Good American Family: here is the true story of Natalia Grace

If you have seen Good American Family On Disney+ it is likely that you looked for news about the incredible true story that inspired it: The adoption of little Natalia Grace, a seven -year -old girl suffering from a rare form of nanism, by Kristine and Michael Barnett. This incredible case of chronicle that broke out in America in 2019 in Italy has almost completely passed in silence, even if the series managed to tell it in an extraordinary way by showing two things: that There are always two versions of the same story And that it is not always so clear who the good and who the bad guys are. But what’s true and invented in Good American Familyand what happened to the true Natalia Grace, interpreted brilliantly in the series by the 27 year old IMOGINE FAITH REID?

Who is the real Natalia Grace

It is 2010 when Barnett adopt the little girl Natalia Gracea girl of seven -year -old Ukrainian origins suffering from a rare form of dwarfism. The girl has a complicated story behind it, considering that she was first abandoned by her mother and then by another family who had her for adoption for only a year. The Barnett, however, do not let themselves be discouraged and, strong in the experience of their three children including the Maggiore, Jacob, suffering from a Autism with high functioning Which did not prevent him from enrolling in the university at 10 years of age, they decide to give Natalia Grace a chance. They coexist for two years, until the Barnett choose to send Natalia Grace away from their home by taking an apartment for rent in which he lives alone. The reason, as told in Good American Familyis very simple: The Barnett are convinced that Natalia Grace is not a little girl but a woman who pretends to be little To get the medical expenses pay. It seems that the Barnett were influenced by the horror movie Tea Orphan In which a family discovers that the nine -year -old girl who have adopted from Russia is actually a 33 -year -old woman suffering from a serious hormonal disorder. The story, before becoming a TV series, gave birth to a documentary, The Curious Case of Natalia Gracewhich has in turn inspired Good American Family.

Doubts about the age of Natalia Grace

Officially Natalia Grace was born in 2003 in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, a rare form of dwarfism was immediately diagnosed, the dysplasia spondiloepiphery congenital, who brings the biological mother, a 24 -year -old woman, to give up the homeland power, which leads Natalia to live in an orphanage until, in 2008, it reaches the United States through ainternational adoption. After a year with a family, the girl ends up in the custody of the Barnett, Originally from Indiana and famous thanks to the history of the eldest son Jacob, who thanks to the help of his mother has shown that he was equipped with A very high intellectual quotient. Kristine Barnett, who in Good American Family is interpreted by Ellen Pompeowhen Natalia Grace adopts it begins to achieve a fair success both because of the book The Spark that for his hosts on television to talk about Jacob. Following several particular behaviors and some doubts about its physical appearance – It seems that Natalia Grace is, at seven, already pubic hair and menstruation -, Kristine and Michael begin to suspect that the girl is not those who say they are. They then begin to submit it to several medical visits from which it appears that the daughter has The skull of an adult person and many permanent teeth. Even if the doctors are unable to attribute to her an age, the Barnett are convinced that it cannot be seven years old.

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The accusation of attempted murder

At one point the Barnett is convinced that the girl is dangerous, accusing her of having tried to hurt the family by putting pitches at the bottom of the stairs and poisoning Kristine’s coffee, which would also have been pushed against an electrical fence. In 2011 the Barnett therefore presented a petition to the Court of the County of Marion for legally change the birth certificate of Nataliamoving the date of birth from 2003 to 1989: Now, by the law, Natalia Grace is no longer seven years old but 22. At this point, the Barnett move her to an apartment for rent in Westfield, a malfamous neighborhood, forcing her to live alone while they move to Canada, interrupting every contact with her. In the cover interview with People of January 2025, Natalia tells: “Everything they told me was:” Every time someone asks you how old you are, you reply that you are 22 years old and that you tried to kill your family. They taught me to lie “». Subsequently Natalia is forced to move again to an apartment on the second floor in the city of West Lafayette.

The turning point

A month after the move, a woman, Cynthia Mans, noting her alone, invites her to move to her home and her husband, the Christian shepherd Antwon Mans, together with their ten children, all adopted. After asking for a contribution of $ 250 to pay for the rent, – Natalia Grace, as seen in Good American Familyenjoys an invalidity subsidy – Natalia officially moved from the Mans, which In 2013 they report his date of birth again to 2003 thanks to new exams and DNA analysis. The girl will remain with the Mans until 2023, although some witnesses have reported that the parents would whip and slapped her several times. In the last episode of the series The Curious Case of Natalia Grace Antwon Mans declares, during an off -air, that in the last period he had arisen to him and his wife doubts about Natalia’s behavior: «This girl is going crazy, I have the feeling that it is the enemy at home. He told us that we kept it hostage. He made us go through the enemy ». Before Christmas of 2023, the girl He runs out with his boyfriend of the time And it is helped and then adopted by the Depoul, also dwarfs.

The trial against the Barnett

In 2013, the prosecutors of the county of Tippecanoe They accuse Kristine and Michael Barnett of abandonment of a non -self -sufficient person and criminal association aimed at abandoning in person not self -sufficient. In 2022 Michael is declared not guilty, while the year after the accusations against Kristine are stored. In the documentary The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Natalia accuses Kristine of physically abused herto have hit her with a belt and sprayed them some pepper spray in my eyes. On that occasion, the girl also denies having tried to hurt her family: “Do you look like one who could push someone who is twice the me with a fence?», He said to People. In 2024 Kristine Barnett wrote on Facebook: «Natalia has not undergone abuse of anyone from my family. Nobody has ever punched him, and the accusations of having been “beaten” are simply false. In the end I discovered that it is a sociopath. “

The definitive diagnosis

Since he leaves the Mans to live with the Depoul, Natalia Grace’s life changes: dreams of becoming a teacher and opens a current account to put aside some money. A reactive attachment disorder is diagnosed as well as anxiety, attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity and post-traumatic stress disorder. “One of my priorities – he said to People – It is not to make promises that I cannot keep. I had too many promises that they were broken. I am simply ready to go on ». Today Natalia Grace is 22 years old.