the situation with Natalia sleeping with her husband.”
Earlier on in the final episode of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, we were introduced to Freddie, who explained that he started talking to Kristine on social media when she and Michael first adopted Natalia, as Freddie also has dwarfism and she wanted some advice.
However, their messages soon became sexual, with Freddie showing evidence of their conversations, as well as explicit photos Kristine sent to him.
Shockingly, Kristine then sent a message to Freddie suggesting she wanted to “fix him up on a night out with Natalia.” Freddie didn’t reply, telling the camera: “It gave me shivers to think that anybody would even remotely do that.”
The next scene showed the producers telling Michael: “There’s something else Freddie told us that’s a very serious accusation about you.” Michael agreed to watch the clip, holding the laptop in front of him as Freddie started to talk. But before he got to finish his sentence, Michael cut it off.
Freddie later assured the producers that he was going to “do the right thing” and “tell the truth” by speaking in court at Kristine’s trial. However, as discussed, the trial never went ahead.
In Natalia Speaks, both Michael and Natalia are shown the full clip of Gill’s statements, causing both shock and outrage. “Say what?” says Natalia. “No! Are you crazy? That is a total lie.”
Michael, meanwhile, says: “Absolutely not. I have never at all… at the same time, that’s Kristine. She will make up whatever crazy loud lie she can and if you don’t believe her then she’ll take it up a notch.”
How to watch all seasons of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace
All episodes of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace and Natalia Speaks are available to stream on Max now.
As discussed, a third series – The Final Chapter – is set to arrive soon. The four-episode season will air across two nights starting Monday, January 6 at 9/8c on ID, and will also be available to stream on Max.
You can read more about The Final Chapter here, why Kristine Barnett faced backlash for a recent post, and take a look at the best true crime docs of 2024.