The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks - Where is Natalia Grace now?

Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian-born American with a rare form of dwarfism, was accused of conning her previous adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett. The Barnetts legally changed her birth year from 2003 to 1989 to establish their belief of her adult age and left her alone in Lafayette before they left for Canada.

Natalia struggled to look after herself and survived on packaged food while she attended adult education classes in Lafayette. Following her eviction from the apartment, Antwon and Cynthia Mans took her in and offered her the love that Grace said was missing from the Barnett household.

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks chronicles the strange case as Grace confronts Michael Barnett, her previous adoptive father who is now divorced. The synopsis reads,

"The story of Natalia Grace, assumed to be a 6-year-old Ukrainian orphan with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare bone disorder; her adoptive parent alleged Natalia was an adult who was masquerading as a child with intent to harm the family."

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Who is Natalia Grace? Details explored

Natalia Grace was born to Anna Volodymyrivna Gava of Mykolaiv in Ukraine on September 4, 2003. She was placed into an orphanage soon after her birth. Given her congenital genetic disorder wherein she was diagnosed with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism, she grew to a height of barely 3 feet and faced issues with overall joint mobility.

Grace lived with several foster families after she arrived in the United States in 2008, according to People. She was allegedly adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010 in a 24-hour notice from Adoption by Shepherd Care (ASC) while the process was settled out of a court in New Hampshire.

The six-year-old Natalia Grace became a part of the Barnetts family where Michael and Kristine lived with their three biological sons. One of them, Jacob Barnett, brought short-term fame as a child prodigy in physics as well.

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The Barnetts abandoned Natalia Grace and left for Canada for their prodigal son's education

Kristine and Michael Barnett soon took note of adult-like behavior from Natalia as they alleged her to be on a menstrual cycle. They mentioned that Natalia Grace had "full pubic hair", a mature bone structure, and an advanced vocabulary for an 8-year-old. Grace was also accused of plotting the Barnetts' murder on several occasions.

The Barnetts changed her legal age from 8 to 22 at the Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis in June 2012. Soon after, she was placed in a state-run home through a program called Aspire Indiana but was evicted, per Daily Mail. The Barnetts then rented an apartment in Lafayette and set up her Social Security, disability aid, food stamps, and Medicaid. Grace was left behind to fend for herself in July 2013 while the family moved to Canada for Jacob to pursue the prestigious Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario.

Meanwhile, Grace enrolled herself at the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (LARA) to work on her GED, according to Business Insider. Grace was at the risk of falling in bad company as she hung around with people from a drug and alcohol recovery house at the end of the block. However, her neighbor Margaret Axsom accompanied her and ensured her safety.

Natalia Grace's neighbors in Lafayette complained of disturbing behavioral patterns as she entered homes unannounced, and allegedly showed s*xual interest towards children of her age. She was spotted "wearing dirty clothing, scuffed shoes and stinking of body odor" and she survived on "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Ramen Noodles and an occasional pizza", per her testimony via Daily Mail.

The neighbors reported spotting Michael Barnett in his sports car often outside the Lafayette apartment.

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Where is Natalia Grace now?

Grace was evicted from the apartment in September 2013 after which she started staying at a place close to LARA. In April 2016, a couple from Lafayette, Indiana showed interest in taking over as her guardian after taking Grace in with their family. Antwon and Cynthia Mans filed for legal guardianship and additionally filed for a petition to change Natalia's birth year.

They withdrew both petitions in January 2018 as their case was dismissed. Henceforth, a legal battle ensued with the Barnetts being charged with neglect of a dependent in September 2019.

Natalia Grace presently lives with Antwon and Cynthia Mans and their five children which they document on their Instagram page named The Mans Family.