DNA testing also found that Natalia Grace was the age she claimed to be — the test found that she was approximately 22 years old at the time, meaning she was around 9 years old when she was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett.
However, after a five-year investigation, Michael was found not guilty in October 2022 on three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. In March 2023, similar charges against Kristine were dismissed.
What happened after Natalia Grace was forced out of the Barnetts’ home?
Natalia Grace lived alone from 2012 until 2014, when she was taken in by Christian pastor Antwon Mans and his wife Cynthia. They officially adopted her in 2023.
That year, the family began taking part in the docuseries about Natalia Grace’s life — and tensions began to grow in the Mans family. In the docuseries, multiple witnesses claim allege that they witnessed the Manses physically abusing Natalia, per People. Natalia also revealed that they restricted her access to the internet after learning that she had been messaging Neil, her boyfriend from the UK.
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Natalia Grace’s “escape” from the Mans house
Natalia continued messaging Paul expressing her desire to leave their home. The pair formed a plan that Natalia would “escape” to live with Vincent and Nicole DePaul, a husband and wife with a form of dwarfism. The couple had previously considered adopting Natalia in 2009. Natalia planned to run away from the Mans by fleeing a church service and escaping with the DePauls. She gave the film crew, who were working on season 3 of the docuseries, 24 hours notice about her plan.
“I can’t believe I did this. My dad is gonna flip. My mom is probably having a panic attack right now,” she says to Nicole as she leaves in the docuseries. She then called her boyfriend, Neil, to thank him for his help. “I am so, so thankful you found me. I love you so much,” she said. Next, she texted Cynthia to apologise: “Mom, I’m sorry but I left I am with the DePauls and I can’t handle being cut off from the world like that. I don’t want to hurt you, but I need to do this. I love you so much. I’m so sorry.”