LAFAYETTE, In. – What sounds like a plot right out of a horror film was allegedly the reality for this Indiana family. Kristine Barnett, 45, and ex-husband Michael Barnett, 43, are alleged to have dumped Ukrainian-born Natalia Grace at an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana before moving to Canada.
Kristina and Michael Barnett claim to be victims of fraud after adopting six-year-old Natalia Grace in 2010. The family of five raced to Florida to complete an emergency adoption of the six-year-old, who was given up by her previous adoptive family for undisclosed reasons and suffered from spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, a bone disorder that causes short stature, skeletal abnormalities and problems with vision. The Barnetts were given few details about the background of Natalia Grace.
The Barnetts showered young Grace with all of the things that a child of her age could want; a trip to Disney, attention, ice cream and treats, and family fun trips with her new parents and siblings.
“The boys rushed into the water and Natalia wanted to be carried into the ocean. Michael and myself were physically exhausted so we asked her to wait just a few minutes,” said Kristina Barnett, “With that she just got up and ran into the ocean. I remember looking at Mike and thinking, what’s going on? She couldn’t walk a second ago and now she just got up and ran.”
The suspicion grew during Natalia’s bath 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,” Kristina added.
She went on to say how Natalia didn’t have any trace of a foreign accent and couldn’t understand Ukrainian when spoken to her.
“At the time I ran a little school and I remember she said to me, these children are exhausting, I don’t know how you do it,” Barnett went on.
It was then believed that Natalia may have been a teenager, although it was “very hard” for the family to decipher her due to her condition. They still had no regrets and loved the child.
They began to find bloody clothing in the trash that suggested Natalia was having her period and hiding it. So the family sought help from their physician, that ordered a bone density test and the test concluded that she was at least 14 years of age.
From there, Natalia’s behavior began to worsen. According to the Barnetts, began to attack the younger children, smear bodily fluid on walls and make death threats. She was then placed in a long-term psychiatric unit.
In 2012 the family’s physician, Andrew McLaren MD, told the family that the 2003 birthdate for Natalia was clearly incorrect and she had made a career out of pretending to be a child. In June of the same year the Barnett’s applied to Marion County Superior Court to have Natalia’s age corrected so could receive the appropriate treatment.
Judge Gerald S. Zore accepted the couples allegations and changed Natalia’s date of birth to September 4, 1989 – taking her from 8 to 22.
The couple rented out an apartment for Natalia and placed her under the care of a state healthcare provider.
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. (DailyMail)
According to the Barnetts, Natalia enrolled in college to study cosmetology and obtain her high school diploma.
In 2013, the family moved to Canada and lost contact with Natalia.
“The last time we spoke on the phone, she told me she was cooking spaghetti for her new family,” said Barnett, “I did not abandon anyone. I went to Canada to further my son’s education. These accusations are absolutely devastating.”
A September 11 affidavit of probable cause obtained by DailyMailTV states that an expert at the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital named Dr. Riggs carried out bone density tests on Natalia in June 2010.
It concluded she was aged approximately eight years old. A further skeletal test carried out two years later at the same facility concluded she was around 11 years old.
“I am being charged by the state of Indiana for crimes against a child when the state of Indiana has determined multiple times that Natalia was an adult,” said Kristine Barnett, “From day one this was a mission of love. But when you bring a child into your home, you expect them to be a child. To be accused of this is [an] unconscionable to me. It’s just horrifying.”
Natalia’ whereabouts remain unknown in the case.
