Natalia Grace Barnett Spotted in Rare Public Outing Weeks After Controversial ‘Curious Case’ ID Doc

Living her life. Natalia Grace Barnett, the subject of Investigation Discovery’s controversial documentary The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, was spotted out at a Walmart in Greencastle, Indiana, this week. 

A series of photos obtained and shared by The U.S. Sun on Monday, June 26, showed Natalia, whose true age is widely debated, shopping at the retail chain store with her new adoptive father, Antwon Mans. Natalia was seen wearing a black T-shirt with sunflowers on it and a yellow headband, as well as neon green earbuds. 

The photos showed Antwon pulling Natalia in her wheelchair walker, which she uses as a result of dwarfism, as Antwon carried a pack of toilet paper. They were spotted checking out inside the store and walking through the parking lot to a white van. 

Her rare public appearance comes just weeks after the debut of the six-part docuseries, which explores Natalia’s former adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett’s claims that she lied about her age and threatened and attempted to kill them between 2010 and 2012.

The rare public appearance comes just weeks after the debut of the six-part docuseries, which explores Natalia’s former adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett’s claims that she lied about her age and threatened and attempted to kill them between 2010 and 2012.

ID network’s docuseries, which aired from May 29 to May 31, follows the mysterious story of Michael and Kristine adopting Ukraine-born Natalia in 2010. At the time, the former spouses believed Natalia was 6 years old. However, Natalia’s alleged behavioral issues and mature features on her body soon led Michael and Kristine to believe that she was actually an adult with a form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDc). 

Michael and Kristine claimed that Natalia made several threats and attempts to kill them and their biological sons Jacob, Wesley, and Ethan. They alleged that Natalia stood over their bed with a knife, attempted to poison Kristine’s coffee with household cleaner, and pushed Kristine into an electric fence. In the docuseries, Michael referred to Natalia as a “con artist” and a “sociopath.”

After two years of living with Natalia, Michael and Kristine petitioned to have her birthday legally changed from September 4, 2003, to September 4, 1989. A judge granted their request, making Natalia legally 23 years old in 2012. Michael and Kristine then rented Natalia an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, leaving her behind as they moved with their sons to Canada.

Despite Natalia being legally considered an adult, Michael and Kristine faced charges for neglect of a dependent in September 2019. The charges were dismissed in 2022 and 2023. 

During her stay in Lafayette, Natalia became close with neighbors Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who took her in and eventually became her adoptive parents. The couple believes that Natalia was born in 2003 as originally stated on her birth record and claim that she has never shown any signs of hostility or violence toward them. 

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Natalia has also maintained that none of Michael and Kristine’s claims are true. Following the docuseries’ finale, ID network announced a follow-up documentary special in which Natalia shares her side. The special is set to air later this summer. 

“It’s very frustrating to hear everything that’s being said from Kristine and Michael because I already don’t know who I am, and I want to know who I am, what happened to me,” Natalia shares in the trailer. “But I’m hearing all this stuff that never actually happened from Kristine and Michael.” 

Natalia continued, “And people are believing what Kristine and Michael are saying without even hearing my side. This is my side of the story, and I’m gonna say what happened because I never got a chance to say what happened. Y’all have heard Kristine and Michael and what they have said, but you need to hear both sides in order to know what really happened.”