Forgotten Mothers UK
General => Articles => Topic started by: Forgotten Mother on April 08, 2025, 04:24:25 PM
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14579387/dark-true-story-disney-good-american-family-natalia-grace.html
The dark true story behind Disney+ series Good American Family: Couple adopted a Ukrainian orphan before accusing her of being a 'sociopath'
Good American Family on Disney+ is inspired by Natalia Grace's story
READ MORE: Natalia Grace's third adoptive parents claim she is 'ready to go to hell with gasoline panties on'
By ELEANOR DYE
Published: 17:07, 7 April 2025 | Updated: 14:20, 8 April 2025
When Kristine and Michael Barnett decided to adopt a six-year-old girl in 2010 in the hope of expanding their family after years of struggles, they felt nothing but 'overwhelming love' for their new daughter. Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace had already been adopted once before just two years previously but the parents had subsequently rescinded their rights, citing her 'disruptive' behaviour. Drawn in by the need to 'help another person in the world', Kristine and Michael still decided to raise Natalia who has a rare form of dwarfism called Diastrophic Dysplasia as their own, alongside their three biological sons in New Hampshire. The following years saw a shocking breakdown in the relationship with Kristine and Michael accusing her of being a 'sociopath masquerading as a child' and lying about her real age even claiming she tried to kill them. After seeking advice from a family physician, they fought to have her birth date changed from 2003 to 1989, claiming she was an adult when they adopted her. Natalia has denied all accusations against her and the couple were charged with neglect after moving to Canada and allegedly dumping her at an apartment in Lafayette. They were eventually acquitted of the charges. Natalia's unique story has now inspired Disney+ series Good American Family, which premieres in the UK on Wednesday starring Ellen Pompeo, Mark Duplass and Imogen Faith Reed. For years, Natalia was defended by Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who eventually became her third set of adoptive parents in June 2023. But speaking in a rare interview with PEOPLE Magazine in January, Natalia, now 21, revealed that the relationship had soured as shared an update on her situation. She said: 'It's a blessing to be alive today because looking back at my 7-year-old self, I should have been dead. Learning everything that I have about how to live with my dwarfism it's been a great experience. I love it. I mean, of course, I still miss my siblings and everything. But I love it. I feel free.'
In January 2024, she wrote on a GoFundMe page, revealing she'd moved out and was trying to raise money for spinal surgery. I recently moved out and I'm saving money to get my own house so I can have a personal place of my own,' she wrote. 'I am wanting to start my own photography business to create a fun and awesome way to have fun and do what I love which is taking pictures and creating memories for myself and other people!'
She also explained that the spinal surgery she wants to have done isn't covered by her medical insurance and costs 'in excess of $500,000. I have a type of dwarfism called Diastrophic Dysplasia a form of dwarfism that has many serious issues which often require surgery,' she wrote. 'The first treatment I need is to have my spine corrected as if I leave it too long it could lead to paralysis and incontinence.'
In her interview with People Magazine, Natalia said she is now living with friends in New York, is learning to drive and is studying for her GED in the hope of becoming a teacher. She's also in a serious long-term relationship with her boyfriend Neil, from the UK, whom she met on Facebook while living with the Manses. Natalia was born with a bone growth disorder named spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, which causes short stature, skeletal abnormalities and problems with vision. Her first adoption from Ukraine was in 2008 by Dyan and Gary Ciccone but just two years later, they relinquished their parental rights, citing her behaviour as the reason. The Barnetts, experienced foster parents who ran a children's day care from their Westfield, Indiana home, collected the curly-haired youngster from Florida in May 2010. Natalia's birth certificate said she was born in 2003 but her parents began to doubt her age and said she began displaying threatening behaviour towards them and their three biological sons, Jacob, Wesley and Ethan. Kristine Barnett even gave an interview with the Daily Mail in 2019, alleging that Natalia had terrorised them 'for years' and accused her of threatening to stab them in their sleep, pushing her towards an electric fence and pouring bleach in her coffee. She also alleged that Natalia was far older than her six years of age, claiming she had pubic hair and had started her periods, while using an advanced vocabulary. The movie 'Orphan' is exactly what happened,' she said, referring to the 2009 thriller where a youngster tries to murder her family when it's revealed she's actually 33.
'She would make statements and draw pictures saying she wanted to kill family members, roll them up in a blanket and put them in the backyard. She was standing over people in the middle of the night. You couldn't go to sleep. We had to hide all the sharp objects. I saw her putting chemicals, bleach, Windex something like that, in my coffee and I asked her, what are you doing? She said, "I am trying to poison you." The media is painting me to be a child abuser but there is no child here,' said Barnett.
'Natalia was a woman. She had periods. She had adult teeth. She never grew a single inch, which would happen even with a child with dwarfism. The doctors all confirmed she was suffering a severe psychological illness only diagnosed in adults. She was jumping out of moving cars. She was smearing blood on mirrors. She was doing things you could never imagine a little child doing.'
The Barnett family had believed she was a six year old child when they picked her up from Florida in 2010. 'I always wanted to have a larger family and I had very severe complications in my pregnancies and was unable to have more children,' Barnett explained.
'I also at that time had a very privileged life. I felt that if I had the ability to help another person in the world then I wanted to do it.'
She hadn't enquired after finding out her previous adoptive parents had given her up for undisclosed reasons, feeling that she wanted to do a good deed. But her suspicions were raised when they took Natalia on a family beach day and she ran into the ocean, despite saying she couldn't walk. Barnett grew more alarmed when she saw the little girl naked for the first time. 'I was giving her a bath and I noticed that she had full pubic hair. I was so shocked. I had just been told she was a six year old and it was very apparent she wasn't,' she added.
She also said Natalia shunned toys and dolls, sought the company of teenager girls and used vocabulary beyond her age. She also believed Natalia had started her period after finding bloody clothing in the trash. She sought the help of a family physician who ordered bone density tests to confirm her age, with results suggesting she was at least 14. By 2011 Barnett said that Natalia was smearing bodily fluid on walls, making death threats and hearing voices as her mental health broke down. In June of 2012 the Barnetts successfully applied to Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis, Indiana to have Natalia's age 'corrected' so she could receive the appropriate psychiatric treatment for an adult. In documents seen by DailyMailTV, Judge Gerald S. Zore accepted the couple's allegations were 'true' and revised Natalia's date of birth to September 4, 1989 changing her age from eight to 22. At this stage, Barnett points out, Natalia was considered an adult by the state of Indiana and was legally responsible for herself. Even so, Barnett says she and her husband rented an apartment for Natalia when she was discharged from secure psychiatric care in August 2012 and placed under the supervision of state healthcare provider, Aspire Indiana. They further helped her get a social security number, apply for benefits, food stamps and an ID. When Natalia caused problems at the property and was evicted they stepped in again to prevent her from being homeless, renting a new apartment for her in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County. Barnett said she was communicating daily with Natalia and even came up with a plan for Natalia to enroll in college to get her high school diploma and study cosmetology. After moving to Canada, they cut off all contact with Natalia. Initially, local child safety authorities received a report of an abandoned child in an apartment which was soon discarded due to the change in her birth date. Natalia has long maintained that she was just a child when her parents left her. In 2023, after years of medical testing and DNA analysis, her original birth date was restored to 2003. Police say the girl was left to fend for herself for three years despite having a rare form of dwarfism that means she is 3ft tall and has problems walking. Years later, in 2019, Kristine and Michael, who had since divorced, were charged with neglect. Three weeks before Kristine Barnett's trial was due to start, her charges were dismissed, citing 'insufficient evidence', while Michael was also acquitted of any charges. That year, Michael gave an interview with Good Morning America, accusing Natalia of 'violence' towards the family and said she was intent on killing them. He said: 'We were told by doctors, This person is a sociopath. This person is a con artist. You are all in danger.'
He said she would place clear thumbtacks on the stairs in a bid to cause the family pain. 'She attempted to kill my wife for a second time, this time by trying to pull her into an electric fence,' Michael explained.
Natalia appeared on Dr Phil in 2019 speaking about the accusations from her parents. Through tears, she said: 'It's not true at all.'
Dr Phil queried: 'You say you're 16 are you a 33-year-old scam artist?'
'No, no, no. I promise you I'm not.' Natalia said.
Natalia befriended Antwon and Cynthia Mans in Canada, who helped her fight to rectify her situation between 2014 and 2017 by applying for guardianship. The Mans family initiated the adoption process of Natalia in 2016, which meant they would have to prove she was a minor and restore her original birth date. They were able to legally adopt her in 2023 after years of fighting by her side and describing her as a 'genuine and loving young lady.' Natalia joined their strict religious lifestyle, living with her ten new siblings. But in 2024, when her docuseries had aired, relations had soured. In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter, neighbours and friends claimed they'd witnessed the Manses whipping Natalia with her belt and assaulting her. Natalia told People that Antwon had taken her phone away after finding explicit texts on her phone to her boyfriend Neil. In her docuseries, producers asked her to comment on the allegations against the Manses, but she declined. 'Something ain't right with Natalia,' Antwon said in a call to the producers of the show, per People Magazine. 'This girl is tweaking. I feel like she's the enemy in the house. Natalia is stabbing her family in the back, over a complete lie!' Cynthia added.
Antwon also seemed to suggest that Natalia may have a romantic interest. 'She's got this dude online,' he said. 'He turned her against us. She's ready to go to hell with gasoline panties on.'
The Mans family said they were 'done' with Natalia in a previous documentary that aired in January 2024. Natalia managed to 'flee' the Manses in 2023 after reaching out to her friends Nicole DePaul and her husband Vince, who had previously tried to adopt her in 2009. She has lived with them ever since - and though they've admitted there's been 'ups and downs', they say she's never been violent. They did, however, admit that they'd once found her secretly recording them in their home. Natalia's story is now inspiring Disney's new miniseries though some events shown have been dramatised. Ellen Pompeo, who plays Kristine, told Variety: 'We're coming up with our own version of what this story could have been, so this isn't sort of a beat-for-beat of what their experience was. It's really what we do here, I guess, in Hollywood. We make entertainment that hopefully provokes thought, and we take a set of circumstances and put our spin on it. This compelling drama is inspired by the disturbing stories surrounding a Midwestern couple who adopts a girl with a rare form of dwarfism, a description of the show reads. But as they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, mystery emerges around her age and background, and they slowly start to suspect she may not be who she says she is. As they defend their family from the daughter they've grown to believe is a threat, she fights her own battle to confront her past and what her future holds, in a showdown that ultimately plays out in the tabloids and the courtroom.'
Good American Family is premiering on Disney+ in the UK from April 9.