Natalia Grace spoke out for the first time since escaping her third adoptive family, the Manses, amid allegations of physical abuse. The 21-year-old initially gained media attention when her second adoptive parents, the Barnetts, accused her of being an adult “con artist” posing as a child.
Now, she's preparing to live independently and has expressed her desire to become a mother.
Highlights
- Natalia Grace said her second adoptive family "brainwashed" her into lying about her age.
- The Ukraine-born woman was accused of being a sociopathic con artist who pretended to be a child.
- Natalia, 21, escaped her third adoptive family in 2023.
Her interview comes ahead of the release of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter, premiering January 6 and 7 on Investigation Discovery and Max, which documents her escape and life with her current family.
Image credits: Investigation Discovery
"There were a lot of people saying, 'You're fake. You're a liar. You're a pedophile.' I'm also known for the little girl that was helpless and was beaten and starved and all that," Natalia told People Magazine on Thursday (January 2).
"That's not who I am. But that seems to be the only thing that people know—and that's why it hurts me a lot."
Natalia was born in Ukraine in 2003. Her biological mother relinquished parental rights because of her dwarfism, and Natalia spent the first years of her childhood in an orphanage.
Natalia made headlines when her second adoptive parents accused her of being an adult "con artist" posing as a 6-year-old girl
Image credits: Investigation Discovery
In 2008, she was adopted by New Hampshire couple Dyan and Gary Ciccone and moved to the United States. However, the couple soon relinquished parental rights because of Natalia's alleged disruptive behavior, as per People.
Two years later, she was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett, a couple who lived in Indiana with their three sons.
The Barnetts alleged that Natalia was an adult who had lied about her age. They claimed she was menstruating, had adult teeth and pubic hair, and was not a 6-year-old girl but a grown woman.
"I feel like I was brainwashed by the Barnetts. Kristine coached me to lie about my age and say I tried to murder my parents," she said in a new interview
Image credits: people
In 2012, they petitioned the Marion County probate court to legally change the girl's birth year from 2003 to 1989. Their petition was granted, and Natalia's age was legally changed from 8 to 22 years old.
Kristine and Michael Barnett accused Natalia of threatening the family with a knife and attempting to kill Kristine by pushing her into an electric fence and poisoning her coffee. A year after Natalia was re-aged, the couple and their sons moved to Canada, leaving her alone in an apartment in Indiana.
Image credits: people
"I really disliked being the girl who was re-aged and lived in her own apartment," she said.
"I didn't understand why I was alone. I just knew I had this instinct in me to push and survive.
"All I was told was, 'You're 22 now. Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you're 22 and you tried to murder your family.' I was taught to lie."
Natalia says the Barnetts "brainwashed" her and coached her to lie about her real age.
The Barnetts also claimed that Natalia was a sociopath who had tried to attack them with a knife
"I feel like I have to defend myself and be like, 'Do I look like somebody that could push someone twice my size into a fence? Do I look like I could even grip a knife?'
"I feel like I was brainwashed by the Barnetts. Kristine coached me to lie about my age and say I tried to murder my parents. Why would you do that to your child?"
Natalia recalled losing a tooth during her time with the Barnetts—a common occurrence for children between the ages of 6-12—but she claimed Kristina accused her of pulling the tooth out herself, Bored Panda previously reported.
"I always knew I wasn't an adult. They are hiding something big, I wanna know the answers to these questions and I want people to pay for what they've done," the Ukraine-born woman said in her docuseries.
Image credits: Investigation Discovery
Natalia also accused Kristine of physical abuse, alleging she had hit her with a belt, pepper-sprayed her in the eyes, and given her higher doses of medication than prescribed.
Kristine denied having abused Natalia in a Facebook post, writing, "[Natalia] was not abused by anyone in my family. Nobody ever took a belt to Natalia, and the allegations that she was 'beaten' are just plain false."
The family has since referred to Natalia as a "sociopath." Michael Barnett claims that doctors who had treated her made that diagnosis and told the couple that they were "in danger."
After being abandoned, Natalia moved in with Cynthia and Antwon Mans and their 10 children
Image credits: Investigation Discovery
While she was living by herself in Lafayette, Indiana, Natalia met Cynthia Mans, who invited her to move in with her husband, Antwon, and their 10 children, after noticing Natalia was struggling to perform everyday tasks because of her disability.
In 2023, Cynthia and Antwon legally adopted Natalia. That same year, her date of birth was legally changed back to 2003 after prosecutors identified her biological mother and obtained birth and hospital records from Ukraine.
Living with the Manses, Natalia learned to look after her younger siblings. "I learned how to be a mother. I helped raise three of them since they were babies."
Image credits: themansfamily11
As she grew older, her relationship with her adoptive parents became more strained, particularly when she began texting Neil, a man living in the UK—a relationship that Cynthia and Antwon strongly disapproved of.
The Manses have also been accused of physically abusing Natalia, including slapping her in the face and whipping her with a belt. Natalia declined to comment on these accusations, which the Manses deny.
Neil contacted an old friend of Natalia's, Nicole DePaul, who helped Natalia escape from the Manses in 2023. In December of that year, they secretly picked her up from her home in Nashville and brought her to Nicole's house in New York.
Now, she's living with Nicole and Vince DePaul and their daughter, Mackenzie
Image credits: Investigation Discovery
Natalia currently lives with Nicole and Vince DePaul—who also have dwarfism—and their daughter, Mackenzie. Although she has finally found comfort with her family, she's preparing to live independently in the future as a 21-year-old woman.
"I've had too many promises that have been broken. I'm just ready to move on," the 21-year-old said
Image credits: Entertainment Tonight
She has also met her boyfriend, Neil, in person. "I'm a girl who loves kids and wants to get married and have children. But one of my biggest things is not making promises I can't keep. I've had too many promises that have been broken. I'm just ready to move on."
"It's been a big learning curve for me. For the most part, I've made peace. It is definitely a blessing to be alive today. And there's nothing I can do to change the past."
People continue to question Natalia's age and debate which side is telling the truth
