Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian orphan with dwarfism whose former adoptive parents accused her of posing as a child and trying to kill them, is back in the spotlight. A new documentary reveals troubling allegations regarding Grace’s latest adoptive family and how she came to find a new home.
“Who is the real Natalia? How does she really feel about the Manses? Are they still controlling her?” legal expert Beth Karas said in an exclusive clip from “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter,” shared with TODAY.com.
The Investigation Discovery docuseries “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter” airs on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7. The four-part series, also available to stream on Max, follows “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” (2023) and “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks” (2024).
In the third season, we reunite with Grace in happier times, which are short-lived. Below, a look at Grace’s journey through three homes and sets of parents, which has been documented in the ID series.
What happened between Natalia Grace and her first set of adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett?
Grace was adopted by Micheal and Kristine Barnett of Indiana in 2010.
After the adoption, the Barnetts, who have three other children, suspected that Grace was an adult pretending to be a child, which Grace has denied. According to Grace’s Ukrainian birth certificate, Grace was born in 2003.
Grace’s age has been a controversial focal point of the docuseries — according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News, 2010 hospital records showed she was about 8 years old, while 2012 records showed she was approximately 11. In “Natalia Speaks,” a DNA test suggested that Grace’s age was “closer to 22,” which made her approximately 7 years old at the time of her adoption, according to the series.
The Barnetts wound up legally changing Grace’s birth certificate to reflect a birth date of 1989. The couple also rented Grace an apartment in Lafayette in which to live alone before moving to Canada with their children in 2013, according to court documents obtained by TODAY.com.
In 2019, Michael’s then lawyer Terrance Kinnard, told NBC News that the Barnetts moved to Canada to “pursue an opportunity” for their son and that they paid the rent in advance on Grace’s unit.
According to legal documents obtained by TODAY.com, the Barnetts were ultimately charged with “felony neglect of a dependent,” although Michael was found not guilty in October 2022 and charges against Kristine were dismissed in March 2023.
In the Season 2 finale, Grace and Michael reunited for an emotional conversation, during which they agreed to move forward, having hashed out Grace’s experiences in the Barnett home.
“I just want you to know something, though,” Grace told Michael in the docuseries. “It was not easy to forgive you.”
What happened between Natalia Grace and her adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Mans?
Shortly after the Barnetts moved to Canada, Grace met Cynthia and Bishop Antwon Mans, a couple with multiple children. Grace moved into the Manses’ home where she would stay for approximately a decade, according to court documents viewed by TODAY.com. Currently, the Manses live in Tennessee.
In 2023, Grace was adopted by the Manses — whom she called a “perfect family” — and life seemed hopeful for Grace.
Six months after the adoption, however, the Manses placed a panicked call to producers, which was recorded and included in the season finale of “Natalia Speaks” and in the first episode of “The Final Chapter.”
“We got a situation,” Antwon said in the call. He added, “Something ain’t right with Natalia … she got this dude online. He turned her against us.”
“She was going to pack up and leave and go to the U.K., the United Kingdom,” added Cynthia, who was on the call.
“Natalia does not have emotions for nothing but herself,” said Antwone, adding, “We’re done. We’re done with her.”
When producers later met with Cynthia and Antwon Mans and Grace, the Manses complained about Grace’s boyfriend, a man named Neil who lives in the U.K., with whom Grace had been speaking online.
The Manses said they felt as though Neil had tried to “manipulate” Grace.
“This guy just completely flipped Natalia’s mind against her family and she was easily manipulated in that moment,” Cynthia said in the documentary. “And he convinced Natalia that what he was saying was right and we were wrong.”
During that conversation, Grace appeared to agree with the Manses, remarking, “I literally almost left home because I thought I was in love.”
Behind the scenes, however, Grace and Neil had other plans, secretly plotting for Grace’s escape from the Manses’ household.
They enlisted the help of Nicole and Vincent DePaul, a New York couple with Dwarfism who were unable to adopt Grace back in 2009, an outcome that Nicole called “heartbreaking” in the documentary. “I loved her like she was my daughter — I still do,” said Nicole in the docuseries. Despite not having seen Natalia in more than a decade, Nicole said she had previously watched the docuseries and wanted to help Natalia.
Nicole got an opportunity when Neil contacted her through social media at the suggestion of Grace, said Nicole. She added of Neil, “He was desperate, trying to get in touch with anybody who would listen, because he’s extremely worried about Natalia.”
A plan was quickly formed: Nicole and her adult daughter Mackenzie would fly to Tennessee and meet Grace outside a church where she and her parents were to attend an evening service. Pretending to use the restroom, Grace would slip outside and meet Nicole in the getaway car.
“She is 20 years old,” Nicole explained of Grace in the documentary. “She can go wherever the f— she wants.”
The escape plan worked and, despite the Manses’ outrage, Grace started a new life with the DePauls in New York, where she now lives.
TODAY.com has reached out to the Manses and the DePauls. While the Manses did not respond to requests for comment from TODAY.com, Nicole DePaul declined to comment.
What happened when she moved in with the DePaul family?
Although thrilled to be reunited with Grace, Nicole DePaul expressed surprise that Grace was refusing to cut ties with the Manses.
In the documentary, Grace spoke lovingly of her parents and said that Cynthia should remain the “payee” of her disability funds, which shocked Nicole.
“How is she going to live? She needs that money to live — now, we’re supposed to pay for everything?” Nicole said in the documentary. “This is just absolutely … insane.”
Nicole was even more concerned when producers showed her and Vincent video testimonies from people in the Manses’ community, who claimed the couple mistreated not only Natalia, but other children in their care.
The documentary stated: “Given the serious nature of the information provided during filming, producers made an inquiry into the status of any investigation into the Manses for allegations of abuse. Due to the confidential nature of these types of proceedings, law enforcement was not able to comment. Producers have made mental health resources available to Natalia.”
When Nicole asked Grace about the aforementioned allegations, Grace called one account “a f— lie.” In another scene, when asked by a producer if she, or any other kids were ever beaten or physically abused by the Manses, Grace answered, “I don’t want to talk about that.” In a different scene, when a producer asked Grace if she was ever hit, she answered, “Not anything crazy. Maybe a little pop on the butt or something.”
According to Nicole, her household was crumbling under the stress of caring for Grace.
“Bringing Natalia to our house was a crazy decision and it had consequences,” Mackenzie said in the documentary. Nicole’s husband Vincent said in the documentary that he even considered leaving his marriage over the stress. “I told Nicole, ‘It’s me or Natalia,’” Vincent said in the doc. Ultimately, Vincent said he decided to stay.
Where do Natalia, the Manses and the DePauls stand today?
While the documentary didn’t depict the exact nature of Grace’s relationship with the Manses today, Grace appears to be living with the DePauls in harmony.
Grace is working on her independence, she told People in January 2025, by learning how to drive and studying for her GED. Grace also told People that she and Neil recently met in person “and she has fallen in love.”
“This is all we’ve ever wanted for her — Natalia’s life as she wants to live it,” Nicole said in the doc. “Besides having my own daughter, rescuing Natalia is one of the most proudest moments of my life.”
Nicole added, “Would I do it all over again? Hell, yeah! It was worth it!”
“I left the nest,” Grace said in the documentary. “I opened my wings and I soared.”