Man Adopted a Child Because She Threatened to Kill His Family

Talk about a real-life “Orphan” story! Yes, the one where a family adopts a child and she turns out to be a woman who wants to kill the entire family so that she can have the father all of herself? (Oops, spoiler alert!) But this time, the story is actually real. This is the Natalia Grace adoption controversy. The story is about a man who adopted a child because she threatened to kill his family. What happened afterward, and how did the family find out about her being an adult after adoption? Let’s dive in together!

Natalia Grace Adoption Controversy

Michael Barnett, a father, is facing abandonment charges. This happened after he claimed that his 6-year-old adopted daughter, Natalia Grace, is, in fact, a 22-year-old woman. Not only that, but she allegedly had harmful intentions toward his family. In an interview on This Morning, Barnett explained that he and his ex-wife, Kristine Barnett, agreed to the emergency adoption of Natalia, a Ukrainian-born child, in May 2010 after receiving a cold call from an adoption agency. They only met Natalia for five minutes before deciding to adopt her.

Suspicions arose when the couple noticed Natalia’s peculiar mannerisms and mature behavior. In response, they took her to a medical expert who concluded that she was a fully grown adult. Subsequently, Natalia’s legal age was changed to 22. Despite facing abandonment charges, Michael Barnett expressed skepticism about the possibility of going to prison. The case has raised questions about the circumstances of the adoption and the accuracy of Natalia’s age.

The Abandonment After the Adoption

The family left Natalia living alone in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, in 2013, and subsequently moved to Canada, cutting off contact. However, an affidavit of probable cause from September 11 revealed that bone density tests conducted in June 2010 concluded that Natalia was eight years old at the time. Authorities now accuse the Barnetts of criminal neglect, asserting that they abandoned their adopted daughter, who has a rare form of dwarfism and required special care, to fend for herself for three years. Despite the charges, Michael Barnett expresses doubt about going to prison.

How This Man Adopted the Child

Michael Barnett acknowledges that he “should have noticed something unusual” during the adoption process of Natalia Grace. He received a cold call from an adoption agency with minimal information, including two photographs, a Ukrainian birth certificate, and an outdated doctor’s report. The agency urged them to adopt Natalia, claiming to have researched the Barnetts. They were given only 24 hours to decide and met Natalia briefly, during which she already referred to them as “mommy and daddy,” despite having been put up for adoption by her biological family just days earlier.

Speaking via video link, Michael expressed disbelief about going to prison after facing abandonment charges related to Natalia.

Natalia Grace Adoption Controversy – The Allegations Were All True

The Barnetts became suspicious about Natalia Grace’s age when Michael’s wife noticed pubic hair during a bath, prompting concerns about her actual age. In June 2012, they successfully petitioned Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis to have Natalia’s age corrected for appropriate psychiatric treatment, with the court accepting their claims as true. Natalia’s birthdate was revised to September 4, 1989, changing her age from eight to 22.

Michael Barnett alleges that Natalia’s behavior became increasingly erratic, especially when introduced to a Ukrainian friend who couldn’t communicate with her. He doubted her language proficiency, which the adoption agency had claimed she possessed. According to Michael, Natalia began terrorizing the family, recounting incidents such as waking up to her holding a knife over him and her throwing his son’s prized possessions into the road in an attempt to cause harm.

In 2022, Michael Barnett was found not guilty, and Kristine Barnett had her charges dismissed in March. Natalia is now living with the man’s family, and by all appearances, she seems to be content with them following the difficulties with the Barnetts.

You might also want to read: Did They Lie? – The Michael Oher Adoption Controversy