", In an interview after the verdict, Michael said, "I can breathe. Natalia's story went viral in September when her adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, were charged with with neglect. . One of their sons, Jake, was autistic, and considered a child prodigy. Just that having any sense of reasoning is apparently the low bar. The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the Tippecanoe Court's decision to dismiss six of the eight charges brought against Kristine and Michael Barnett. The court didn't appoint a guardian to represent Natalia in the decision, and neither her nor the Barnetts were present when the decision was made which, the prosecutor argues, means the decision should not have been affirmed. ", As for Kristine, she has said, "The media is painting me to be a child abuser. The Ukrainian orphan accused of being an adult hung out at a drug recovery house and took adult education classes after her adopted parents moved to Canada. TL;DR Natalia is proven to be a child, now a teen, but it may not matter and the Barnetts might not be criminally sanctioned/punished for abandoning a child. You couldnt go to sleep. They claim Nataliaactually is an adult, saying she had menstrual cycles and pubic hair when they adopted her in 2008. When she allegedly began to suffer mental health problems, the Barnetts say they sought the advice of experts who agreed in 2012 she was likely far older than her birth certificate suggested. They were well-versed and equipped to handle kids with special needs. We had to hide all the sharp objects. The adoption system is a mess and especially in other countries information can be witheld, forged, doctored or completely made up entirely. Natalia Barnett, an orphan with dwarfism, opened up to Dr. Phil in an exclusive interview about the accusations against her by her adopted parents. Natalia had arrived in the US from Ukraine in 2008 and had been adopted almost immediately, but the adoption had not "worked out". Not to say "I told you so" but I told you so. In May 2010, the couple flew to Florida from their home in Lafayette, Indiana, to meet Natalia Grace. 'Why did they decide that she is older than according to documents?' She was jumping out of moving cars, claimed Kristine. The store worker says Natalia's biological father Vadik, whom she reconciled with after Natalia's birth, died six years ago. LAFAYETTE, Indiana Depending on whom you believe, Natalia Grace a Ukrainian-born orphan with a rare form of dwarfism is either a sweet 15-year-old or a 30-year-old con artist. "I know exactly how old she is. Statements made about celebrities, reality tv, and influencers are for your entertainment.Check out me on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/WOACrystalBallInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/withoutacrystalball/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withoutacrystalballBuy me a cup of Coffee:https://ko-fi.com/withoutacrystalball Prosecutors aren't giving up so easily and haven't dismissed any charges, yet. The appeals court found that the previous court did not err in its decision to drop 6 of the 8 charges against the Barnetts. The Barnetts adopted Natalia, a Ukrainian orphan with severe dwarfism, in the spring of 2010. Both them and my mum told me to leave her. Kristine and Michael Barnett arrest photos. A Ukrainian orphan at the center of an adoption scandal might be an adult. I'm not saying this is the case, but its definitely a possibility. My mind is blown and I'm completely grossed out. The couple, who have since divorced, admit moving to Canada without her so their oldest son Jacob, a physics prodigy with autism, could attend university there. Barnett's attorney, Terrance Kinnard, motioned to dismiss six of the eight neglect charges against his client the Tippecanoe County prosecutor filed. Prosecutors are prepared to prove to jurors that Natalia was born in 2003, Starbuck said. When Kristine and Michael Barnett of Indiana adopted Natalia Grace Barnett in 2010, They were told she was six years old. Natalia Grace apparently even confessed to doctors at that point that she was actually 18 and that it had been fun to terrorize her family. Doctors showed her to me and immediately told me that the girl shouldn't be taken [home] because she had a complex pathology. The girl suffered from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism. We are waiting for you. The Barnetts were now convinced that theyd unwittingly welcomed a psychotic adult dwarf into their home. But when you bring a child into your home, you expect them to be a child. During an appearance on "Dr. Phil," Natalia claimed she was only 16, and she said her adopted parents abandoned her in Tippecanoe County when she was just 8. Is anyone else immensely annoyed that Karen Kilgariff covered this on MFM and had every other white girl and her mother believing that this poor child was an adult scamming her adoptive parents? Its just horrifying.. It took the jury just two hours to deliberate on his case. 'I know exactly how old she is,' Anna, 40, told DailyMailTV through a translator from her home in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea. It made me feel so good to come on here and see people supporting her. According to Kristine, she threatened to stab the family in their sleep, poured bleach in Kristines coffee and tried to push her into an electric fence. Kristine said the rent was paid for a year before the family left the country. For starters, DailyMailTV found a woman claiming to be Natalia Barnett's birth mother in Ukraine in October 2019. ", She also pleaded to Natalia, "Daughter, forgive me for what happened 16 years ago. And wiping away tears, she made a heartfelt plea to Natalia herself: 'Daughter, forgive me for what happened 16 years ago. You have permission to edit this article. They say they believed she was a six-year-old from Ukraine, with a form of dwarfism. The Court of Appeals AGREED to assume jurisdiction and decide this narrow issue-Can the State argue that she is really a child?? Statute of Limitations [How could this be? On it, she denied what her former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, have claimed: that when they adopted her as . And when I had an ultrasound done I was told that there were, so to say, no options. How old is Natalia Barnett and who is the real victim? I would like to hug her and to apologize. 'I suffered for over a day to give birth to her. Meanwhile, Gava made a plea directly to Natalia: Daughter, forgive me for what happened 16 years ago. They found her birth mother in Ukraine (confirmed by DNA) who confirmed that the baby was born in 2003 and they have her original birth certificate now. Kristine Barnett told Daily Mail Online that Natalia terrorized her family. By I was six years old when I came to the United States.". Michael and Kristine sought professional help for their daughter. Michael Barnett, left, and ex-wife, Kristine Barnett,. We had to hide all the sharp objects.. "I was giving her a bath, and I noticed that she had full pubic hair. Michael Barnett filed earlier this month to dismiss the charges that are based on allegations that the Barnetts' adopted Ukrainian orphan, Natalia Grace, was a minor when the Barnetts moved her to Lafayette in July 2013 before moving to Canada with their biological sons. In March 2012, physician Andrew McLaren told the couple that Natalia was clearly not a child and that she had made a career out of pretending to be one. Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted Natalia in 2010. . The prosecutor also argued that because the state was not present when the age-change order was decided, applying the decision in further rulings would be unfair. she demanded to know. Their side of the story has been corroborated by several clinicians and hospital staff. When Michael Barnett filed an objection, the Manses sought but failed to overturn the 2012 court decision that 're-aged' Natalia. Kristine Barnett told Daily Mail Online that the adoption was a scam and that the girl was not who they thought she was. She was jumping out of moving cars. The way I was in my childhood.'. 2012:The Barnetts take Natalia again to have her bone density tested. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. However, reporters were not permitted to take photos of this document. Here are 8 adults who were caught posing as children. This is a very complicated case, people want to simplify for their comfort. But there is no child here.". Natalias direct path after that point is unclear, though couple Antwon and Cynthia Mans did petition to become her legal guardians in March 2016. The woman, Anna Volodymyrivna Gava, told DailyMailTV that Natalia really is a child. Starbuck argued that the jurors, not the courts, should decide in this criminal case if Natalia was neglected because of her age, regardless of what the Marion County court decided. In an interview with The DailyMail, Kristine claimed that Natalia had threatened to stab the family in their sleep and once poured bleach in Kristines coffee. Visit soon for me to see you," she told Daily Mail TV. 'I saw her putting chemicals, bleach, Windex something like that, in my coffee and I asked her, what are you doing? Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. The order also declared that Tippecanoe Superior 2 does not have the legal authority to overturn a June 2012 order in a Marion Superior court that changed Natalia's birthday from September 2003 to September 1989. 'I would like to tell Natasha that I really want to see her. Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism that makes it difficult to gauge her age, was thought to be somewhere between 6 and 8 when Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted her in 2010. I have been truthful with people the whole time. Michael Barnett told officers that he and Kristine Barnett paid rent on the apartment but did not provide Natalia extra funds, The Washington Post reported. A decision regarding the neglect charges against the adoptive parents of Natalia Barnett was upheld today in The Indiana Court of Appeals. The Barnetts are accused of legally changing Natalia's age to from 8 to 22 in 2012, and moving to Canada without her. She claimed in. Her official birthdate was changed to 1989 and she was declared an adult. More developments will surely nevertheless emerge in the future. DailyMailTV added that reporters also saw a document from an orphanage where Natalia was supposedly taken in that suggested she was a baby in 2003. The case of Natalia Barnett has caught international attention after her adoptive parents, 45-year-old Kristine Barnett and her 43-year-old ex-husband Michael Barnett were arrested and charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent in September 2019. . After multiple investigations starting in 2013, the Barnetts, who have since divorced, were each charged with six counts of neglect of a dependent and two counts of conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. In a nutshell they told me to leave her. The media is painting me to be a child abuser, Kristine Barnett said. Isgho Votre ducation notre priorit . Prosecutors say she was a child at the time. She has an especially vivid memory of the distressing events of September 4, 2003 when she gave birth to Natalia at 6:25am but felt forced to surrender her immediately because of the child's severe disabilities. Meyer indicated Wednesday afternoon that he planned to issue an order on Michael Barnett's motion to dismiss in a couple of days. No, 'Orphan' is not based on a true story. In other words, there is zero chance the birth documents are for any child other than Natalia. The individual said they were the family's primary care doctor and saw Natalia between 2010 and 2012. "I'm 16. Same woman about 2 weeks later sat staring at me and then preceded to talk in several different voices including what sounded like an old man and a child..then bit into the back of her hand and peeled the flesh off to the muscle as if she was eating a ripe mango ! 2012: A court decision declares Natalia was an adult born in 1989. This test suggests she is 11 years old. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. She had no neck. I thought everything was okay with her and it turned out that its not all okay. Natalia was first adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett - who already had three sons - in 2010. Kristine's case will betrialled in February next year, and the gag order remains in place. But they insist that, by then, Natalia was legally considered an adult after they obtained an emergency court order the previous year to revise her date of birth from September 4, 2003 to September 4, 1989, citing medical experts.