The story of Natalia Barnett

Brut America

She was accused of posing as a child and attempting to kill her adoptive parents. Her case also inspired the horror movie, "Orphan."  This is the shocking story of Natalia Barnett.

Transcript

00:00Her adoptive parents accused her of lying about her age and of attempting to murder them on

00:04several occasions. This is the story of Natalia Barnett, a woman with dwarfism who's accused of

00:08posing as a child and whose real-life case inspired the horror film Orphan.

00:12There are a lot of holes in this case.

00:14It's the mystery captivating the nation.

00:17Hey guys, it's Natalia. First thing about me is I'm 15 years old.

00:22If you talk to people today, they will still say, oh, I don't believe her.

00:30It's 2010. The Barnetts, a family from Indiana, decide to adopt Natalia,

00:38a seven-year-old girl from Ukraine.

00:40They understood at the time that they were adopting a child from Ukraine who has a rare

00:46form of dwarfism. The Barnetts already had somewhat of a bleak presence because Christine

00:55published a book about their son, Jacob, who has autism and is a physics prodigy.

01:02And in her book, Christine writes about how she raised her son, their close relationship,

01:09how she and her family overcame obstacles together.

01:12Christine's book gains popularity across the U.S.,

01:15and the Barnetts are invited on the show 60 Minutes.

01:18In the interview, there is one section where you can see Natalia in the background a little bit,

01:24having a meal with the family.

01:26My favorite foods are spaghetti, tacos, and pizza.

01:31My favorite drinks, my favorite pop, gotta say the Dr. Pepper.

01:36The Barnetts really presented themselves as loving parents who, you know,

01:41they worked really hard to raise their children and give them a good life.

01:45A few years later, Christine and Michael Barnett are arrested for neglect.

01:50They're accused of abandoning their adopted daughter before moving to Canada with their

01:53three other children. Christine decides to talk to the Daily Mail to give her side of the story.

02:00In the article, Christine Barnett makes some very shocking allegations.

02:06The Barnetts claim that Natalia attempted to murder them on multiple occasions.

02:11They said that Natalia behaved in some shocking ways,

02:14allegedly tried to stab the couple in their sleep.

02:19Christine alleged that Natalia pushed her onto an electric fence, poured bleach in her coffee,

02:26hit knives in the couch, and that Natalia allegedly jumped out of moving cars.

02:34But most of all, the biggest shocking allegation is that, you know, Natalia is

02:41a 20-something-year-old woman at the time pretending to be a child.

02:47Using DNA tests, the Barnetts petitioned in court to change Natalia's birth record.

02:52The court changes Natalia's birth year from 2003

02:55to 1989, making her 22 and not nine years old.

03:00Hey guys, today is Halloween.

03:03The curious case attracts the attention of media around the world,

03:07and Natalia decides to break her silence and speak out on television.

03:11She refutes a lot of Christine's claims.

03:13She talks about how she was very happy to be adopted into the Barnett family.

03:18She said, you know, she is not an adult.

03:21And she said the claims that Christine made about her

03:24marks of adulthood, like having her period, were false.

03:29In this interview, Natalia disputes the results of the DNA test conducted by the

03:33Barnetts to prove her adult age.

03:35She also talks about how they abandoned her when she was eight years old,

03:38alone in an apartment where she had to fend for herself.

03:41Natalia has talked about how she struggled to live in the apartment by herself because

03:46she couldn't reach some things in the apartment.

03:49You know, the apartment wasn't built to allow for someone with her disability to move around.

03:56Well, she had to walk by herself to the library, she said.

04:02And she basically has said that nobody helped her when she was at the apartment.

04:07And the Barnetts basically just left her there

04:11to fend for herself, knowing that she couldn't.

04:15After living alone for 18 months, Natalia meets Cynthia Mance.

04:19They saw Natalia, you know, struggling to walk down the street after leaving her apartment.

04:25And the mother came out of the house and started talking to Natalia.

04:29Natalia is taken in by Cynthia, her husband, who's a pastor, and their five children.

04:35I will. I'm going to have to double record here.

04:37Please don't press the...

04:38Pause them.

04:40Yes.

04:42This is like, I'm like recording two people at once, me and then my sister.

04:46A few days after Natalia's TV interview,

04:49a new testimony surfaces that contradicts the Barnett family's claims.

04:53Natalia's old foster parents unveil photos of her from when she was five with a missing baby tooth.

04:58A new element in the case helps defend Natalia's testimony once and for all.

05:02Anna Gava, a Ukrainian woman, comes forth claiming to be Natalia's biological mother

05:07and confirms Natalia's age by revealing her official birth certificate.

05:11The document shows that Natalia was indeed born in 2003.

05:15She said she gave Natalia up for adoption because of her severe disability.

05:22And she said that Natalia was not lying about her age.

05:25The county prosecutors who have charged the Barnetts with neglect of a dependent

05:33have also said that the DNA tests that they have done confirm that

05:38a woman called Anna Gava is Natalia's mother.

05:41There'll be a lot of people like me.

05:44Or they're like, just not even people like me, like just anyone.

05:48They, like, kids be making fun of other kids.

05:50Like, a lot of people look at me different, but I don't mind

05:54because it's the way I am.

05:55It's the way God made me.

05:57I don't mind.

05:58And that's what we should all be like.

06:00In October 2022, Michael Barnett was acquitted of all charges he was facing.

06:05Christine Barnett's case is still pending and is planned for 2023.

06:10As for Natalia, she still lives with her new adopted family, the Manns.

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