DailyMailTV has learned independently that Natalia arrived in the US in 2008 with paperwork stating she was named Gava Natalia Vadymivna and was born September 4, 2003. April 2010: Natalia is in the care of an adoption agency in Florida who offered Kristine and Michael Barnett the opportunity to adopt her. More:Judge issues gag order, bars Michael and Kristine Barnett from telling about daughter. However, the now-divorced couple claim that their adopted Ukrainian daughter with dwarfism, Natalia Grace, was actually a 22-year-old woman who tried to murder them on multiple occasions. 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. And while it may seem like the plot of a horror movie, it's a real-life drama tearing apart two Indiana families. The results showed that she was likely 14 years or older. Three foot-tall Natalia, who suffers from a rare form of dwarfism, is at the center of an extraordinary criminal case that has seen her adoptive parents Kristine and Michael Barnett charged with neglect for moving to Canada without her. I thought everything was okay with her and it turned out that it's not all okay.'. The Barnetts were now convinced that theyd unwittingly welcomed a psychotic adult dwarf into their home. Their case does not strictly hinge on Natalia's age because under Indiana State law a dependent can be someone who is mentally or physically disabled, regardless of age. Gava said that she had divorced Natalia's father, and she couldn't care for Natalia at the time. And in 2010, the couple adopted a young girl . 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. "She was standing over people in the middle of the night. The appeals court ruled that nothing the Barnetts did truly prevented the state from bringing charges against them at the time the offenses occurred. Her birth mother has other children and none of them have dwarfism. In a case that continues to have twists and turns, the adoptive parents of an abandoned Ukrainian dwarf on Friday appeared in an Indiana court to face charges of felony neglect charges for allegedly dumping the 3ft girl and moving to Canada. And, asit turns out, the young girl isn't so young after all - she's an adult pretending to be a child. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. She portrays a real-life situation of the horror movie "Orphan", where a 33-year-old mentally ill woman pretends to be a 9-year-old girl who gets adopted by a couple. Anna Volodymyrivna Gava told Daily Mail TV that she was forced to give up Natalia 16 years ago, when the girl was an infant. 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. . The woman, Anna Volodymyrivna Gava, told DailyMailTV that Natalia really is a child. Bishop Mans and his wife appear to have come into Natalia's life sometime between 2013 and early 2016 when they lodged an application to become her legal guardians. But there is better news: Natalia's older sister Yulia, 20, is having a baby. Statute of Limitations [How could this be? We are waiting for you. Prosecutors are prepared to prove to jurors that Natalia was born in 2003, Starbuck said. According to her adoptive parents, Natalia Barnett never grew in height. Natalia was first adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett - who already had three sons - in 2010. "The birth certificate that was given to the Barnetts showed a date of birth of 9/4/3. Kristine and Michael Barnett arrest photos. Natalia Barnett, an orphan with dwarfism, opened up to Dr. Phil in an exclusive interview about the accusations against her by her adopted parents. Its just horrifying.. After Natalia appeared onDr Phil, and Kristine spoke with DailyMailTV, a judge filed a gag order to silence them both. No reason has ever been disclosed about why her first adoptive parents decided to return her to the orphanage. , updated 2023 www.jconline.com. 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. Meyer's Aug. 14order declared that three of the six charges ofneglect basedin 2013were beyond the statute of limitations so the state could not pursue them. Her hospital records of giving birth to Natalia (a baby with dwarfism) show her date of birth of September 2003. Sign up for notifications from Insider! They claim Nataliaactually is an adult, saying she had menstrual cycles and pubic hair when they adopted her in 2008. Natalia Barnett, who has severe dwarfism, was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010, when they believed she was about 8. According to Kristine and Michael, Natalia is a 30-year-old woman. At this point, it's impossible to say who is right or wrong. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Daily Mail TV also saw orphanage documents from 2003 that suggest Natalia was an infant at the time. Kristine and Michael Barnett were charged with six counts of neglect of a dependent and two counts of conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. 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. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. I worked here in the UK for years in adult social care ( learning disabilities/ physical disabilities & later mental health) and I' m telling you straight that the your woman in Dr Phil is a fully grown woman between the ages of 24-35 ..So many things give this away ,even the size and shape of the jaw ,nose and size of hands are not that of a ' girl's but a fully mature woman.One thing for sure is that if they can pinpoint the age of 100' s of Medieval skeletons a few years ago here in he UK during the building of the Cross Rail line in London and could perfectly tell the age of each person ,what kind of diet that person had and how they actually died by examining the teethwell I' m damn sure any dentist could age Natalia in 10 seconds! 'This girl is my daughter who was born 16 years ago. Natalia Grace was eventually evicted in 2014, however, and police said it was neighbors who had taken her under their wing. Michael and Kristine divorced that same year. Indiana couple Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted an 8-year-old girl from Ukraine her name was Natalia. A Tippecanoe judge dismissed most of the charges in August 2020, deciding that they weren't applicable due to another judge's determination of Natalia's actual age, as well as the statue of limitations being exceeded before the charges were filed. She wanted nothing to do with the Barnetts. LAFAYETTE, Ind. I was so shocked. The case made national headlines. Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Patrick Harrington took the case to the Court of Appeals, which upheld the decision Wednesday. The Barnetts had given me food that they didn't eat. The only thing they didn't address was that she was documented having a period on "X" Date and pubic hair. Feels good to know some people are able to look at this case with open eyes. Meyer's Aug. 14 ruling is that Tippecanoe Superior Court cannot alter another state superior court, so Natalia's age is a settled matter in the courts. Both them and my mom told me to leave her. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider However an affidavit of probable cause does refer to two bone density tests carried out on Natalia at the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in 2010 and 2012. The reasons were given as 1. Dr Phil asked Natalia. Independent of the DNA verified birth mother, there are also 2 medical age assessments via x rays and growth plate analysis. She came to the United States as an adoptee and had been under the care of several foster families in America before she was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett, who lived in Florida, in 2010. And when I had an ultrasound done I was told that there were, so to say, no options. Ils disent qu'ils croyaient qu'elle avait six ans et qu'elle tait. Today, Natalia is living an hour from Indianapolis with a Christian couple and their five kids. Though she and Michael had biological children, including their son Jake, an autistic child prodigy, they hoped to expand their family through adoption. Both them and my mum told me to leave her. A Ukrainian orphan at the center of an adoption scandal might be an adult. Thats her independent choice. The woman, Anna Volodymyrivna Gava, told Daily Mail TV that she was forced to give up Natalia 16 years ago, when the girl was an infant. NOW WATCH: The American Girl store give matching makeover to girls and their dolls, has a rare form of dwarfism that makes it difficult to gauge her age, Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Gava said Natalia remained in an orphanage for 5 years until an American couple adopted her in 2008. Kristine was unable to have more children naturally due to severe complications during her pregnancies, so the Barnetts were very open to adoption. 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. A decision regarding the neglect charges against the adoptive parents of Natalia Barnett was upheld today in The Indiana Court of Appeals. My mind is blown and I'm completely grossed out. The Barnetts, meanwhile, are out on bond on charges of neglecting a dependent. Along with lying about her age, the Barnetts claimed that Natalia attempted to poison them, stood over their bed with knives and tried to push Kristine into an electric fence accusations Nataliadenied when she went on "The Dr. Phil Show" in 2019. Finally, Harrington's office argued that the statute of limitations had not been reached, as the Barnetts concealed their wrongdoings to keep the state from prosecuting. '[They told me] there are good people in America, they will pay for everything, the child will be normal," she told Daily Mail TV. She added that Natalia never grew, which Kristine said should happen, even in children with dwarfism. Kristine Barnett diverted the blame to Natalia, the child both she and her former husband, Michael Barnett, adopted . Yet, according to Kristine, it became obvious their daughter was not who she appeared to be. I was just on a YouTube video about this case and so many of the comments were demonizing her, insulting anyone who disagreed, ECT. Winds light and variable. Unbelievable th Rebekka Blue, aka Ana Dee, sells weird things on the internet. I've tried to remain unbiased since this case first broke, but now I'm just getting more and more mad at the people who still ignore all facts and logic to continue to demonize someone who is just turning 18 this year. ", In an interview after the verdict, Michael said, "I can breathe. Changing Natalia's birthday was to reflect her real age and get her mental health treatment, according to previous interviews by the couple before a gag order was issued in October. This would require restoring Natalias original birth date to 2003, to which the Barnetts filed an objection. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2. In 2013, the Barnetts filed for for an "age-change order" to change her birth date from 2003 to 1989 in a probate court in Marion County, effectively making Natalia legally 22 at the time, according to previous Exponent reporting. They said the baby would never be good, that she would never be able to move, that she would be chained to a chair or to a bed., She continued, She now lives in America with adoptive parents who want to ditch her. They left Natalia Barnett in a rented apartment in Lafayette in July. She definitely was a real child, now almost adult and will turn 18 later this year. Her new 'dad', 36-year-old Antwon Mans, was recently ordained as a pastor and lives in a former church parsonage with his wife Cynthia, 39, an ex-McDonald's manager. Kristine BarnettKristine Barnett said Natalia Grace would stand over her family members beds at night, holding sharp objects. They said the baby would never be good, that she would never be able to move, that she would be chained to a chair or to a bed," Anna said. 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. 'Short little legs, short little arms. 2016: The Bishop-Mans fileto become Natalia's legal guardians, describing her as an 'alleged incapacitated person' who was 13 or 14 years old. The age change was based on estimates from a primary care physician and a social worker, according to court documents. By 2013, they were convinced that Natalia was an adult woman. Natalia was initially adopted by a New Hampshire couple called Dyan and Gary Ciccone, who this week told DailyMailTV they did not want to discuss their time with her. It is NOT asking the Court of Appeals to DECIDE IF she is a child. Kristine and Michael Barnett, the adoptive parents of Natalia who. From day one this was a mission of love. The prosecutor claimed that the age-change order should be voided since the adoption court had already confirmed Natalia's birth year as 2003. Kristine y Michael acordaron la adopcin de Natalia Grace, nacida en Ucrania, en mayo de 2010 de Florida y les dijeron que tena 6 aos, la . They say they believed she was a six-year-old from Ukraine, with a form of dwarfism. They also claimed that Natalia was mentally ill and tried to harm Kristine and the Barnetts' biological sons. The allegations came to light after her adoptive parents Kristine Barnett, 45, and Michael Barnett, 43, were charged with child neglect, this September.