The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks - Why did Natalia Grace call her adoptive mother a monster?

An Indiana-based couple, Michael and Kristine Barnett took in the Ukrainian-born Natalia Grace in 2010 when she was 6 years old. In a series of mishaps, Grace was abandoned by her adoptive parents over allegations of homicidal tendencies and left to fend for her own in an apartment in Lafayette when she was allegedly 9 years old.

While the Barnetts faced charges for neglect of a dependent, Grace found Antwon and Cynthia Mans who took her in. In the second season of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Grace comes face to face with Michael Barnett to discuss the horrors of her lost childhood.

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks delves into Natalia's side of the story as she accuses her adoptive mother Kristine Barnett of being a monster. 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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Why did Natalia Grace call her adoptive mother a monster? Details explored

Michael Barnett and Kristine Barnett, the adoptive parents of Natalia Grace, came out with a harrowing tale of them being conned as they believed their daughter was not a child but a full-grown adult masquerading as a disabled minor. The Barnetts accused Grace of plotting to kill them by poisoning, electrocution, and arson.

Grace was left behind in an apartment with no electricity, water, or food in Lafayette while the Barnetts took off to Canada with their three biological sons. Her legal age was changed from 8 to 22 in 2012. Unable to open canned food, the 9-year-old allegedly survived on "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Ramen Noodles and an occasional pizza" as she testified later in court.

Grace was taken in by Antwon and Cynthia Mans who noticed her struggle while the Barnetts were charged with neglect of a dependent in September 2019. In the ongoing Investigation Discovery special Natalia Grace addresses the allegations after the confirmation of her real age from TruDiagnostic. She confronts her previous father Michael Barnett and calls Kristine Barnett a monster.

In a clip from The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Grace says,

"Kristine said that adopting me was this mission of love, and never once did I see any love. I feel like it was a mission of boosting her ego... I feel like she just wanted people to be like, 'Oh my goodness like she's this amazing person. She just adopted a little girl from the Ukraine who has dwarfism and has all these different medical issues.'"

She continues,

"She would send me a text message like she's inviting me to join the campaign to end physical verbal abuse of children with disabilities… [She] just put on a mask. Kristine was a monster. I didn't know what she was going to do."

As Kristine and Michael's allegations hit the tabloids and painted Grace to be an evil child, she shares her remorse for losing out on a childhood. Natalia faces the now-divorced Michael Barnett who alleges being controlled by the same monster who unleashed unending evil on her adopted daughter - Kristine Barnett.

Natalia speaks of being pepper-sprayed, beaten, and forced to stand at the wall for hours despite her disability as form of punishment by Kristine Barnett. There has been no comment from Kristine or her attorney Philip Hayes since.