Natalia Grace Barnett has started a GoFundMe in the wake of her adoptive family accusing her of being an adult, it has been revealed
In case you missed it, Natalia gained notoriety earlier this year when her story unfolded in the docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace by Investigation Discovery.
The documentary chronicled the adoption of Natalia by Michael and Kristine Barnett, who believed they were adopting a six-year-old girl from Ukraine in 2010. However, the Barnetts soon became suspicious of Natalia's behavior, accusing her of attempting physical harm to them and their biological children.
The couple, pointing to Natalia's spondyloepiphyseal dwarfism, alleged that she was not a child but an adult woman with malicious intentions. They even petitioned Marion County Probate Court in 2012 to legally change her birth year from 2003 to 1989, making her around 34 years old – a claim vehemently denied by Natalia.
Watch the Natalia Speaks trailer below:The story took a dark turn when the Barnetts moved to Canada in 2013, leaving Natalia alone in an apartment in Lafayette. Legal charges were filed against them, with Michael being found not guilty in 2022, and charges against Kristine dropped in March 2023.
During the documentary, Natalia underwent DNA testing by Dr. Halland Chen at TruDiagnostic. The tests, using a blood sample, revealed that she was "closer to 22" in age. This contradicts the legal change made to her birth year, suggesting she is much younger than the 34 years claimed by the Barnetts.
As Dr. Chen presented the results, Natalia became emotional, stating: "This one little piece of paper throws every single lie the Barnetts have said right into the trash, with a match. This is so big; this has been 12 years of just two people lying their butts off. They ruined a kid's life."
In the wake of the controversy, Natalia has started a GoFundMe page where she has revealed that she is saving money for a new house and has career aspirations that she needs help with.
"I am wanting to start my own photography business to create a fun and awesome way to have fun and do what I love which is taking pictures and creating memories for myself and other people," Natalia wrote on the fundraising page.
She went on: "I have a type of dwarfism called Diastrophic Dysplasia, is a form of dwarfism that has many serious issues which often require surgery. I'll likely have to have major spine surgery and even more surgery on my legs.
"The costs associated with these surgeries are in excess of $500,000 because the specialist does not accept my medical insurance."
Natalia revealed that the money would help her start a career of her own, and anything left over would be going towards her surgery and to aid her recovery period.
At the time of writing, the page has raised $6,757 from a target of $20,000.
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