A new docuseries about the bizarre story of a couple adopting a "child" that turned out to be an adult has revealed how a judge came to the conclusion that she was in fact 22 years old.
The incredible story began back in 2010 when Michael and Kristine Barnett from Indiana adopted six-year-old Natalia Grace from Ukraine.
Things quickly began to unravel for the family as they became aware of some shocking details that made them question Natalia's real age and intentions.
A new docuseries titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace airs today and it has shed more light on the trials that the Barnett family and Natalia faced.
Check out the trailer below:Following a string of incidents, including the family alleging that Natalia was attempting to kill them, they went to Indiana's Marion County Court wanting to get her age changed to something "more appropriate".
During the series, legal expert Beth Karas explains: "The judge had a petition prepared by an attorney that would lay out the arguments for why this person is not the age they believe she is – she is actually an adult.
"Nobody knows quite what age, but she has not grown in four years, so the judge came up with his own little formula. 'Well, you stop growing at 18, if she hasn’t grown in four years then she’s at least 18 when she entered their lives. And I’m gonna add four years'. He said, ‘Okay, I find you 22'."
Michael confirmed that while he "knew" that Natalia was an adult, he wasn't sure what her exact age was.
Following the judge's decision, Natalia was given a new date of birth of September 4, 1989, and was provided with a new birth certificate and identity.
Michael's attorney, Michele Jackson said: "At the time of the re-aging, there was good, solid documentation of an approximate age. And she had a primary care physician that looked at all of it and also provided evidence. So that doctor was looking at lots of other doctors’ information and coming up with a determination.
"And then at that point, when it’s such a huge amount of years, you just have to say, what makes the most sense based upon the evidence and the professionals, what they think? And that it’s in the best interests of the child to change their age? You know, I’m not the doctor and I’m not the judge, but I felt like it was based on something credible."
Though Beth added that the age change doesn't "make sense" to her. "It does happen in international adoptions," she said. "A couple of years might be shaved off the age of the child because it’s more attractive to adoptive families, the younger the child is. At least, that’s the belief."
Beth went on: "So, all I can buy are a couple of years, right? Like, she’s not really eight, she’s 10 or 11 or something. But to jump 14 years to 22? It doesn’t make sense."
There is still a belief that Natalia was a child when she was adopted due to the attempt to track down her biological mother.
"This woman, Anna Gava, who is supposedly Natalia’s biological mother, just said she’s been going through this saga for 17 years," Beth said. "Well, she said that in 2020 – do the math: that means Natalia may really have been born in 2003, which is what she has said all along."
The three-part docuseries will air across consecutive nights on Investigation Discovery starting tonight.
