There’s appearing mature for your age, and then there’s posing as a 12-year-old girl, as a 37-year-old — which is what con woman, Amanda Matia Souza de Oliveira, did to an unsuspecting family, according to Brazilian authorities.

Oliveira posed as a young, vulnerable abuse victim seeking adoption from a family in Brazil. Claiming to be an autistic girl named Gabrielle, the 37-year-old’s masquerade fooled an unfortunate Brazilian family, who were lured into the trap.

To appear even more credible, the fraudster went to the lengths of drinking from a baby bottle and using a pacifier to sell the pretense to an unfortunate Santa Catarina family, who doted over her for an entire 14 months.

Family left devastated by fraud

Speaking to regional outlet Jornal Ipanema, a devastated family member said: “I was deceived by a woman who claimed to be a 12-year-old. I gave her affection, love, and food. There was no way I could suspect anything,” they added.

Having pleaded with the local congregation, the audacious conwoman was put in contact with a local family, who took her in and raised her as one of their own, but unbeknownst to them, they were really housing a grown woman.

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira posed as a 12-year-old girl. Credit: Campo Grande Civil Police

After 14 months, Oliveira managed to convince the family to adopt her, taking advantage of their kindness and sympathy, and even got them to pay for her medications and plan her 12th birthday party.

While her real age was revealed by her appearance, her backstory was given with such conviction that the unfortunate family fell for her manipulation.

According to authorities and the family, Oliviera claimed that she looked older due to the abuse she had been a victim of.

The woman's elaborate story

Despite her assuredness, the scheme that organized her adoption began to grow suspicious, and they eventually discovered that she was actually a 37-year-old woman who had pulled off near-identical cons in approximately seven states in the country.

Following her arrest last Wednesday, the woman admitted her involvement in the scheme and told investigators she had carried out similar scams targeting families across at least seven states in Brazil, according to reports.

After her actions came to light, a volunteer in Rio de Janeiro revealed that the woman, identified as Oliveira, had contacted her on social media in 2023 with disturbing claims.

She alleged that her father had forced her into prostitution, practiced witchcraft, and that she urgently needed help.

When Oliveira later met the volunteer in person, she reportedly presented herself as an overweight, autistic teenager and spoke in a childlike manner.

Suspicion grew, however, when volunteers noticed needles protruding from beneath her skin, prompting them to arrange medical imaging.

The scan revealed a shocking detail — Oliveira had more than 200 needles embedded in her body. Investigators believe she inserted them herself to make her abuse claims appear more believable.

Recalling the moment, a volunteer said: “The doctor looked shocked and told us he had worked in the field for years and had never seen anything like it.”

After the discovery, Oliveira fled Rio and continued repeating the scheme in other regions.

In each case, she allegedly posed as a vulnerable child escaping abuse, trafficking, or even religious cults, using false identities, fabricated stories, and childlike behavior to gain sympathy and secure housing and financial support from families, churches, and social workers.

Featured Image. Credit: Campo Grande Civil Police

A doctor has confirmed the real age of the "22-year-old woman" who was accused of posing as a child.

Natalia Grace made headlines earlier this year after her shocking story was revealed in a docuseries titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace by Investigation Discovery.

The film followed a couple named Michael and Kristine Barnett who adopted what they believed to be a six-year-old girl from Ukraine back in 2010. However, they soon became suspicious of the girl, accusing her of trying to harm them and their biological children physically.

However, the pair became suspicious of their daughter's age and claimed that Natalie - who has a form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal - was actually an adult woman with cruel intentions.

The couple alleged that Natalia tried to poison Kristine's coffee and kill her by dragging her towards an electric fence and placing clear thumbtacks on the stairs face up so that they would step on them, per Yahoo.

PEOPLE reported that in 2012 - two years after Natalia was adopted by the Barnetts - the couple petitioned Marion County Probate Court to change her age legally to 22, which would then alter her birth year from 2003 to 1989. Which would mean she would now be around 34 years old - a claim she has always denied.

The following year, Michael and Kristine moved with their three sons to Canada without the alleged grown woman - leaving her alone in an apartment in Lafayette.

According to ET Online, they were charged with neglect of a dependent before Michael was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent in 2022, while charges against Kristine were dropped in March 2023.

As her story blew up in the media, the young woman has now offered her side in Investigation Discovery's new six-part docuseries, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks.

The upcoming documentary will retrace Natalia's "adoption saga and the Barnetts' allegations from Natalia’s perspective, offering insight into what really went on behind closed doors in the Barnetts' home and how much truth there actually is to their claim Natalia was not a six-year-old Ukrainian orphan with a rare genetic disorder, but rather a homicidal adult intent on harming them and their children," per a press release.

The trailer, shared by Investigation Discovery, shows Natalia confronting her former adoptive father Michael. The pair sit face-to-face, with Natalia telling him: "I was never in [your and ex-wife Kristine's] room with a knife," to which Michael shrugged and responded: "I know what I saw."

According to Too Fab, the special also shows Natalia going to get DNA testing done by Dr. Halland Chen at TruDiagnostic, who used a sample of her blood to determine her "chronological age".

The tests revealed that she was "closer to 22" in age, which they stated was "pretty close to what you think, you're almost 20, that's within 2 years." That age is much younger than the 34 years of age she'd be under her legally changed birthdate.

As Dr Chen shares the results, she begins to tear up and says: "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 kids' life."

"They painted them as a big monster when in reality, they were the ones. It just proves I was not lying about my age. They ignored everything that was pointing to the truth, just so they could have this stupid lie. They knew it and they still did what they did," she added.

If what the doctor says is accurate, then it would mean Natalia was four when she went over to the USA from Ukraine. Therefore, she would have been just seven when the Barnetts adopted her, and would only have been eight when the petition to change her age to 22 was filed.

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks will premiere across three consecutive nights on ID beginning Monday, January 1.

Featured image credit: ID / YouTube

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.

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.

Featured image credit: ID / YouTube

An adopted girl who was accused of being a 22-year-old woman has made a shocking claim about her "adoptive parents".

Born in Ukraine, Natalia Grace was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010, only to later become the focus of international headlines and a documentary series.

The Barnetts, an Indiana couple, adopted Natalia believing she was six years old. However, their relationship took a dramatic turn when they began accusing her of sinister behavior.

In the docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace by Investigation Discovery, the couple alleged that Natalia attempted to harm them and their biological children.

Specific claims included poisoning Kristine’s coffee, dragging her toward an electric fence, and planting thumbtacks on the stairs.

In 2012, two years after adopting Natalia, the Barnetts successfully petitioned Marion County Probate Court to change her birth year from 2003 to 1989, legally reclassifying her age as 22.

Natalia has consistently denied these claims, maintaining that she was a child at the time.

In 2013, the Barnetts moved to Canada with their biological children, leaving Natalia alone in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana.

The couple was subsequently charged with neglect of a dependent. However, Michael Barnett was acquitted in 2022, and charges against Kristine were dropped in 2023.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Natalia recounted her struggles living alone, particularly as someone with a disability navigating a second-story apartment.

“I really disliked being the girl who was re-aged and lived in her own apartment,” she said. “I didn't understand why I was alone. I just knew I had this instinct in me to push and survive."

Natalia also alleged that she was coerced into lying about her age.

“All I was told was, ‘You're 22 now. Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you're 22 and you tried to murder your family.’ I was taught to lie," she claimed.

She further accused Kristine of physical and psychological abuse, including hitting her with a belt, pepper-spraying her, and overmedicating her.

Natalia vehemently denied the allegations that she had tried to harm Kristine.

"Do I look like somebody that could push someone twice my size into a fence? Do I look like I could even grip a knife?" she asked. "I feel like I was brainwashed by the Barnetts."

Kristine Barnett responded to Natalia’s claims in a Facebook post, stating, “Natalia was not abused,” and describing the allegations as "just plain false."

She also referred to Natalia as a "sociopath," per the Daily Mail.

Michael Barnett, speaking on Good Morning America, reiterated claims that doctors who treated Natalia labeled her a "con artist."

Natalia was later adopted by the Mans family, who initially offered her a sense of stability. However, upcoming episodes of the documentary, set to air on January 6 and 7, suggest that her relationship with the Mans family is fraught with mistrust.

Natalia reportedly alleges further physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her new adoptive parents, Antwon and Cynthia Mans.

Featured image credit: ID/YouTube

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.

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.

Featured image credit: ID/YouTube