How Old Was Natalia Grace When She Was Living Alone? She Testified To Unimaginable Conditions

Forbes

09-04-2025

GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY - 'Name the Lie' - Left to her own devices, Natalia struggles to come to terms ... More with her circumstances and how the world sees her. (Disney/Ser Baffo)
Warning: Spoilers ahead from Episode 5 of Hulu's Good American Family.
The opening credits of Good American Family Episode 5, 'Too Hurty Without It,' include a disclaimer noting that the claims made in the episode are alleged by Natalia Grace—marking one of the first times the series presents the mysterious true story from her perspective.
The fifth episode picks up after Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, was dropped off at an apartment complex in Indiana by her adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett, shortly after they legally changed her age.
Natalia's original birth records listed 2003 as her birth year, meaning she would have been around six or seven in 2010. But two years after adopting her, the Barnetts petitioned a Marion County court to change her Ukrainian documents, legally altering her birth year to 1989, making her 22.
The Barnetts went to great lengths to change Natalia's age because they were convinced she wasn't who she said she was. They believed she was an adult posing as a child, pointing to early signs of puberty and behavior they found life-threatening. Michael told Good Morning America that doctors who had evaluated Natalia allegedly warned the family that she was a sociopath, a con artist and that they were 'all in danger.'
As you watch the alleged conditions Natalia faced while living alone, you might wonder whether these events actually happened—and whether the Barnetts were ever held accountable. During Michael Barnett's trial, Natalia took the stand. She shared disturbing details about her time living in two separate apartments, which are similar to the events depicted in the Hulu drama series.
GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY - 'Name the Lie' - Left to her own devices, Natalia struggles to come to terms ... More with her circumstances and how the world sees her.
Yes, as depicted in Hulu's Good American Family, the Barnetts set up two apartments for Natalia—one in Westfield and another later in Lafayette, Indiana.
During Michael's trial, Indiana State Police Detective Brandon Davenport testified that Michael Barnett claimed they provided Natalia with Social Security disability benefits, food stamps, and Medicaid when they moved her in. Michael also said he checked in on her once a week, according to Journal & Courier.
Meanwhile, Natalia testified during Michael's trial that she was abruptly relocated three counties away without any input on where she would live. She also claimed that she didn't know where any stores were or how to get to them.
Additionally, Natalia testified that she was unaware the Barnetts and their three biological sons were moving to Canada so their eldest child could begin graduate school at age 15. She recalled being taken to an office in Lafayette, where she signed a lease listing Michael Barnett as the payee for the rent.
GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY - 'Name the Lie' - Left to her own devices, Natalia struggles to come to terms ... More with her circumstances and how the world sees her.
In 2012, Natalia moved into an apartment in Westfield on North 11th Street, where she had to climb or descend 12 steps to reach the second-floor unit. 'I wanted to be with the Barnetts,' she testified. 'I wanted to live with them.'
According to her testimony, Natalia said that during her first year living alone, she mostly survived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Ramen noodles, and the occasional pizza she ordered.
Natalia testified that she often got bored in Westfield and would walk three blocks to the library. The walk took her 30 minutes, and she had to stop four or five times to rest because of her disability. A couple of times, she even got lost. (One scene in Good American Family shows Natalia going to the library to get Kristine's book, 'The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius and Autism.' But it's unknown whether this happened in real life.)
As the Barnetts prepared to move to Canada, they relocated Natalia again in July 2013—marking her second year living independently. At the time, she said she still didn't know how to cook or use a washing machine, according to the Journal & Courier.
As shown in Episode 5, Natalia's disability limited the use of her hands and arms, making everyday tasks like opening canned food or washing herself extremely difficult. She testified that her deformed hips, legs, knees, and feet caused her to fall several times while getting in and out of the bathtub.
Natalia testified that she didn't know how to restore the power when her electricity was shut off at her Lafayette apartment. 'I didn't know what to do, honestly,' Natalia said, revealing that she called the landlord who restored the electric service. (In Good American Family, Michael returns to the apartment to get the power back on after failing to pay the electricity bill.)
Toby Miles and his wife, Melanie, lived across the street from Natalia's apartment complex in Westfield. In the spring of 2013, Natalia regularly chatted with them about their flowers and landscaping. According to the Journal & Courier, while she didn't look visibly dirty, her body odor was 'profound.' Miles said they could smell her from about 10 feet away while her hair looked greasy and unwashed.
GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY - 'Name the Lie' - Left to her own devices, Natalia struggles to come to terms ... More with her circumstances and how the world sees her.
Natalia had been living alone for over a year when she moved into her second apartment in Lafayette. One day, while walking down the street, she paused a few houses away to rest. A homeowner noticed her and stepped outside to greet her with unexpected kindness.
This homeowner called her friend, Cynthia Mans, who came over and quickly became friends with Natalia. Within a few days, Natalia moved in with Cynthia, her husband Antwon, and their ten children.
Cynthia later testified that they charged Natalia $250 a month in rent and taught her how to read, write, and do math. Natalia admitted that she didn't know how to count money, didn't understand the purpose of her food stamp card, and was unaware that she had Social Security disability benefits.
The real Natalia Grace when she was living with the Barnett family.
In August 2023, a blood test conducted by the medical lab TruDiagnostic determined that Natalia was approximately 22 years old at the time of testing. This finding suggests that Natalia was around nine years old when the Barnetts adopted her in 2010—and only about eleven when she first started living alone in 2012.
'It just proves that I was not lying about my age," Natalia said in an episode of Investigation Discovery's docuseries, Natalia Speaks. "They ignored everything that was pointing to the truth just so they could create this stupid lie. They knew it and they still did what they did.'
The ID docuseries also alleges that the Barnetts were aware of an endocrinologist's 2010 evaluation, which estimated Natalia's age to be between nine and eleven years old. A dentist interviewed in the series recalled Kristine visiting his office in 2011 and asking whether he could determine Natalia's age by examining her teeth. After an X-ray, the dentist found that Natalia still had 12 baby teeth. 'When mom and Natalia left mom knew Natalia was around 8 or 9,' the dentist says in the docuseries.
The Mans family formally adopted Natalia in 2023. However, things also took a dark turn with her second adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon, after they allegedly tried to restrict her internet access after discovering she had a boyfriend in the U.K.
According to People, neighbors and friends also allegedly saw the Mans physically abuse Natalia. They claimed that she was whipped with a belt, slapped in the face, locked in a room, and assaulted. (Natalia declined to confirm or deny those allegations to the site.)
Natalia is now happily living with the DePaul family, a couple with dwarfism who wanted to adopt her when she was a child. Nicole DePaul told People that while she doesn't plan to adopt Natalia legally, their life together is primarily peaceful, though there are times when they don't get along.
GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY - 'Name the Lie' - Left to her own devices, Natalia struggles to come to terms ... More with her circumstances and how the world sees her.
Michael and Kristine Barnett were each charged with six counts of neglect of a dependent and two counts of conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. However, prosecutors weren't able to charge them with neglect of a child because The Barnetts legally changed Natalia's age to 22, People reported.
Michael was acquitted in October 2022 after a jury trial, while the charges against Kristine were dismissed in March 2023 due to 'insufficient evidence.' According to the Purdue Exponent, the charges against Kristine were dismissed with prejudice, meaning she can't be charged again for the same thing.
Good American Family is now streaming on Hulu. Watch the official trailer below.