Where Are Kristine & Michael Barnett Now? He Called Their Daughter a ‘Monster’
They made headlines around the world when they accused their adoptive child of actually being an adult. So where are Kristine and Michael Barnett now? They, along with their adoptive daughter Natalia Grace, are the subject of public attention once more ahead of a new documentary series from ID.
Natalia Grace is a Ukrainian-born girl who gained media attention due to a controversial and widely publicized case. In 2010, she was adopted by an American family, the Barnetts, who because of her sophisticated language and other behaviors, believed that Natalia had a rare form of dwarfism—instead of being a child, as she and the orphanage claimed, she was an adult with psychiatric issues who deceived them. One particular account, the Barnetts said, was when they awoke to Natalia standing over them with a knife.
They petitioned to have her age legally changed to 22, based on a bone density test. In 2012 and a year later, the Barnetts moved to Canada, leaving Natalia behind to fend for herself when she was only 9 years old. In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, we’re offered exclusive access to Natalia as she shares her story and confronts her former adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett’s accusations head-on.
Throughout six parts, Natalia Speaks retraces her adoption saga and the Barnett’s allegations from Natalia’s perspective, offering insight into what really went on behind closed doors in the Barnett’s home and how much truth there actually is to their claim Natalia was not a 6-year-old Ukrainian orphan with a rare genetic disorder, but rather a homicidal adult intent on harming them and their children. Here’s where Kristen and Michael Barnett are now.
Where are Kristine and Michael Barnett now?
Where are Kristine and Michael Barnett now? According to InTouch Weekly, Kristine lives in Florida while Michael still resides in Indiana. They divorced in 2020 but maintained their allegations against Natalia for years to come.
For abandoning Natalia, Michael faced counts such as neglect of a dependent, neglect of a dependent causing bodily injury, neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury and conspiracy to neglect a dependent. Four counts of neglect of a dependent were dismissed against him in February 2022. He then appeared in court in October 2022 for his trial but was found not guilty of the charges later that month. Charges against Kristine were also dropped in March 2023.
In the Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Natalia and Michael confront each other. When Natalia questioned Michael why they adopted her in the first place, Michael said: “I’ve learned recently that you and I had the same monster [in] Kristine, and we are here because we both were incredible victims of an otherworldly type of abuse.”
Natalia asked him to clarify. “This is not easy,” he said. “I had the same monster you did. I was exceptionally controlled and put down, and threatened, was minimalized. Anything that was who I was was ripped from me and I was guided and instructed to be exactly what she wanted me to be.”
Again, Natalia asked him to clarify by what he meant by “threatened”. He explained: “Her favorite threat was taking the boys away from me and making sure I would never see them again.” Natalia asked him why he didn’t leave. “I tried,” Michael said. “And these answers aren’t what you’re looking for, to a degree, but I tried to leave her no less than 10 times. I ended up in the hospital regularly over it.”
Kristine denied the allegations that they abused their daughter. “Natalia was a very much loved and cared for member of my family,” Kristine wrote Thursday. “She was not abused by anyone in my family. Let’s get straight to these allegations. Nobody ever took a belt to Natalia and the allegations that she was ‘beaten’ are just plain false. Any discipline of Natalia was very minimal and was not out of the bounds of normal parenting.”
Natalia was eventually taken in by Antwon and Cynthia Manns, but she is currently living with another family. In November 2019, Cynthia told Dr. Phil that: “We have other children. We have a grandson. [Natalia] does nothing but love her siblings and her nephew.”
Natalia Speaks also features previously unseen evidence and footage, as well as new theories and testimony from an array of voices, including the retired FBI agents who initially investigated Natalia’s case, genetic experts who helped determine Natalia’s true age, and the Tippecanoe County Deputy Prosecutor Jackie Starbuck who prosecuted Michael in his October 2022 trial. In addition, the docuseries sheds light on Natalia’s next chapter, offering a portrait of her life with her new adoptive family and exclusive interviews with her adoptive parents, Bishop Antown and Cynthia Manns.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks premieres across three consecutive nights on ID beginning Tuesday, January 7 at 9 pm ET.
