The Five Shocking Truths: What Happened To Natalia Grace And Where Is She Now In 2025?
The Definitive Biography and Timeline of Natalia Grace
Natalia Grace's life is defined by a series of dramatic legal and personal shifts, making her biography essential to understanding the case. She was born with Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita (SEDc), a rare form of dwarfism that affects bone growth and can cause mobility issues.- Full Birth Name: Natalya Vadymivna Gava (Ukrainian: Наталія Вадимівна Гава).
- Legal Name Changes: Later changed to Natalia Lourdes Barnett, and most recently, Natalyah Grace Renee Mans.
- Original Date of Birth: September 4, 2003.
- Legal Age Dispute: In 2012, her adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, successfully petitioned the Marion County Probate Court to legally change her age, asserting her birth year was 1989, making her an adult.
- Legal Age Reversal: Following a crucial lab test, her original 2003 birth year was legally restored in August 2023, confirming she was a child when the Barnetts abandoned her.
- Birthplace: Ukraine.
- Medical Condition: Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita (SEDc).
- First Adoption: Adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2010.
- Second Adoption: Adopted by Cynthia and Antwon Mans in 2023.
- Current Status (2025): Living with the DePaul family.
Truth #1: The Legal Battle Over Her Age is Finally Settled
The core of the entire controversy—whether Natalia was a 6-year-old child or a 22-year-old adult—has been definitively resolved by the legal system. The Barnetts' successful 2012 petition to change her age to that of an adult (born in 1989) allowed them to legally place her in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, and move to Canada, claiming they were not abandoning a child but rather an adult.The crucial, most recent update came in August 2023 when a new, definitive bone density test was performed. This test confirmed that Natalia was a minor, leading to the court legally reversing the 2012 age change. This ruling officially validates Natalia’s claim: she was a child, not an adult, when the Barnetts left her. The reversal of the age-change petition was a monumental victory for Natalia and a devastating blow to the Barnetts' long-standing narrative.
Truth #2: The Barnetts Escaped Conviction on Neglect Charges
Despite the legal confirmation that Natalia was a child when they left her, Michael and Kristine Barnett were ultimately not convicted of neglect. The charges stemmed from the 2012 age change and their subsequent move to Canada in 2013, leaving Natalia behind.- Michael Barnett's Trial: Michael Barnett was charged with four counts of neglect. He was acquitted of all charges in a 2022 trial. His defense successfully argued that because the court had legally changed Natalia's age to 22 in 2012, he could not be guilty of neglecting a child.
- Kristine Barnett's Charges: Charges against Kristine Barnett were dismissed in March 2023. This dismissal was largely due to the difficulty in prosecuting the case after Michael’s acquittal and the legal ambiguity created by the initial age-change petition.
This outcome highlights a significant legal loophole: the Barnetts were able to use the controversial 2012 court order—which has since been reversed—as a shield against the neglect charges. While they faced intense public backlash and media scrutiny, they are currently free of criminal conviction related to the abandonment of their adopted daughter.
Truth #3: Natalia Fell Out With Her Second Adoptive Family
Following the initial abandonment, Natalia was taken in by Antwon and Cynthia Mans and their family, who became her primary caregivers. The Mans family were a beacon of hope and support, and they officially adopted Natalia in 2023. For a time, it seemed Natalia had finally found stability and a "Good American Family," which was the title of the subsequent documentary series.However, the third season of the docuseries, which aired in January 2025, revealed a shocking new twist: Natalia had a significant falling out with the Mans family. She reportedly found them to be too strict and eventually left their care. This new chapter of instability was a painful setback for Natalia, who had just begun to rebuild her life after the years of trauma and legal battles with the Barnetts.
The documentary detailed allegations of financial exploitation, with claims that the Manses used money intended for Natalia to purchase a new home. These allegations led to a formal investigation into the Mans family, further complicating Natalia’s already unbelievable story and proving that her journey to a stable life remains fraught with challenges.
Truth #4: Where Natalia Grace Is Living Now in 2025
After the public and documented split with the Mans family, Natalia has once again moved. The latest, most current update is that she is now living with the DePaul family.The DePaul family is a crucial entity in this case, as they were the family who had originally wanted to adopt Natalia when she was a child, before the Barnetts intervened. Their reappearance in her life offers a glimmer of hope that she may finally find the long-term emotional and financial stability she has been seeking for over a decade. Natalia, whose legal age is now confirmed to be 22 (as of late 2025), is attempting to lead a normal life, but the shadow of the past continues to follow her.
Truth #5: The Case Continues to Be a Global Media Phenomenon
The sheer complexity and sensationalism of the case—involving claims of a child with dwarfism being a homicidal adult, a successful age-change petition, and subsequent neglect charges—has cemented its place as a true crime phenomenon. The story is kept alive and current through the Investigation Discovery (ID) docuseries, *The Curious Case of Natalia Grace*.The series, including its follow-up, *Good American Family*, has been instrumental in bringing the latest updates to the public, including the Mans family fallout and Natalia’s current living situation with the DePaul family. The ongoing media coverage ensures that all the key entities—Michael Barnett, Kristine Barnett, the Manses, and Natalia herself—remain subjects of intense public interest. The narrative has shifted from one of a possible adult con artist to that of a victimized Ukrainian orphan who has battled Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita and a deeply flawed legal system to reclaim her identity and her childhood.
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