An adoption agency giving 24 hours to decide on adopting a child after adoption disruption or dissolution should be a SERIOUS red flag even without the age controversy, these folks were in way over their head.
I believe they adopted her out of Florida, which I have experience with. They will pull shady tactics to adopt their kids out…for example, we ran into the same kind of issue but we did some research before making a decision. The “child” was re-aged from the original foster parents and may have been a child soldier somewhere in Africa. It was undetermined what his actual age was, but experts put him around 17-18 instead of 10.
Just generally in life, when someone wants to close a deal or sign a contract as fast as possible it is almost always a sign of something not being right.
I don't know about America, but where I live, it's very difficult to adopt so I can understand a couple saying yes on the presumption that if they decline, another couple will accept that child tomorrow and they will be waiting 6+ years for the next opportunity.
This series was so confusing. I don’t believe any one was telling the truth, except the son. My heart really went out to him. He lost the parent lottery.
The son lied as well. He later admitted to peeing in her bed and was overhead saying he covered up them pushing her down the stairs. He's hardly innocent either.
The one your heart should go out to is Natalia. She was a disabled child that was abused by narcissistic adoptive parents. She was abandoned and now is harassed online by idiots who believe the "Ophan" movie storyline. She was bullied off social media and bullied by her adoptive parents.
I think they never called the cops because they enjoyed abusing her. If you thought you adopted a grown adult and you just keep them in your home, you’re hiding something.
Plus they went to 3 different counselors before finding one that "diagnosed" Natalia as psychopath. The first 2 must not have said what they wanted to hear.
Both the parents and Natalia are disturbed, but Natalia has a reason and it isn't her fault. She is clearly from a traumatic childhood. The parents are so unintelligent, immature, and incapable of being parents that they are dangerous. They just wanted to be the hero and adopt a child without any foresight into what it entails and which agency they would use.
3 adoption families gave up on Natalia. All feared for their safety. There is something seriously wrong and it is clearly not everytime the adoptive family.
@@Celisar1they gave up because of what they were saying abt her?? she was a child yes she can have other behaviours that could be bad but she was a fucking child
@@Celisar1 The first family gave her up because they had been told she could be cured from her dwarfism by taking hormones. When they realized she would have a life long disability, they tried to rehome her. But they were asking her future family to cover all the prior medical costs so one or two families ended up not adopting her after going through the process of getting to know her. So of course there was something seriously wrong with Natalia, she had learned not to trust anybody ever again
@@Celisar1 This is certainly possible. In fact, it's very likely that a 6-8 year old child with severe trauma would have major behavioral issues or "something seriously wrong" as you put it. She was trying to survive. Even if she was the most aggressive 6 year old in the world, so what? Does that mean she's undeserving of a loving home and family? That what she went through was okay?
Many people don’t understand the orphanage system in former soviet countries, especially with how bad it was in the 90’s after the Soviet Union collapsed. Child abandonment and parents being encourage to hand over their disabled children by medical staff was common. Often these places were child warehouses where physical, emotional, and sexual abuse was rampant. So it’s very much in the realm of possibility that she had reactive attachment disorder. The thing about her not crying, yeah babies in these orphanage structures learn it’s pointless since there won’t be an adult to soothe them, it’s indicative of insecure attachment. Smearing feces on the walls, hoarding food, and sexualized behavior also fits into that picture. My family is from that part of the world and it makes me sad to think what she very likely went through. It also pains me to see her story turned into a freak show spectacle by people that can’t possibly image what existing in that part of the world is like, especially for a disabled child.
You're right. These people adopted a deeply traumatised little child and abandoned her because it wasn't a piece of cake. And on top of that they caused her to be traumatised once more, by turning her into a freak show.
I volunteered at a Romanian orphanage for 3 months through college. Everything you said here I saw firsthand and it was so sad. The nurses working there full-time told me they don't like to hold the babies because they will cry more often in hopes of being held. Some of them were paralyzed or had cerebral palsy and the back of their heads were flat from constantly laying down in one spot. How can you grow up in this environment and not have inappropriate/aggressive behaviors? Alternatively, I don't think many people understand how difficult it is to raise a child with these extreme behaviors/disabilities unless they've been through it. I've been working with people with special needs for years now and have worked with over 150 different clients. I've seen what the stress can do to families and how it can bring out the worst in some caretakers. Working with individuals who have extreme behaviors/needs sometimes requires training, a support system, and outside caretakers. It's hard work. It seems like the parents in this situation really were not prepared at all. Doesn't justify them leaving her, though. It breaks my heart.
When I was serving in the military I was taught the Russian language and took a volunteer position in my spare time to translate for wealthy Americans looking to adopt children from Russia. This was in the early 2000s. The children were flown over to spend a week with host families and we had large group gatherings. I come from an abusive background (which is why I wound up homeless then joined the service as a way to gain housing and education) and nothing could have prepared me for meeting those children. I’ve never met such grateful, beautiful, and traumatized children in my life. Those volunteer opportunities changed me deeply and permanently. The wonder on their little faces when they saw cheap kites we brought from a drug store and got the chance to fly them is etched permanently in my memory. I wished to hold and love those little grade-schoolers and protect them from having to go back to Russia. But many of them had to return. It shredded my heart to pieces. Their quiet, drawn in faces and haunted eyes, the soft way they spoke, the way they held my hand like they were clinging to salvation… It’s been 20 yrs and the memories still bring me to tears. Those poor children.
The clip from the documentary of Mr. Barnett rolling around on the ground & punching it while screeching tells me everything I need to know. Those “parents” seem like the psychos
I watched all of the episodes so far, I think she really was a child when adopted. I'm horrified by the parents and how they just abandoned her in an apartment and ran off to Canada. Even if she was an adult, she's disabled and clearly wasn't able to care for herself, which is at least neglect and abandonment of a dependent person. But if you see all of the pictures and videos, it's clear that her face changes over time, indicating that she was in fact growing. My heart goes out to her. I'm a parent of a disabled child and it just really gets to me on a personal level.
I will also tell you something about electric fences. When I grew up, we had an electric fence bordering our property because the neighbor had milk cows. As kids, we would dare each other to touch the fence. It would give off a little kick but nothing dangerous. The cows with their damp noses got a little bigger jolt. No one was ever in any danger. Michael and Christine exagerated that incident way over the facts. To me they don’t deserve children at all. Poor Jacob, I truly feel for that boy and Natalia too.
I've watched the documentary a few times, and each time I have a harder time believing that anything the Barnetts say is true. I think both of them are nuts.
Not to mention, Natalia was born with a form of DWARFISM that limited the mobility in her joints... there is no was in hell she would be able to push that fat hambeast Christine over into the fence even of she wanted to.
I volunteered at a Romanian orphanage for 3 months through college. The nurses working there full-time told me they don't like to hold the babies because they will cry more often in hopes of being held. Some of them were paralyzed or had cerebral palsy and the back of their heads were flat from constantly laying down in one spot. How can you grow up in this type of environment devoid of nurture and not have inappropriate/aggressive behaviors? Alternatively, I don't think many people understand how difficult it is to raise a child with these difficult behaviors/disabilities unless they've been through it. I've been working with people with special needs for years now and have worked with over 150 different clients. I've seen what the stress can do to families and how it can bring out the worst in some caretakers/parents. Working with individuals who have extreme behaviors sometimes requires training, a strong support system, and outside caretakers. It's hard work. It seems like the parents in this situation were not prepared at all. Doesn't justify them leaving her, though. It breaks my heart.
I know theses things happen in the world but hearing about it hurts me so badly. I have a baby l myself, and the thought of letting him cry kills me. The thought of theses babies crying and no one comes for them… I just want to scoop them all up and love them so badly.
Yessss...thank you!! I also wouldn't expect a six or eight year old to remember their experience there. There's just a lot to this and I feel like this poor girl, while she may be a year or two older (only), I feel like she has been thrown in front of the public who have very little understanding of trauma, disabilities, and cultural differences. You hear how people are referring to her and it blows my mind how people can be so cruel. I had no idea how so far removed people were from these kind of struggles, I really didn't.
I used to work in special education and there were so many kids whose parents intentionally adopted a disabled child because they had some kind of savior complex and never imagined that parenting a disabled child would *actually* involve hard work and sacrifice, I think a lot of them just expected the kids to be eternally grateful to them for the adoption and to always be on perfect behavior because they are forever in their adoptive parents’ debt 🙄 it’s wild house so many parents don’t understand the disabled babies grow up and have real human feelings and emotions and aren’t just a prop for them to feel good about themselves for how noble and generous they are by saving a poor little orphan
@@osiris7208 based upon what they were told, the Barnetts acted quickly to respond positively to what they were told was an emergent situation. I think they started out with their hearts in the right place.
@@osiris7208 very true. I knew a girl from Russia who told me how when the potential adoptive parents would come to the orphanage her and the other small children were taught to put on an act. For instance practice saying cliché movie and TV show catch phrases like "you got it dude" or "hasta la visa baby." She was adopted and in 3 months the parents changed their minds and her adoptive mother got her before she was going to be sent back to Russia. Very sad.
@@lishamarlar4597 IMO - There are definitely issues concerning this couple. They already had their hands full with three boys, and two of them allegedly had problems that required special attention. Why would parents, who were already stretched thin, adopt a child who required intensive additional care? I am not blaming Natalia in any way:, merely stating that it is a recipe for parental burn out.
@@grammichal6759 Maybe Christina started out with her heart in the right place. Michael didn't, he urinated in his adoptive daughter's bed and said it was his wife's idea. Who the f*ck goes through with that regardless of whose idea it is. It is bad enough that Natalia was born close to Chernobyl. A mutation probably caused by radiation dealt her a tough genetic lottery hand, and her biological mother gave her up for adoption in the hope of a better life for her. There should be a process of psychological evaluation to screen out people that could cause more harm than good when adopting.
They shouldn’t have adopted the person until they had her examined by a doctor. As far as the emergencies situation…should have just not done it. Adopting a child under those conditions was not a good thing to do. Hard to say what the truth is in this matter.
Many of the Ukraine orphans are there due to untreated medical needs (no funding) and they state that an American adopting family has to have private insurance to treat said issues.. most of them are bed ridden and essentially starved until they age out and get sent to adult institutions.
@@strangelove0108 I think even if she was not what they thought they still had an obligation to see to her needs. To adopt a child or whatever the situation here is to me says you are taking responsibility for the persons well being . There were more helpful options . I hope the young woman finds some level of security and happiness. The adoptive parents made the choice to adopt her and it was their responsibility to help her. But I don’t know anything beyond the exploitation the media has put out there about the young lady and the adoptive parents.
Creating an urgent situation is a Hallmark of a scam, the adoption agency knew that there was a problem with this girl or woman and they were trying to pawn her off on unsuspecting people. And Ukraine has been known for many years to have adoption and dating like mail order bride type scams.
I watched both series on Natalia Grace. Regardless of what was truth or lies, she was a disabled child, when the Barnetts put her in an apartment by herself. You can see her face is that of a child, and her actions is a child. You don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to see this.
Who the hell still believes Michael or Christine is telling the truth about this stuff? Christine has been caught with telling numerous lies and making fake accusations about people (other than Natalia) all trying to harm her. Natalia was just a child she took advantage of and abused. I wouldnt be surprised if Christine made up these accusations about Natalia as well.
@@melaniegerard2195 This is done often by sexually abused children. They showed at the end of the documentary that the adoptive mom was trying to hook 6 year old Natalia up with an old man. She was probably being sexually assualted often.
He admitted to peeing in her bed and then was overheard saying they pushed her down the stairs! I feel sorry for him but he isn't all that innocent either unfortunately
@@rosiekapun207 he was an abused child with psychotic parents (especially mom) The things you're talking about happened when he was under 12. Also the mom pushed her down the stairs. I think that's what they were saying.
@@Fran_Glass I feel sorry for him but he's not innocent. Even though those things happened earlier he's still covering them up as an adult. Not to mention that it's very clear Natalia was the main child thay was abused. If you're going to rationalize someone's action based on them being too young, surely that would also apply to her?
Even if she was an adult, she was still disabled and should not have been living alone. She couldn't even reach the counters or the stove or the taps. Im surprised any therapist would say nothing can be done about a disturbed child and the only solution is to lock her in her room. Im sceptical about some of the things Michael said
They were lied to bottom line. The adoption agency hustled the Barnetts. 24 hours window… bullsht.Your outlook would be much different if it was a man with the same disability. Imagine catching a little man shaving trying to hide his 5 O’clock shadow. finding porn magazines cigarettes and booze when you clean his bedroom , shittin’ and pissin’ all over your house. Instead of toys you find dice and poker chips, 😮😮😮 “that explains the boners every time I gave him a bath” pretty sick right. I took it far to make a point, I’m aware this wasn’t the case with Natalya, but it is still disturbing. This was a violation to the Barnetts and they handled the situation appropriately in my opinion. I would have grabbed the lil Bisshh thrown her in a basket and dumped her in front of The “Big Bad Wolf’s” door steps for trying to pull his shittt on me.
@@CQQLBREEZE u assume every man can grow a full beard across their face lol. If the midget is Chinese they ain't got nothing to worry about aside from some chin and lip scruff
Appreciate that you didn't judge her without hearing her side! My niece was adopted from another country, and also refused to talk about her experiences in that country. She even refused to speak the language, even when asked. We believe she was so traumatized by the things she experienced, that her brain just kind of turned it all off... or locked those memories away somewhere. So I think it's not uncommon for kids in these extreme sort of situations to behave differently than a typical child... they've been through a lot of atypical stuff for a kid.
I think that she was a child. They were extremely abusive to her. If you watch the documentary where the father and Jacob talk at the end, his son says I didn’t tell them about kicking down the stairs. We discussed not to say that right?! Then they realized his microphone was still on. Christine used to make that girl stand for hours and hours facing a wall. The way that her legs were I can only imagine the immense pain. You could tell in every video that Christine filmed how scared Natalia was. I don’t care if she was five or 15. You don’t treat another human being like that. Natalia’s mother said she was born in 2003 therefore she would have been a child.
Plus if she was scared which you could see on her face. How could she be the aggressor? Also if she was really so out of control then they wouldn't be able to make her stand facing a wall for 8 or 12 hours while being in intense pain.
when michael does his cell phone interrogation at the apartment she looked SCARED to me! her eyes... we all know what a scared child looks like... he was abusive
And anyway even if she was older she was much smaller and disabled and they still would had had the power over her. I think she was a child though and the parents are manipulative psychopaths who abused and neglected her horribly and should have been charged. The son has likely been abused too even if he seems like their golden child. This story makes me so angry, I'm disgusted by the ableism this led to and it's not the first time disgusting, ableistic people accuse dwarf children of being older and faking it.
I read a book about a couple who adopted an infant from Poland who was in a orphanage. There is a psychological syndrome of these kids who did not get proper motherly attention, holding etc....left in isolation that effects the child as they grow older. This girl had so many problems and she eventually committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
@@lostandfound5145 Her adoptive parents were very loving but being in the orphanage and being isolated from the touch of a mother created the later psychological problems. So sad.
@@Joe-go6vc I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that her adoptive parents didn’t try their very hardest to love her. I meant only that she didn’t know how to receive love because of her circumstances.
Even if she was a few years older, she may not have actually known that, children who are abandoned at orphanages often don’t know exactly how old they are because the orphanage just has to make their best guess or they have to go off information from the family members who leave them and those family members don’t always give accurate info. I could definitely see her situation being that either her biological mother lied to the orphanage about when she was actually born or the orphanage just received this little kid with dwarfism and had to make their best guess about her age, maybe they guessed too young because she was very small already due to her medical condition
Very disturbed and yet the only people who did act out successful violence were the parents. Hmmmm. The mum also tried to traffic her to an adult whilst referring to her as a CHILD. Again hmmm
i'd be a basketcase if i had lived with that family...someone in the comments said they'd gouge their eye out if they had to talk to michael for 5 minutes... i think thats why natalia smiled when dr phil mentioned the apartment..that was like a vacation to her to be free of that hellish household.
She finally made a DNA test and proved she is currently (2023) 22 years old. And that means by the time she was adopted she was a 9 years old girl. 😢 I can't believe they legally change her age to leave her abandoned alone in an apartment.
During the documentary I knew the husband was off his rocker, ESPECIALLY when he asked the director ' would you like me to do that again but cry this time?' Seriously a psycho.
@@nadinewhite993 You're correct. He can use the title of Dr as a Phd. The problem is, he's neither a practitioner of clinical psychology, nor does he represent his role an academic psychologist on his talk show. His role as a TV presenter is carefully cultivated to indemnity him as a psychologist in any legal sense whatsoever. The title Dr in the capacity he works is highly dishonest and so are his methodsl. He grifts as a professional and portays himself as a professional in every sense, but his very unprofessional manner and sensationalism, are pure entertainment from a legal point of view. So yes he's technically a doctor on paper, but should not be blowing his own bugle and calling himself a doctor on TV while pretending to have psychologist credentials with which to advise his -victims- guests.
@@nadinewhite993 He had to surrender his license or be prosecuted. He had sex with the 16 year old daughter of an adult client. It lead to the divorce from his first wife.
@@skepticusmaximus184 If a medical doctor retired, you'd have zero hesitation continuing to call them doctor. The experience does not just magically disappear when you change careers, nor does the honorific. Dr. Phil was a practicing clinical psychologist and a high paid, well respected psychological consultant for legal cases. Whether you like the ethics of his show or not, the whole "He's not a Doctor" arguments are lazy and infantile dismissals.
That documentary series is truly bizarre!! I tend to agree that Natalia was probably older than 6 or 8 but not an adult. It also sounds like the adoptive mother lied about Natalia having menstrual cycles.
I agree 1000% with Dr. Grande. I was having issues sleeping earlier so, I turned on his channel. His soft voice makes me fall asleep easily. He is so calm & soothing I wish he would make his own sleep stories... I would gladly listen...Thank You Dr. Grande for all you do.
My ex and I adopted a sibling group internationally. We were deceived by the adoption agency, which told us that the children did not have any issues, and that they were hard to place only because of the size of the group, as the agency did not want to separate them. They also covered up the history of severe abuse by their bio-father. We found out that they had severe behavioral and emotional issues. Our oldest son even demonstrated sociopathic traits, validated by a psychiatrist. One example, among many, is that he almost choked his youngest, petite brother to death. The second oldest was maliciously manipulative to the point that she tried to tear the family apart and replace me. (Witnesses told me that my ex and she looked like lovers instead of father and daughter when out to shops.) The third also had a lot of symptoms similar to the textbook version of a child psychopath, but he was not as violent as his older brother. The youngest was the only child that seemed psychologically "normal." In addition to the individual issues, there were the complex dynamics and interactions. My ex and I were burnt out, and we were no longer who we were. We only learned that there were a lot of dark stories in the adoption field, after we attended a conference led by an expert of adoption and trauma. Most people know nothing about the complexity in adoptive families. We heard from other adoptive parents how their children tried to kill them, how they were lied to by adoption agencies, etc. They felt cornered and helpless, especially when very few mental health professionals are knowledgeable about adoptive families. Anyway, I don't blame the children, because they all have been traumatized before adoption. With all the insiders' stories and personal experiences, I also won't judge these adoptive parents too harshly, even if they weren't perfect. I blame the adoption agencies for their deception and terrible placements. The adoption process is supposed to facilitate a good match for the adoptive parents and the children. A lot of times, it fails.
OMG! I’m so sorry you experienced such a heartless deception by an adoption agency! Sadly, I’m not surprised; back in 1978, when I was 20 yrs old, I became pregnant “out of wedlock.” My mother was furious & contacted Catholic Charities to arrange an adoption. I was adamantly opposed, but the only thing Catholic Charities was interested in was getting that baby at any cost. Their counselor knew I wanted to keep my baby but that meant nothing. They even arranged for me to sign the adoption papers while I was recovering from pre-eclampsia so severe I almost died & my baby ended up being life/flighted to the nearby children’s hospital, having to undergo an emergency C-section, AND being so drugged out on Percocet I couldn’t hold my head up! I’m STILL dealing with their betrayal! These types of people know how vulnerable we are and they prey on that! Take care!
Suzanne, my sister was also shipped to a Catholichome when she got pregnant the same year younwere there. I know the adoption destroyed her and made her life extremelydifficult and she did meet him 19 yrs later, but it didn't go well cause she wanted to baby him and treat him much younger, but he didn't understand her need and desire to nurture him. he decided to keep his distance and she was reinjured.. I'm not sure how she cooes with all the personal pain and deterioration in her life choices....it's sad and I truly feel for you...
Adopting out a child is one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but i chose open adoption and i chose the parents. My daughter is loved, was cared for by two beautiful people, and yes - it is difficult, but my only thought is for my daughter.
@@oldcollegecoed I am so sorry, Suzanne! During my research on adoption, I did discover many cases like yours, where the biological mothers were coerced to give their children up. It is just plain evil. It is child abduction, not adoption.
All things considered......hindsight is 20/20. It was a much different world back then as far as the understanding of early childhood development. I was adopted at the age 2 and 1/2. My adoptive parents (rest their souls, and I want to add I was adopted in 1980, so even earlier than natalia), were the two biggest blessings God ever gave to me. Problem was, i had so much early trauma. The trauma was really supressed until I hit my teen years. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, I started acting out, treating my parents horrible, making horrible risky choices thrill chasing, and was just miserable. I couldnt understand what was going on and my parents definitely didnt understand what was going on with me. They tried so hard to get me help, but I caused so much stress that finally they put me in boarding school. I had a bad attitude with them long after that as a result. And my early adulthood was filled with one bad decision after another. And it wasnt for lack of great parenting through my wntire adolescence. Years later after finally coming out of my miserable decade or so, i was able to rebuild a good relationship with my parents. My mom and I had a talk one day, and thats when she told me that they just didnt have the resources back then to understand the affects early trauma had on children. I guess they thought a new beginning with parents that love you unditionally could heal old wounds. But it couldn't. My parents tried. It also seems like the barnets tried, even though they seemed very immature on the steps they took to try to resolve the situation. so sgain, hindsight is 20/20
Wouldnt the parents just be able to unadopt the person - _give her back_ - especially once the judge gave her a 1989 birth certificate? You would think that the adoption would have been annulled once it was established that the tiny person was no child. The fact that she was actually an adult would fully change the situation. The paperwork would be invalid.
I appreciate how Dr Grande turns 6 episodes of this Investigation Discovery documentary into a clean 18 min. And jeez that was without Natalia's interviews... thank you for the thorough analysis on this super weird case with so many red flags. It's cruel to manipulate parents looking to adopt.
It happened a LOT back in the 90's. Many Eastern European countries were essentially exporting their potential problem citizens to well-meaning, hopeful American parents.
This case was disturbing on many levels. Regardless of Natalia’s status her adoptive family showed no compassion for her. And if Natalia was a child when placed, what was up at the adoption agency? Thanks for covering this Dr. Grande.
I believe this child was about 11 or 12 like Dr. Grande said. And I believe the orphanage changed her birthdate to try to pass her off as younger so she could be adopted. The poor girl obviously was mistreated and needed love and support. Instead, she got two awful parents who abused her more. I hope Natalia is in a better place now.
The documentary specifically stated that her birth year of 2003 was accurate according to the 2020 interview in Ukraine with her bio mother, Anna Gava. She stated that she has been dealing with this adoption issue since Natalia was born “ for 17 years”, which would equate to 2003. She was Anna’s 2nd born daughter and Anna was convinced by the Ukrainian doctors that the baby would be a nuisance to her life, being unmarried and 24 yrs old, telling her that the baby would need numerous surgeries and more medical procedures that a young mother could afford. She said it wasn’t an easy decision and genuinely cried about the situation. She stated that she felt if Natalia was to be adopted in America, she would be better able to have access to the medical care that she needed to have a better life. Tragic story but I wish that Dr. Grande would’ve pointed out that Natalia “allegedly”confessed to these bizarre accusations bc now she is almost 20 yrs old and is very articulate and can confirm or deny any of these accusations ascribed to her by those maniacal parents that she was mentally, verbally and physically tortured by. I’m surprised that little darling is as sane as she is!
@@tessiepharris3395 Oh the mom just didn’t want to take care of her own child who had major psychological issues, and she also lied about her age. Clearly she wasn’t a 6 year old child. Little darling? Not hardly. She was very disturbed and threatened them, but the parents were also bad people. No one in this story was innocent.
@@cuppycakey5013 So you're saying the REAL mom was 10 years old when she had Natalia (since you're saying Natalia lied about her age and was actually the age the Barnatts said)? And since the mother had more children, that would reveal that her MOTHER was actually aged 4 years old when she had her first child? LOL Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds?? You need to research more. Natalia was in fact the age she originally stated. These adoptive parents abandoned and abused a disabled CHILD!!!!!!! You shouldn't defend them. They are disgusting humans.
@@cuppycakey5013 maybe she wouldn’t have threatened them if they’d loved her and gotten her helpful support. The adults are the only evil in this story
It is already proven that Natalia was born in 2003. All the documents plus her birth mother have already stated this. I'm sure the hospital has records to prove when this woman gave birth.
It seems to me the adoption agent gave them information that was misleading. Maybe the agent was just the middle agent and had also been tricked. To have to make a decision on that short notice is a warning sign.
I think the adoption agency was misleading, but I also think the NH family was not candid about their problems which is why she ended up at a Florida agency.
I believe Natalia was born in 2003 based on information regarding the birth mother. Natalia’s odd demeanor was definitely a result of trauma and then continued abused inflicted by the adoptive nut jobs. They regretted their decision to adopt her then concocted lies to be rid of her including aging her to be an adult so they could abandon her. I do not believe one word they say including the nonsense about pubic hair and menstruating. So disappointed these horrible people are not in prison for the devastation they caused this little girl. And thank you for pointing out that Sociopath is not an actual diagnosis proving another lie from that freak Michael.
I mean, no way the mother in Ukraine can't remember WHEN she was born... (and if they adopted her in 2010, well she was exactly 6-7 years old. If you look at the pictures, at the facial bone structure, she was definitely a child back then, and now she's a woman with bigger head, jaw, nose and so on! She WAS a child!)
Yep. All they had to do was take her to the pediatrician to document that if it had been true. I don’t understand the controversy - the facts are painfully clear. They adopted a child, they realized her disabilities would make their lives difficult, and they concocted a way to get rid of her that allowed them to still claim to be good people. It’s not even a close question.
So how does an 8-year-old pass a GED and maintain an apartment and go to college classes on their own. Especially if she didn't get proper education all that time.. that would be hard enough for an 18-year-old in her situation but an 8-year-old??
What I personally took from the 6 episodes documentary….she was NOT an adult, and she most likely was MOLESTED, which made her sexually active. Also she was abused form the adoptive dad and mom and brothers!!!
Its insane that nobody has addressed that head-on because most of the supposedly peculiar elements of this story can be explained as symptoms of sexual abuse.
Felt called to adopt our ten year old daughter from Russia in 2001. She had experienced physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and drug use, as well as the trauma associated with living in an institution with twenty some other traumatized children in a former Soviet country. Her age was never a question, but her medical records were inaccurate. Our experience has taught me to not judge adoptive parents too harshly. We tried very hard to prepare ourselves, but we were in over our heads many times, and often felt hopeless and sometimes frightened. We have seen several other adoptive families in more severe distress, with the final outcome that the adoptions failed or the family split up. Adoption is romanticized in the media. It is hard. Many of Natalia’s reported behaviors are signs of childhood trauma and reactive attachment disorder. If her parents were somewhat unbalanced themselves, I can easily see how all of this could have happened. Natalia needed help, but so did they. Are they criminals or victims? Probably both. Is she a con artist? Probably not, but she likely was a very difficult, troubled girl who needed competent professional mental health services from someone trained in attachment disorder, and that is not easy to find in many areas of the country. By the way, our daughter is an amazing, married, successful mom of five beautiful kids. She is more resilient than anyone I know, a true overcomer.
I agree everyone here was lying ,I think the husband was overly dramatic but I do believe Christine was highly abusive and I dont believe Michael was an innocent victim. I think that the documentary makers were very sneaky even though Jacob mistakenly still had his mic on they were def not acting in anyones best interests except their own.
I think they were working in the best interests of Natalia especially since Michael admitted their family abused her. And I'm glad they caught Jacob and Michael lying about covering up pushing her down the stairs. They are abusers
Have you seen natalia now? She's clearly grown and clearly an adult. People are placing a lot of blame on an abandoned child who seems to have been dragged from one terrible situation to another with shady people all around. At this point does SHE even know whats a lie and what's the truth about her with the amount of abuse she's endured
@Rosie Kapun I don't. It's a documentary . They are notoriously one-sided, and what happened to Natalia is awful, but Jacob isn't to blame he was a child who was weaponized by his mother,also abuse.
I agree too, everyone was lying, whether it’s by omission or on purpose. I do believe that Natalia been through alot. Despite any controversy about her age ( I have a hard time believing that Ukrainian woman was born in ‘79 ) she still needed help. She didn’t deserve to be abandoned.
I would LOVE to hear from the FIRST adoptive family. I want to know why they gave her back. There MUST be some reasoning for that. I go back and forth a lot bc on one hand, the family she has lived with since apparently hasnt had issues with her. So that would suggest there was a family issue. But then again, some of the things reported by like her neighbors is upsetting as well and the staff at the facility as well and therapist diagnosing her as a Psychopath. That all feels significant to me and not likely false. Also, the little couple who considered adopting her also said they had an evil feeling from her. Even if they are advocating for her now, this is the reason they report is for not adopting her. That again doesnt seem likely either to be fake. Why would any of these people lie about this stuff??
Natalia Grace speaking in an American accent and not knowing Ukrainian really isn’t weird at all once you know about her background before she came to the Barnetts. They didn’t adopt her directly from Ukraine, she had been living in the US for 2 years before the Barnetts adopted her from a private adoption facility in Florida. Little kids pick up language and accents much quicker than adults, people who immigrate to the US as young children like she did usually lose their foreign accents very quickly. Adopted kids to come to the US and aren’t exposed to their birth language often lose that birth language very quickly, so it also lines up that she wouldn’t be fluent in Ukrainian anymore. So not having an accent or speaking Ukrainian actually goes in favor of her being as young as she said she was. Idk why the Barnetts expected her to talk like Boris and Natasha.
Yes, I thought that was ridiculous. I have adopted sisters and they picked up English and lost there language and accents very quickly. smh I don't believe most of what those weirdos say...
A few thoughts.. is it possible she had some early puberty signs due to a disorder that wasn’t invested? Also. It’s well known that children raised in orphanages can have some serious attachment issues.. the quick adopted raises red flags for me as an adoptive parent… I didn’t watch the documentary but was the first adoption disrupted and what were the reasons? Some children adopted from traumatic situations can have serious mental health concerns.. are you familiar with reactive attachment disorder? Could that be part of this scenario?
My thoughts as well. I remember when the story first came out, a couple that had dwarfism themselves had tried to adopt her, but it fell through. They shared pictures of her when they had her, and she was missing teeth. She was clearly a young child. It just amazes me that people can discard these reasonable possibilities, like precocious puberty, or RAD, and jump straight to...her being an adult.
Precocious puberty is not related to her condition. In fact, it’ is more common to have delayed puberty in her circumstances. Precocious puberty can be related to stress, obesity, and/or genetics, as well as environmental factors. Though having full pubic hair and cycles at six are possible it is VERY unusual. That mixed with some of her other behaviors, especially the advanced vocabulary, are not part of early puberty. My kid has this so I’ve done tons of research. This kid was probably really 12-14 years old s he had a full set of adult teeth? Probably more like 14. Interesting case.
@@atticusandwinifred3274 You gotta remember Natalia SAID that she hasn't has a menstral cycle since that day her adoptive mother Christine said she had one. Christine obviously lied about many things. Probably convincing a 6 year old Natalia that she did things that she didn't and Natalia just believed her (since she was a naïve 6 year old). Also since she hasn't had a menstral cycle since that day, could that period blood be from sexual abuse instead since Christine caught was trying to get a 6 year old Natalia to hook up with a stranger? Natalia displayed many signs of sexual abuse.
After watching the series…it left no doubt in my mind that Natalia was indeed a young child when she was adopted. Her biological mother was not old enough to be the mother of a young adult during the time frame that was established. Birth mom also verified the date of birth with a birth certificate. Just seeing how Natalia looks now as a known adult compared to how she looked at the time of her adoption confirms it. She changed a LOT as one would expect from childhood to adulthood. Her adoptive mother was pretty awful as verified by a few people’s testimonies. I didn’t find him to be a great guy either, but she was definitely the worse parent at least as she was portrayed in the series. Her sexual conversations with the “little person” in the wheel chair and trying to set poor Natalia up with him were so disgusting and disturbing…and also revealing of her true character.
This is like a horror movie. I wish the family would have not adopted her to begin with …. Saying you have 24 hours to make such a huge decision is not acceptable. This entire situation is sad. Great work Dr Grande.
Yes!! I came here to say this!! Spot on, IMO. Can’t imagine what she went through in the years leading up to being involved with this family, and then the cruelty and rejection in this home. Terrible.
Please give us a follow up, because after seeing the full first season and now the 4 episodes into the second season, I think your analysis needs an update... Like that was an actual child, and she has real proof from a DNA lab, from the dentist she saw as a child, its wild.... and you should have seen the dentists look of disbelief when they told him what had become of her... I can not believe anyone would ever think she was an adult... This is crazy, and its downright criminal what they did to that child.
It would make sense thst she was 13 or 14 at the time and dealing with intense trauma, possibly trauma she had blocked out of her memory. In any case, they should have at least put her in a group home and not an apartment by herself.
At the end of the day, Natalia has had a lot to deal with. Some of the video the Barnett’s filmed to prove their point, made them look like horrible parents. I felt sorry for her during the entire documentary.
Lol she was a child. A child is called dependent legally for a reaspn. She was re-aged unjustly. It was the Barnnetts who fleeced everyone with their manipulative story.
I know. When they first started showing the "home videos" I was like are they for real just going to show us these parents outright psychologically abusing this girl... and then they did.
@@aeropsia exactly..all those unhealthty TESTS like getting a ukranian speaker to test natalia, to question her age and dwarfism by getting a kid who had her disorder and take pix to compare sizes, the cell phone interrogations WHO ARE YOU, HOW OLD ARE YOU, WHY DO YOU HAVE BLOODY UNDIES, WHY DO U LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING, YOU'RE A RUSSIAN SPY...YOU ARE A CRIMINAL YOU ARE EVIL... and making her stand for hours against the wall.... absolutely sick fcks..
Instead of watching long, multi episodes series of a particular case, just watch Dr Grande's analysis on it. Gets to the point with adding the most relevant information and in return, you save so much more time and get a well informed, factually correct analysis by someone who has a lot of mental health experience. ❤️ I wish I had a Dr. Grande in my life...I could've avoided certain toxic situations in my younger years if I had 😂
I agree. Dr. Grande provides a fair assessment of a broad range of information. Too often, people advocate for one side to the exclusion or derogation of the other.
I feel really bad for Natalia. Whatever her age, she was the kid here and the adults failed her at every level. I hope she finds a way to put this all behind and be happy.
I haven't seen you in ages. Glad to see you are still looking well & around. I'm a Ret PsychNurse/USVet/Foster Mom so you don't want to get me started about the dysfunction of our Child & Family Services & Child "Protection" Agencies in America. Grrr. Thx.🙏
Thank you, Dr. Grande. An excellent analysis, as always. Also, my compliments on your set and lighting design. True to your style, you have achieved perfection.
Cool background Doc! Ive been watching you since you were in a regular computer room. I love to see you keep upgrading and changing it up. You've been putting in work, you deserve it!
Natalia would have said and done anything she could if she thought it would make her parents love her. She’ll tell people she’s older because she thinks that’s what her parents want to hear. Reactive attachment disorder! Explains so much of her behavior.
@@eadweard.uh because her age was changed lol? Her mom was beating the “truth” out her . Most people will say whatever their abuser wants to hear to stop the abuse.
@@deaf2819 right 💯!! I’m no professional… just a person who has a fascination with psychology & wastes way too much researching these topics. But the whole time, my mind was screaming Reactive Attachment Disorder. The Barnetts are just a s#!t show (I won’t even get started!), just so obviously not equipped to raise a child with this or trauma in general. I believe she needed psychiatric treatment. She was a child, and probably shouldn’t have been placed in a home with so many other young children. This adoption agency needs to be held accountable!!
There is another documentary I saw about a russian girl who was abandoned like this girl by an american couple. Her name is Sabrina and she was also influenced by the adoptive parents to lie about her mental health when she was a minor. She was told she heard voices and wanted to kill her brother. She was returned to Russia, but luckily was adopted by other american family and she is a healthy woman, a professional and a mother with no mental issues now. People don't understand how influental children can be. I truly believe that parents who want to adopt shoud undergo a series of psichological tests before they adopt a person. I don't know if that is compulsory in América like in my country.
I knew a family who travelled to Russia & was supposed to adopt only one child. They came back with three young girls. The orphanage had presented all girls as sisters. They started their puberty way too young and were obliged to take meds to delay menstruation. These new parents did not really know anything about their girls' previous history in Russia. Girls were hyperactive and hard to control. So many ailments which probably came from the mother's plight: risky living, alcohol, homelessness etc. So many fearful situations are bound to leave emotional cracks. However, love is always the best meds. You just have to love your adopted child as you would your own: unconditionally !❤❤❤
I grew up on a farm with electric fences. We bumped into them frequently. They sting, and it will make ya "yip", but hardly dangerous. Maybe if wrapped in it for an extended period of time. It would be mean to push someone into it, but unlikely to be too hazardous unless there is some health condition. IN fact it was common for older kids to tell younger ones to pee on the fence, as a joke.
Yeah, that whole 'murder by electric fence' plot made me chuckle. Was that even the original intent? Or was that incident just domestic drama or abuse?
@@ericfg806 I was leaning to either it was misunderstanding of the situation or a prank. After all, anyone who is of rural roots will likely chuckle at this being a "murder" device. I suppose a person with a pacemaker or something may have issues getting shocked, I dunno. A doctor maybe would know this-- but it was a right of passage I think for us kids to get hit with the fence at least once in our lives.
Mrs. Barnett's story sounded like a big fat lie. Especially after Natalia explained what had happened. I know it's possible for Natalia to lie but her story sounded way more plausible and yes electric fences will at the most knock you on your butt and that's only if they are turned up really high. They are usually just a little zap and they fell NEAR the fence when they were trying to get up from resting because Natalia's feet were bleeding and sore which I believe. I totally believe given her condition that her feet were hurting her from the long walk in those shoes.
@@ericfg806 Yeah it's totally bonkers. She was tiny and could barely walk on her own, how could she have shoved or pulled a grown woman into the fence?
If Natalia is allowed on then another series should be on a series featuring the neighbors and others that are not connected with her or either family.
In the last court case they refused to let the doctor give an opinion about her age because that crazy judge ruled that she was an adult. The physician was pissed because he said that it just didn't make any sense. He looked at her old x-rays and said the bones in her skull hadn't closed up at the time and she was clearly a child! Those people were crazy! They kept taking her to multiple physicians and psychiatrist until they could find one's that agreed with them. Sad!
I think Natalia was about 9 years old when she was adopted and not 6. There was no way she was 14 years older. Her face was child like and her behaviors when living on her own were consistent with preteen lack of boundaries. Her behaviors were also consistent with someone subjected to significant abuse and abandonment. The Barnetts are crazy and unsuited for parenthood.
I absolutely agree one of the photos that they showed when she was adopted. I would even say she was7or 8 years she was definitely under 10 years old .
I took the time to watch The Curious Case of Natalia Barnett and also the Dr. Phil episode with the adoptive parents who've had her for almost 7 yrs. Her Birth mother was found. Natalia was born in 2003. She didn't exhibit bad behavior with her current family. She probably was abused in the past. She may have been given hormones which caused early puberty. But many things said by the Barnetts is a flat out like!
I watched the documentary. I am heartbroken at what that child went through. The shots of her looking up at them and trying to answer their questions just gave me the creeps. She was so vulnerable, so precious. I have no doubt there were behaviors from Natalia that were disturbing. That's was parenting is for. Sadly, 'parenting' was lacking in her case. I want to go back in time and hug Natalia.
Of course she’s was a child! Look at pics of her then and now, she’s obviously aged, also, her orthopedic surgeon stated that when he operated of Natalia she had growth plates in her bones, these wouldn’t be open if growth was finished. If anyone wants and in-depth telling of Natalia’s case Stephanie Harlow has a good one.
IMO - I agree totally with you. It is my opinion Natalia was a "prop" who was going to be show -cased as another example of what a superwoman Kristine was. The adoptive mother had already made money from the book about her prodigy son. The Barnetts probably dreamed up a lucrative scam along the same story lines. It turned out that Natalia was far more than what they had bargained for: she did not fit into their pre-planned narrative. One would be hard pressed to find two more selfish adults.
@@butterflygirl2285 After seeing how inappropriate both the Barnetts were I wouldn't put it pass them. There was a youtube family vloggers that did something similar. Adopted a child with disabilities for clicks and views and money and then offloaded him when it turned out he actually needed extra care and that's WORK. smh
A vast majority of Natalias behavior could be chaulked up to a very traumatized little girl who may have been lied to about her own age by others. In her 'adoption' pictures she looks no older than maybe 12 at the most. And yes its very possible for her to have a period and full pubic hair at that age. I have a cousin who was 8 years old when she got her period, though I dont know about hair growth Im sure that happened around the same time too. Her previous adopters could have lied to her about her age. She clearly has aged a LOT since she was adopted for sure. She was probably not 6 years old at the time of adoption but more like 12 or 14 at the very most. And even her behaviors just sound like a very disturbed girl who needed some psychiatric help. Her methods of trying to kill her adopted mom by putting Lysol in her drink, or throwing her into an electric fence arent very reliable methods or anything youd think a grown adult would think would actually kill someone. Then everytime she was confronted with a knife or weapon she would immediately tell them her intentions to kill. That doesnt sound like someone who is evil, it just sounds like a disturbed young person who really needed some help from professionals. This isnt a movie its a real person.
For sure and I don't think you can believe Mrs Barnett anyway. I'm sure Natalia has some major issues that she needed help with ,not to be further abused by the Barnett family but that electric fence story was a load of bs imo.
@@rebekahdavis5935 Not really the electric fence incident did happen and I look for a common denominator in all parties involved- everyone agreed the police was there and everyone agreed NATALIA not KRISTINE left in the ambulance to be taken to the Mental State Hospital for a Psychiatric Evaluation - where Natalia ended up staying for 3 months...... I wish the documentary would have interviewed the Police Officers and we could have gotten a better reason of why they decided to take Natalia to Mental State Hospital and not Kristine My understanding a police officer will make that call if : The person are acting in a disorderly manner involving violence or a threat of violence to themselves or another person; and....... The person’s actions are likely to cause them to harm themselves or another person. Sometimes an officer will take the person to the psychiatric hospital instead of charging them with a criminal offence (if they have grounds to do so).
@@verucasalt9182 That is all good and dandy but unfortunately Natalia is saying she has never had a cycle - matter of fact after the bloody underwear incident Kristine took her to the Doctor's the next day- point blank Natalia had a period - There are receipts and a medical report of this that was turned into the Indiana Superior Court House back in February 2022.....Beth Karas on Documentary said she saw medical reports where Natalia was diagnosed with Anti-Social Personality Disorder-Sociopath and other mental health issues......I would like to know what the other mental health issues are because she act like she has delusional disorder as well ........Natalia point blank lies and say it didn't happen when you have receipts of medical reports from Expert Doctors and other witnesses who saw her acting out or saying weird stuff about killing her adoptive family ..... It is ok to take her in and give her a roof and treat with respect ....but do not ignore her mental health status
I don't judge this family for their inability to cope with Natalia's behaviour at the time, I do judge them though for trying to paint her as a manipulative psychopath with an agenda, after they failed in their duty of care. Parenting doesn't finish when your child turns 18, and it doesn't finish when your child turns out to be something or someone other than you wanted or expected them to be.
I disagree the Barnett's cannot diagnose her with ASPD-Sociopath ....she was diagnosed by Expert Doctors' a Psychiatrist, Psychologist and a Neuropsychiatrist ...Barnett's cannot change her age only a Judge by Court of Law - and the Judge in June 2012 rightfully did so by obtaining a actual certified copy of her birth certificate which affirmed her birthdate September 04 1989....after the adoption was annulled in June 2012 the Barnett's should have left her little ass alone.......
@@bellaorman2870 Her actual birth mother is deceased her eldest sister is perpetrating as her alleged mother . If you have been following this case Natalia never did her part of the DNA test back in December 2019 she told Court Judge she could not take a DNA test because she was a minor and need guardian consent .....and then never turned in DNA test results before Mandated Court Date Expired August 14, 2020. .. The only birth certificate that verified and affirmed her birthdate at the Civil Registry Office of the City Natalia was born is her September 04 1989 birth certificate in her original birth name *Natasha Gava Vadymivna* Natalia did her only DNA test on August 14, 2023 ..... 3 years after the Mandated Court Date Expired to turn in DNA test and it was the wrong type of DNA test .... TruAge Diagnostics only specialize in Biological Age Testing by glycan cells to determine your healthspan age and it can be reversed ..... Has nothing to do with DNA Chronological Age Testing that cannot be reversed or DNA comparison with a sibling or parent. Natalia and her cohorts are liars they have one common denominator their dislike for the Barnett's . ... I don't like nobody involved ...but seek Justice ( period) .... Once Natalia get what she wants from you she show her true blue little mini ass .... Can't trust her period. ...
Not to me she was not too concerned being left alone she was not scared and was all over the damn neighborhood not once did she call the police and tell them she was a child ....but reversed back to her old profession she was taught previously as she said she has used sex in exchange for money before .........Especially since I know now she was truly born September 04, 1989........
that would mean her mother was 10 when she gave her birth. her mother has been located and DNA tested. and she was shown to be born in 1979. so nah man@@camiosis
@drtodgrande you are forgetting to mention there are many dr.s that said early on that her growth plate showed she was a child. Additionally, where her dentist showed xrays showing she did indeed have baby teeth consistent with the age she claimed to be.
I feel like she was at max 8 for the simple reason how much her face changed in comparison to her 18th birthday picture. like you see how much she has matured in bone structure alone. so she was a poor kid they just abandoned. she probably had serius mental health issues but what they did is crazy.
Honestly I find it hard to be afraid of a childish, small person who can't even hold utensils properly or walk without issues. Her behaviour could be problematic but these so called adoptive parents are an embarrassment.
What a curious case! I am going to watch this documentary now. Thank you for covering this case and I hope you post updates on it as well. Have a wonderful day, Dr. Grande.❤
Hi Dr. Grande, I totally blame the strange adoption agency. Strange because giving prospective parents just 24 hours is strange to me. Dr. Grande as always you did a super good job on this very odd case.
I knew a family like this- adopted a disturbed 12 year old and the oppressively strict environment and problems the adults all had and their inability to deal healthily with her problematic behaviour made the 12 year olds behaviour worse. There were also knives and threats of killing in her repertoire as well. She moved out at 18 and we didn't hear from her for a few years. I believe she is doing well now. This case really resonates with me because I just think it's so damaging to children to be shamed and labelled as dangerous when they are just children. It becomes part of their own beliefs and identity. I'm not surprised Natalia has never been the best advocate for herself, I hope she can learn to love herself one day and can move on and away from these toxic people. I really don't think it matters if she was 6 or 12, except that her being older removes some responsibility from the adopted family in their complete failure to provide her with a loving and nurturing and stable home until she was ready to fly the nest. Which doesn't automatically happen when someone turns 18. And any parent will attest to the fact that being a parent is a lifelong occupation and doesn't just stop when your child turns 18.
did you miss the part she was diagnosed as a phsycopath, there is no hope, lock her up in a mental asylum and be done with it. She will only casue pain if not murder eventually.
@@thecanadakid7622 IMO - I did not understand why the mental hospital did not refer Natalia to a permanent in patient treatment center if she was deemed psychologically disturbed (according to the anonymous hospital employees).
@@thecanadakid7622 no one can be diagnosed as a psychopath especially as a child. If anything, a doctor would claim a patient had anti-social traits. Michael was exaggerating per usual.
@@juliemiller6966 maybe. But kids are a reflection of their environment. It's not fair to ask a child to take full responsibility for their dysfunctional behaviour. If the child poses a genuine danger then all the more reason to pour resources into him/her during critical developmental phases. Not just say, 'this is too hard, you aren't really my child anyway, so I'm giving up on you and I need to protect myself and my other children/family.'
Have friends who adopted a girl from China. They were told she was 10. After the adoption and dr visits, they found out she was 16. She had emotional issues, and had been a bully to other kids. None of this was of course noted. The orphanage wanted her gone. They struggled for a long time with her, doing everything they could to help her and keep her happy. Even had other Chinese children and her get together so they felt more comfortable. She left home as soon as she was 18 and has no contact with them. Unfortunately, countries lie to get troubled kids out of their hands. Do your research if you adopt from another country.
I haven't watched the documentary so may change my mind afterwards but by what was covered in this description and analysis the parents do not sound unreasonable. Even clinicians said she was a sociopath and highly manipulative. Waking up to her standing over your bed with a knife, trying to push someone into an electric fence, talking about killing, trying to lure the children onto the street/road, purposefully defecating over everything, being inappropriate etc... I think she needed to be in a facility not housed with a family. If she was just difficult or maybe had developmental difficulties I wouldn't be saying this but her behaviour was a lot more than this.
As someone who is disabled & shunned from my family in much the same way my father was shunned when he got sick. So I’ve seen the repetitive cycle in my own life. I really feel this boils down to how relatively “normal” ppl treat ppl who are disabled/handicapped. I really do. There’s like this unconscious thing ppl do. Where they put all the blame on the sick person so they are absolved of any responsibility. Bc when it comes to survival instinct, it is terribly difficult not only taking care of yourself but also caring for some1 disabled. But then there’s guilt attached to not helping a fellow human being. So it becomes easier to blame the sick person instead of sacrificing to help them. This also speaks to behavior. Ppl who are severely traumatized or who have grown up like I have. In hospital settings & such. “Institutionalized” for lack of a better word. They behave totally differently than a normal, balanced person. They act out. They have trouble connecting. They are “weird”. But ultimately they are HUMAN & have feelings & deserve to be treated w respect. Even if they are broken. Natalia is not perfect. But she is a victim of horrible things & deserves immense sympathy. Painting her as some evil psychopath dwarf is just disgusting ableism & I’m frankly tired of no one calling it out.
This is what the movie was inspired by, no joke. The villain (in real life and in the movie) has Narcissistic Borderline Personality Disorder combined with Psychopathy. Same as Jodi Arias.
Regardless if Natalia was mistreated, she had been returned to the orphanage more than once. Why would families, over and over, do such a thing? Something doesn't add up. It's interesting that Dr. Phil's interview with her didn't share all the info that Dr. Grande had gleaned from the documentary. Her new adoptive family swears she is a child and as long as this is a minor, she gets benefits from the government.
Hmm, I wonder why an abandoned, neglected, disabled, and different looking child would keep getting returned? Maybe ableism??? She was definitely a child when she was adopted by the American family. Unfortunately, they turned out to be total nut cases.
As an adult, Natalia would receive benefits based on her disability, including SSI, Medicaid and food stamps. She also would be eligible for caregiver services under Medicaid’s home and community based waiver.
Is she mentally ill though? Seems like she had behavioral problems due to being placed with abusive "parents". She does have a physical disability and should have never been adopted by those monsters.
@@augustek5382 I'd take a guess that the abuse started way before the couple in the US adopted her. Imagine the hell she went through before they got her. I reckon that kind of childhood would cause most people to develop mental illness. Add that to the physical and mental burden of her disability, and I don't think she ever really had a chance of being normal.
@@DigitalNebwith a lot of love and patience my nephew was fine with me. He’s now an RN, loving father and husband and a wonderful son. Yes he was a mess when I got him but hes more than fine now
A curious case, indeed. Also, I saved time watching your video, as opposed to multiple episodes of the documentary series; thank you for your service, as always, Dr. Grande.
Reminds me of the classic bugs bunny cartoon when the short baby face gangster was hiding fr from the cops posed as a baby and bugs bunny was baby sitting him😂
Came looking for this comment! I wish more people knew the truth, this was a traumatized little girl who was further abused by people she was expected to trust and obey.
An adoption agency giving 24 hours to decide on adopting a child after adoption disruption or dissolution should be a SERIOUS red flag even without the age controversy, these folks were in way over their head.
Makes me wonder how the hell she got into their hands!
I believe they adopted her out of Florida, which I have experience with. They will pull shady tactics to adopt their kids out…for example, we ran into the same kind of issue but we did some research before making a decision. The “child” was re-aged from the original foster parents and may have been a child soldier somewhere in Africa. It was undetermined what his actual age was, but experts put him around 17-18 instead of 10.
Just generally in life, when someone wants to close a deal or sign a contract as fast as possible it is almost always a sign of something not being right.
I don't know about America, but where I live, it's very difficult to adopt so I can understand a couple saying yes on the presumption that if they decline, another couple will accept that child tomorrow and they will be waiting 6+ years for the next opportunity.
This
Some say the worst thing you could be is a cautionary tale. Being in a Dr Grande video is right up there. Dude will dry roast you like a peanut
It’s a blessing and a curse
😂 you’re spot on. God help you if you’re from New Jersey lol
😂
Best comment EVER!! 😂😂😂😂
Plot twist he’s a psychopath.
This series was so confusing. I don’t believe any one was telling the truth, except the son. My heart really went out to him. He lost the parent lottery.
The son lied as well. He later admitted to peeing in her bed and was overhead saying he covered up them pushing her down the stairs. He's hardly innocent either.
Even the geography lottery. Indiana is a marked place.
The one your heart should go out to is Natalia. She was a disabled child that was abused by narcissistic adoptive parents. She was abandoned and now is harassed online by idiots who believe the "Ophan" movie storyline. She was bullied off social media and bullied by her adoptive parents.
@@rosiekapun207 Jacob is autistic and raised by those two crazy people. He probably didn’t dare to disobey his mother.
@@SammyMcnammy That doesn't seem like the whole story tbh
I think they never called the cops because they enjoyed abusing her. If you thought you adopted a grown adult and you just keep them in your home, you’re hiding something.
Well said. They are sick people for sure.
Yes and when social workers got involved they were from CPS not adult protective services?
Yes, and they didn't want her to be able to contact anyone either.
Plus they went to 3 different counselors before finding one that "diagnosed" Natalia as psychopath. The first 2 must not have said what they wanted to hear.
That is truly so sad. But most likely true. They traumatized her further instead of actually getting her any help.
Both the parents and Natalia are disturbed, but Natalia has a reason and it isn't her fault. She is clearly from a traumatic childhood. The parents are so unintelligent, immature, and incapable of being parents that they are dangerous. They just wanted to be the hero and adopt a child without any foresight into what it entails and which agency they would use.
☝️ This.
3 adoption families gave up on Natalia. All feared for their safety. There is something seriously wrong and it is clearly not everytime the adoptive family.
@@Celisar1they gave up because of what they were saying abt her?? she was a child yes she can have other behaviours that could be bad but she was a fucking child
@@Celisar1 The first family gave her up because they had been told she could be cured from her dwarfism by taking hormones. When they realized she would have a life long disability, they tried to rehome her. But they were asking her future family to cover all the prior medical costs so one or two families ended up not adopting her after going through the process of getting to know her. So of course there was something seriously wrong with Natalia, she had learned not to trust anybody ever again
@@Celisar1 This is certainly possible. In fact, it's very likely that a 6-8 year old child with severe trauma would have major behavioral issues or "something seriously wrong" as you put it. She was trying to survive. Even if she was the most aggressive 6 year old in the world, so what? Does that mean she's undeserving of a loving home and family? That what she went through was okay?
Many people don’t understand the orphanage system in former soviet countries, especially with how bad it was in the 90’s after the Soviet Union collapsed. Child abandonment and parents being encourage to hand over their disabled children by medical staff was common. Often these places were child warehouses where physical, emotional, and sexual abuse was rampant. So it’s very much in the realm of possibility that she had reactive attachment disorder. The thing about her not crying, yeah babies in these orphanage structures learn it’s pointless since there won’t be an adult to soothe them, it’s indicative of insecure attachment.
Smearing feces on the walls, hoarding food, and sexualized behavior also fits into that picture. My family is from that part of the world and it makes me sad to think what she very likely went through. It also pains me to see her story turned into a freak show spectacle by people that can’t possibly image what existing in that part of the world is like, especially for a disabled child.
Well said. Obviously her demeanor was the result of trauma.
You're right. These people adopted a deeply traumatised little child and abandoned her because it wasn't a piece of cake. And on top of that they caused her to be traumatised once more, by turning her into a freak show.
💔😞🙏🙏🙏
I volunteered at a Romanian orphanage for 3 months through college. Everything you said here I saw firsthand and it was so sad. The nurses working there full-time told me they don't like to hold the babies because they will cry more often in hopes of being held. Some of them were paralyzed or had cerebral palsy and the back of their heads were flat from constantly laying down in one spot. How can you grow up in this environment and not have inappropriate/aggressive behaviors?
Alternatively, I don't think many people understand how difficult it is to raise a child with these extreme behaviors/disabilities unless they've been through it. I've been working with people with special needs for years now and have worked with over 150 different clients. I've seen what the stress can do to families and how it can bring out the worst in some caretakers. Working with individuals who have extreme behaviors/needs sometimes requires training, a support system, and outside caretakers. It's hard work. It seems like the parents in this situation really were not prepared at all. Doesn't justify them leaving her, though. It breaks my heart.
When I was serving in the military I was taught the Russian language and took a volunteer position in my spare time to translate for wealthy Americans looking to adopt children from Russia. This was in the early 2000s.
The children were flown over to spend a week with host families and we had large group gatherings.
I come from an abusive background (which is why I wound up homeless then joined the service as a way to gain housing and education) and nothing could have prepared me for meeting those children.
I’ve never met such grateful, beautiful, and traumatized children in my life. Those volunteer opportunities changed me deeply and permanently.
The wonder on their little faces when they saw cheap kites we brought from a drug store and got the chance to fly them is etched permanently in my memory.
I wished to hold and love those little grade-schoolers and protect them from having to go back to Russia. But many of them had to return.
It shredded my heart to pieces. Their quiet, drawn in faces and haunted eyes, the soft way they spoke, the way they held my hand like they were clinging to salvation…
It’s been 20 yrs and the memories still bring me to tears.
Those poor children.
The disfunction in the family was scary. The whole story is sad.
Fr, why were they even interested in adopting?
What dysfunction in the family? Because they separated? Stop. That’s not right.
@Ruby Arias I'm wondering if they wanted the do holder badge of honor. They liked putting their son in spotlight .🤔
@Esther Shuruggs What disfunction? Too many to count.
@@laurakenney100 Yea, agreed, I realized it later in the story.
The clip from the documentary of Mr. Barnett rolling around on the ground & punching it while screeching tells me everything I need to know. Those “parents” seem like the psychos
🎯
thank you!
Beyond crazy
Yeah, that was over the top.
Yes! And his fake crying. I couldn’t take him seriously. He should be in jail.
I watched all of the episodes so far, I think she really was a child when adopted. I'm horrified by the parents and how they just abandoned her in an apartment and ran off to Canada. Even if she was an adult, she's disabled and clearly wasn't able to care for herself, which is at least neglect and abandonment of a dependent person. But if you see all of the pictures and videos, it's clear that her face changes over time, indicating that she was in fact growing. My heart goes out to her. I'm a parent of a disabled child and it just really gets to me on a personal level.
I 100% agree with all you said.
it's now been confirmed that she was a child
I will also tell you something about electric fences. When I grew up, we had an electric fence bordering our property because the neighbor had milk cows. As kids, we would dare each other to touch the fence. It would give off a little kick but nothing dangerous. The cows with their damp noses got a little bigger jolt. No one was ever in any danger. Michael and Christine exagerated that incident way over the facts. To me they don’t deserve children at all. Poor Jacob, I truly feel for that boy and Natalia too.
Exactly! We did that as kids, too.
Everytime I hear about the fence I roll my eyes. This is Jurassic Park and they weren't keeping in a t Rex. There was no danger
I've watched the documentary a few times, and each time I have a harder time believing that anything the Barnetts say is true. I think both of them are nuts.
Plus, Christine is taller, heavier and not disabled. Are we to believe this tiny disabled girl could push a large adult around.
Not to mention, Natalia was born with a form of DWARFISM that limited the mobility in her joints... there is no was in hell she would be able to push that fat hambeast Christine over into the fence even of she wanted to.
I volunteered at a Romanian orphanage for 3 months through college. The nurses working there full-time told me they don't like to hold the babies because they will cry more often in hopes of being held. Some of them were paralyzed or had cerebral palsy and the back of their heads were flat from constantly laying down in one spot. How can you grow up in this type of environment devoid of nurture and not have inappropriate/aggressive behaviors?
Alternatively, I don't think many people understand how difficult it is to raise a child with these difficult behaviors/disabilities unless they've been through it. I've been working with people with special needs for years now and have worked with over 150 different clients. I've seen what the stress can do to families and how it can bring out the worst in some caretakers/parents. Working with individuals who have extreme behaviors sometimes requires training, a strong support system, and outside caretakers. It's hard work. It seems like the parents in this situation were not prepared at all. Doesn't justify them leaving her, though. It breaks my heart.
I know theses things happen in the world but hearing about it hurts me so badly. I have a baby l myself, and the thought of letting him cry kills me. The thought of theses babies crying and no one comes for them… I just want to scoop them all up and love them so badly.
Yessss...thank you!! I also wouldn't expect a six or eight year old to remember their experience there. There's just a lot to this and I feel like this poor girl, while she may be a year or two older (only), I feel like she has been thrown in front of the public who have very little understanding of trauma, disabilities, and cultural differences. You hear how people are referring to her and it blows my mind how people can be so cruel. I had no idea how so far removed people were from these kind of struggles, I really didn't.
I used to work in special education and there were so many kids whose parents intentionally adopted a disabled child because they had some kind of savior complex and never imagined that parenting a disabled child would *actually* involve hard work and sacrifice, I think a lot of them just expected the kids to be eternally grateful to them for the adoption and to always be on perfect behavior because they are forever in their adoptive parents’ debt 🙄 it’s wild house so many parents don’t understand the disabled babies grow up and have real human feelings and emotions and aren’t just a prop for them to feel good about themselves for how noble and generous they are by saving a poor little orphan
@@bebop2523 like that UA-cam couple who adopted a boy with Autism and “rehomed” him.
So sad... The children in the orphanages breaks my heart. 💔🙏💔
Those parents probably spent more time researching the van they drove than the child they adopted.
@@osiris7208 based upon what they were told, the Barnetts acted quickly to respond positively to what they were told was an emergent situation. I think they started out with their hearts in the right place.
@@osiris7208 very true. I knew a girl from Russia who told me how when the potential adoptive parents would come to the orphanage her and the other small children were taught to put on an act. For instance practice saying cliché movie and TV show catch phrases like "you got it dude" or "hasta la visa baby." She was adopted and in 3 months the parents changed their minds and her adoptive mother got her before she was going to be sent back to Russia. Very sad.
I thought the Barnett's were crazy.
@@lishamarlar4597 IMO - There are definitely issues concerning this couple. They already had their hands full with three boys, and two of them allegedly had problems that required special attention. Why would parents, who were already stretched thin, adopt a child who required intensive additional care? I am not blaming Natalia in any way:, merely stating that it is a recipe for parental burn out.
@@grammichal6759 Maybe Christina started out with her heart in the right place. Michael didn't, he urinated in his adoptive daughter's bed and said it was his wife's idea. Who the f*ck goes through with that regardless of whose idea it is. It is bad enough that Natalia was born close to Chernobyl. A mutation probably caused by radiation dealt her a tough genetic lottery hand, and her biological mother gave her up for adoption in the hope of a better life for her. There should be a process of psychological evaluation to screen out people that could cause more harm than good when adopting.
They shouldn’t have adopted the person until they had her examined by a doctor. As far as the emergencies situation…should have just not done it. Adopting a child under those conditions was not a good thing to do. Hard to say what the truth is in this matter.
Many of the Ukraine orphans are there due to untreated medical needs (no funding) and they state that an American adopting family has to have private insurance to treat said issues.. most of them are bed ridden and essentially starved until they age out and get sent to adult institutions.
@@strangelove0108 I think even if she was not what they thought they still had an obligation to see to her needs. To adopt a child or whatever the situation here is to me says you are taking responsibility for the persons well being . There were more helpful options . I hope the young woman finds some level of security and happiness. The adoptive parents made the choice to adopt her and it was their responsibility to help her. But I don’t know anything beyond the exploitation the media has put out there about the young lady and the adoptive parents.
Creating an urgent situation is a Hallmark of a scam, the adoption agency knew that there was a problem with this girl or woman and they were trying to pawn her off on unsuspecting people. And Ukraine has been known for many years to have adoption and dating like mail order bride type scams.
I agree.
Christine is try make her self look good thats why she was mad at micheal.
I watched both series on Natalia Grace. Regardless of what was truth or lies, she was a disabled child, when the Barnetts put her in an apartment by herself. You can see her face is that of a child, and her actions is a child. You don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to see this.
Her legit birth certificate and the DNA test of Natalia's birth mother proved that she was born on the 4th of September 2003
Yep she was a child and the Barnett family legally changed her age. They are monsters
“Michael and Christine reacted negatively to this threat. They were probably hoping for a somewhat less homicidal adoption experience.” 😅
Who the hell still believes Michael or Christine is telling the truth about this stuff? Christine has been caught with telling numerous lies and making fake accusations about people (other than Natalia) all trying to harm her. Natalia was just a child she took advantage of and abused. I wouldnt be surprised if Christine made up these accusations about Natalia as well.
I know he is great with his delivery
@@melaniegerard2195 This is done often by sexually abused children. They showed at the end of the documentary that the adoptive mom was trying to hook 6 year old Natalia up with an old man. She was probably being sexually assualted often.
@@melaniegerard2195yea all that coming from liars who coerced the poor kid I took with a 1/4 grain of salt.😊
@@melaniegerard2195Barnetts are liars. They lied about her age. Her original age proven correct. So no credibility for anything they say
I swear Jacob is the only normal one. I felt so bad for him the entire time i was watching. They've severely damaged him.
He admitted to peeing in her bed and then was overheard saying they pushed her down the stairs! I feel sorry for him but he isn't all that innocent either unfortunately
@@rosiekapun207 I think they were saying the mother pushed her down the stairs
@@rosiekapun207 he was an abused child with psychotic parents (especially mom) The things you're talking about happened when he was under 12.
Also the mom pushed her down the stairs. I think that's what they were saying.
@@Fran_Glass I feel sorry for him but he's not innocent. Even though those things happened earlier he's still covering them up as an adult. Not to mention that it's very clear Natalia was the main child thay was abused. If you're going to rationalize someone's action based on them being too young, surely that would also apply to her?
@@darcymoon2109 yeah something like that. I'll try to go back and listen again.
Even if she was an adult, she was still disabled and should not have been living alone. She couldn't even reach the counters or the stove or the taps. Im surprised any therapist would say nothing can be done about a disturbed child and the only solution is to lock her in her room. Im sceptical about some of the things Michael said
They were lied to bottom line. The adoption agency hustled the Barnetts. 24 hours window… bullsht.Your outlook would be much different if it was a man with the same disability.
Imagine catching a little man shaving trying to hide his 5 O’clock shadow.
finding porn magazines cigarettes and booze when you clean his bedroom , shittin’ and pissin’ all over your house. Instead of toys you find dice and poker chips, 😮😮😮 “that explains the boners every time I gave him a bath” pretty sick right.
I took it far to make a point, I’m aware this wasn’t the case with Natalya, but it is still disturbing. This was a violation to the Barnetts and they handled the situation appropriately in my opinion. I would have grabbed the lil Bisshh thrown her in a basket and dumped her in front of The “Big Bad Wolf’s” door steps for trying to pull his shittt on me.
@@CQQLBREEZE u assume every man can grow a full beard across their face lol. If the midget is Chinese they ain't got nothing to worry about aside from some chin and lip scruff
@@CQQLBREEZE so you believe a liars version of events?
@@CQQLBREEZE the "parents" are horrible people.Period.
@@CQQLBREEZE Love it . But remember the girl is somehow a victim of nature and the system and being born in a poor country
Appreciate that you didn't judge her without hearing her side! My niece was adopted from another country, and also refused to talk about her experiences in that country. She even refused to speak the language, even when asked. We believe she was so traumatized by the things she experienced, that her brain just kind of turned it all off... or locked those memories away somewhere. So I think it's not uncommon for kids in these extreme sort of situations to behave differently than a typical child... they've been through a lot of atypical stuff for a kid.
Urinating and defacating on the floor can also be a common trauma response in children...a lot of her behaviors could be explained by trauma.
I think that she was a child. They were extremely abusive to her. If you watch the documentary where the father and Jacob talk at the end, his son says I didn’t tell them about kicking down the stairs. We discussed not to say that right?! Then they realized his microphone was still on. Christine used to make that girl stand for hours and hours facing a wall. The way that her legs were I can only imagine the immense pain. You could tell in every video that Christine filmed how scared Natalia was. I don’t care if she was five or 15. You don’t treat another human being like that. Natalia’s mother said she was born in 2003 therefore she would have been a child.
Plus if she was scared which you could see on her face. How could she be the aggressor? Also if she was really so out of control then they wouldn't be able to make her stand facing a wall for 8 or 12 hours while being in intense pain.
when michael does his cell phone interrogation at the apartment she looked SCARED to me! her eyes... we all know what a scared child looks like... he was abusive
And anyway even if she was older she was much smaller and disabled and they still would had had the power over her. I think she was a child though and the parents are manipulative psychopaths who abused and neglected her horribly and should have been charged. The son has likely been abused too even if he seems like their golden child. This story makes me so angry, I'm disgusted by the ableism this led to and it's not the first time disgusting, ableistic people accuse dwarf children of being older and faking it.
@@teijaflink2226 very disgusting and enraging!
Imagine going to court and putting a child that has no power to defend herself through all this? This is just insane...
I read a book about a couple who adopted an infant from Poland who was in a orphanage. There is a psychological syndrome of these kids who did not get proper motherly attention, holding etc....left in isolation that effects the child as they grow older. This girl had so many problems and she eventually committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
Poor little thing. At least she’s at peace, now, in the arms of the Lord, where she can finally have the love she deserved.
@@lostandfound5145 Her adoptive parents were very loving but being in the orphanage and being isolated from the touch of a mother created the later psychological problems. So sad.
It is called Attachment Disorder. It is so tragic for those poor children.
@@Callie7912 That's it! Thanks for that.
@@Joe-go6vc I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that her adoptive parents didn’t try their very hardest to love her. I meant only that she didn’t know how to receive love because of her circumstances.
Even if she was a few years older, she may not have actually known that, children who are abandoned at orphanages often don’t know exactly how old they are because the orphanage just has to make their best guess or they have to go off information from the family members who leave them and those family members don’t always give accurate info. I could definitely see her situation being that either her biological mother lied to the orphanage about when she was actually born or the orphanage just received this little kid with dwarfism and had to make their best guess about her age, maybe they guessed too young because she was very small already due to her medical condition
They had her birth certificate.
Natalia was taken from the biological mother at birth. There was no way for the biological mother to lie about Natalia's age.
What a creepy story. Parents sounded immature & desperate, Natalia was very disturbed. Great analysis of this case. Thanks Dr G😊💛💛
There's a movie that runs a similar course called Orphan albeit evil
@@Jasonmakesvideo they essentially stole that story to try to get Natalia taken away let's be honest
Very disturbed and yet the only people who did act out successful violence were the parents. Hmmmm. The mum also tried to traffic her to an adult whilst referring to her as a CHILD. Again hmmm
@@Jasonmakesvideo it came out first and i truly believe the barnetts got that idea from that movie.
i'd be a basketcase if i had lived with that family...someone in the comments said they'd gouge their eye out if they had to talk to michael for 5 minutes... i think thats why natalia smiled when dr phil mentioned the apartment..that was like a vacation to her to be free of that hellish household.
She finally made a DNA test and proved she is currently (2023) 22 years old. And that means by the time she was adopted she was a 9 years old girl. 😢 I can't believe they legally change her age to leave her abandoned alone in an apartment.
How does DNA prove someone’s age?
@@Andreamom001they found her mother
During the documentary I knew the husband was off his rocker, ESPECIALLY when he asked the director ' would you like me to do that again but cry this time?' Seriously a psycho.
I have to wonder how much of their story is true. It sounds strikingly similar to the plot of the movie Orphan, which came out in 2009.
Both parents are psychos
I was just thinking, "Isn't this the plot of that horror movie?"
Warp-speed adoptions may result in rare, but potentially serious side effects.
*Phil McGraw:* Why are you pretending to be a six year old?
*Natalia:* Why are you pretending to be a doctor?
😂😂😂
He has a doctorate in clinical psychology so from an academic perspective can use the title doctor. But he's not practicing.
@@nadinewhite993 You're correct. He can use the title of Dr as a Phd. The problem is, he's neither a practitioner of clinical psychology, nor does he represent his role an academic psychologist on his talk show. His role as a TV presenter is carefully cultivated to indemnity him as a psychologist in any legal sense whatsoever. The title Dr in the capacity he works is highly dishonest and so are his methodsl. He grifts as a professional and portays himself as a professional in every sense, but his very unprofessional manner and sensationalism, are pure entertainment from a legal point of view.
So yes he's technically a doctor on paper, but should not be blowing his own bugle and calling himself a doctor on TV while pretending to have psychologist credentials with which to advise his -victims- guests.
@@nadinewhite993 He had to surrender his license or be prosecuted. He had sex with the 16 year old daughter of an adult client. It lead to the divorce from his first wife.
@@skepticusmaximus184 If a medical doctor retired, you'd have zero hesitation continuing to call them doctor. The experience does not just magically disappear when you change careers, nor does the honorific. Dr. Phil was a practicing clinical psychologist and a high paid, well respected psychological consultant for legal cases. Whether you like the ethics of his show or not, the whole "He's not a Doctor" arguments are lazy and infantile dismissals.
That documentary series is truly bizarre!! I tend to agree that Natalia was probably older than 6 or 8 but not an adult. It also sounds like the adoptive mother lied about Natalia having menstrual cycles.
Not necessarily. They can start puberty at age 9.
I have precocious puberty and started my period when I was 7. I also started wearing bras when I was in kindergarten
Had my puberty at 10. I didn't understand and was grossed out.
I think she was 12, bless her 🙏
Precocious puberty is a crazy thing. Maybe she had it.
I agree 1000% with Dr. Grande. I was having issues sleeping earlier so, I turned on his channel. His soft voice makes me fall asleep easily. He is so calm & soothing I wish he would make his own sleep stories... I would gladly listen...Thank You Dr. Grande for all you do.
My ex and I adopted a sibling group internationally. We were deceived by the adoption agency, which told us that the children did not have any issues, and that they were hard to place only because of the size of the group, as the agency did not want to separate them. They also covered up the history of severe abuse by their bio-father. We found out that they had severe behavioral and emotional issues. Our oldest son even demonstrated sociopathic traits, validated by a psychiatrist. One example, among many, is that he almost choked his youngest, petite brother to death. The second oldest was maliciously manipulative to the point that she tried to tear the family apart and replace me. (Witnesses told me that my ex and she looked like lovers instead of father and daughter when out to shops.) The third also had a lot of symptoms similar to the textbook version of a child psychopath, but he was not as violent as his older brother. The youngest was the only child that seemed psychologically "normal." In addition to the individual issues, there were the complex dynamics and interactions. My ex and I were burnt out, and we were no longer who we were. We only learned that there were a lot of dark stories in the adoption field, after we attended a conference led by an expert of adoption and trauma. Most people know nothing about the complexity in adoptive families. We heard from other adoptive parents how their children tried to kill them, how they were lied to by adoption agencies, etc. They felt cornered and helpless, especially when very few mental health professionals are knowledgeable about adoptive families. Anyway, I don't blame the children, because they all have been traumatized before adoption. With all the insiders' stories and personal experiences, I also won't judge these adoptive parents too harshly, even if they weren't perfect. I blame the adoption agencies for their deception and terrible placements. The adoption process is supposed to facilitate a good match for the adoptive parents and the children. A lot of times, it fails.
OMG! I’m so sorry you experienced such a heartless deception by an adoption agency! Sadly, I’m not surprised; back in 1978, when I was 20 yrs old, I became pregnant “out of wedlock.” My mother was furious & contacted Catholic Charities to arrange an adoption. I was adamantly opposed, but the only thing Catholic Charities was interested in was getting that baby at any cost. Their counselor knew I wanted to keep my baby but that meant nothing. They even arranged for me to sign the adoption papers while I was recovering from pre-eclampsia so severe I almost died & my baby ended up being life/flighted to the nearby children’s hospital, having to undergo an emergency C-section, AND being so drugged out on Percocet I couldn’t hold my head up! I’m STILL dealing with their betrayal! These types of people know how vulnerable we are and they prey on that! Take care!
Suzanne, my sister was also shipped to a Catholichome when she got pregnant the same year younwere there. I know the adoption destroyed her and made her life extremelydifficult and she did meet him 19 yrs later, but it didn't go well cause she wanted to baby him and treat him much younger, but he didn't understand her need and desire to nurture him. he decided to keep his distance and she was reinjured.. I'm not sure how she cooes with all the personal pain and deterioration in her life choices....it's sad and I truly feel for you...
Adopting out a child is one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but i chose open adoption and i chose the parents. My daughter is loved, was cared for by two beautiful people, and yes - it is difficult, but my only thought is for my daughter.
@@oldcollegecoed I am so sorry, Suzanne! During my research on adoption, I did discover many cases like yours, where the biological mothers were coerced to give their children up. It is just plain evil. It is child abduction, not adoption.
May I know how they are doing now? I assumed they are not with you now since you wrote in past tense? Did they go for therapy when you adopted them?
All things considered......hindsight is 20/20. It was a much different world back then as far as the understanding of early childhood development. I was adopted at the age 2 and 1/2. My adoptive parents (rest their souls, and I want to add I was adopted in 1980, so even earlier than natalia), were the two biggest blessings God ever gave to me. Problem was, i had so much early trauma. The trauma was really supressed until I hit my teen years. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, I started acting out, treating my parents horrible, making horrible risky choices thrill chasing, and was just miserable. I couldnt understand what was going on and my parents definitely didnt understand what was going on with me. They tried so hard to get me help, but I caused so much stress that finally they put me in boarding school. I had a bad attitude with them long after that as a result. And my early adulthood was filled with one bad decision after another. And it wasnt for lack of great parenting through my wntire adolescence. Years later after finally coming out of my miserable decade or so, i was able to rebuild a good relationship with my parents. My mom and I had a talk one day, and thats when she told me that they just didnt have the resources back then to understand the affects early trauma had on children. I guess they thought a new beginning with parents that love you unditionally could heal old wounds. But it couldn't. My parents tried. It also seems like the barnets tried, even though they seemed very immature on the steps they took to try to resolve the situation. so sgain, hindsight is 20/20
A nightmarish adoption. Blame the adoption agency.
Wouldnt the parents just be able to unadopt the person - _give her back_ - especially once the judge gave her a 1989 birth certificate? You would think that the adoption would have been annulled once it was established that the tiny person was no child. The fact that she was actually an adult would fully change the situation. The paperwork would be invalid.
Ya, actually, those parents should sue the agency, hold them accountable for the nightmare they have been thru.
Children should NEVER be a commodity for trade or purchase. Ban surrogacy as well.
Bottom line the system failed from the get go.
@@GetSicRiCH The way they had her declared an adult was not legal. The judge should be prosecuted.
I appreciate how Dr Grande turns 6 episodes of this Investigation Discovery documentary into a clean 18 min. And jeez that was without Natalia's interviews... thank you for the thorough analysis on this super weird case with so many red flags. It's cruel to manipulate parents looking to adopt.
It happened a LOT back in the 90's. Many Eastern European countries were essentially exporting their potential problem citizens to well-meaning, hopeful American parents.
@@pricklypear7516these parents were never well meaning.
@@delloliod too true! So many sick people looking to adopt for their own narcissistic reasons. Self-gratifying a-holes
That suggests the parents are victims and let's be honest they're not
Lol the parents were manipulated? Wtf did you watch ?
Natalia has gone through a lot of trauma and abuse. It's truly heartbreaking.
This case was disturbing on many levels. Regardless of Natalia’s status her adoptive family showed no compassion for her. And if Natalia was a child when placed, what was up at the adoption agency? Thanks for covering this Dr. Grande.
I believe this child was about 11 or 12 like Dr. Grande said. And I believe the orphanage changed her birthdate to try to pass her off as younger so she could be adopted. The poor girl obviously was mistreated and needed love and support. Instead, she got two awful parents who abused her more. I hope Natalia is in a better place now.
The documentary specifically stated that her birth year of 2003 was accurate according to the 2020 interview in Ukraine with her bio mother, Anna Gava. She stated that she has been dealing with this adoption issue since Natalia was born “ for 17 years”, which would equate to 2003. She was Anna’s 2nd born daughter and Anna was convinced by the Ukrainian doctors that the baby would be a nuisance to her life, being unmarried and 24 yrs old, telling her that the baby would need numerous surgeries and more medical procedures that a young mother could afford. She said it wasn’t an easy decision and genuinely cried about the situation. She stated that she felt if Natalia was to be adopted in America, she would be better able to have access to the medical care that she needed to have a better life. Tragic story but I wish that Dr. Grande would’ve pointed out that Natalia “allegedly”confessed to these bizarre accusations bc now she is almost 20 yrs old and is very articulate and can confirm or deny any of these accusations ascribed to her by those maniacal parents that she was mentally, verbally and physically tortured by. I’m surprised that little darling is as sane as she is!
@@tessiepharris3395 Oh the mom just didn’t want to take care of her own child who had major psychological issues, and she also lied about her age. Clearly she wasn’t a 6 year old child.
Little darling? Not hardly. She was very disturbed and threatened them, but the parents were also bad people. No one in this story was innocent.
@@cuppycakey5013 So you're saying the REAL mom was 10 years old when she had Natalia (since you're saying Natalia lied about her age and was actually the age the Barnatts said)? And since the mother had more children, that would reveal that her MOTHER was actually aged 4 years old when she had her first child? LOL Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds?? You need to research more. Natalia was in fact the age she originally stated. These adoptive parents abandoned and abused a disabled CHILD!!!!!!! You shouldn't defend them. They are disgusting humans.
@@cuppycakey5013 maybe she wouldn’t have threatened them if they’d loved her and gotten her helpful support. The adults are the only evil in this story
It is already proven that Natalia was born in 2003. All the documents plus her birth mother have already stated this. I'm sure the hospital has records to prove when this woman gave birth.
It seems to me the adoption agent gave them information that was misleading. Maybe the agent was just the middle agent and had also been tricked. To have to make a decision on that short notice is a warning sign.
I think the adoption agency was misleading, but I also think the NH family was not candid about their problems which is why she ended up at a Florida agency.
I believe Natalia was born in 2003 based on information regarding the birth mother. Natalia’s odd demeanor was definitely a result of trauma and then continued abused inflicted by the adoptive nut jobs. They regretted their decision to adopt her then concocted lies to be rid of her including aging her to be an adult so they could abandon her. I do not believe one word they say including the nonsense about pubic hair and menstruating. So disappointed these horrible people are not in prison for the devastation they caused this little girl. And thank you for pointing out that Sociopath is not an actual diagnosis proving another lie from that freak Michael.
I mean, no way the mother in Ukraine can't remember WHEN she was born... (and if they adopted her in 2010, well she was exactly 6-7 years old. If you look at the pictures, at the facial bone structure, she was definitely a child back then, and now she's a woman with bigger head, jaw, nose and so on! She WAS a child!)
So why not just drop her off if they didn't want her
Yep. All they had to do was take her to the pediatrician to document that if it had been true. I don’t understand the controversy - the facts are painfully clear. They adopted a child, they realized her disabilities would make their lives difficult, and they concocted a way to get rid of her that allowed them to still claim to be good people. It’s not even a close question.
So how does an 8-year-old pass a GED and maintain an apartment and go to college classes on their own. Especially if she didn't get proper education all that time.. that would be hard enough for an 18-year-old in her situation but an 8-year-old??
@@Lady.Luck. did you watch the show? She was looking to neighbors for help ....
What I personally took from the 6 episodes documentary….she was NOT an adult, and she most likely was MOLESTED, which made her sexually active. Also she was abused form the adoptive dad and mom and brothers!!!
Agree totally. So sad.
Its insane that nobody has addressed that head-on because most of the supposedly peculiar elements of this story can be explained as symptoms of sexual abuse.
Felt called to adopt our ten year old daughter from Russia in 2001. She had experienced physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and drug use, as well as the trauma associated with living in an institution with twenty some other traumatized children in a former Soviet country. Her age was never a question, but her medical records were inaccurate. Our experience has taught me to not judge adoptive parents too harshly. We tried very hard to prepare ourselves, but we were in over our heads many times, and often felt hopeless and sometimes frightened. We have seen several other adoptive families in more severe distress, with the final outcome that the adoptions failed or the family split up. Adoption is romanticized in the media. It is hard. Many of Natalia’s reported behaviors are signs of childhood trauma and reactive attachment disorder. If her parents were somewhat unbalanced themselves, I can easily see how all of this could have happened. Natalia needed help, but so did they. Are they criminals or victims? Probably both. Is she a con artist? Probably not, but she likely was a very difficult, troubled girl who needed competent professional mental health services from someone trained in attachment disorder, and that is not easy to find in many areas of the country.
By the way, our daughter is an amazing, married, successful mom of five beautiful kids. She is more resilient than anyone I know, a true overcomer.
You did a great job
A dentist would be able to tell her age fairly accurately. It’s hard to imagine nobody could tell how old she was based in dentition
A dentist said she still had her baby teeth at the time
Dental hygienist here. 💯 agree!
@@SammyMcnammyyeah and that one doctor who said she still had growth plates when he examined her
Like in Orphan
@@DannyKa-x8z the Orphan came out before the adoption. The adoptive mom Christine got this fake story from watching this movie
I agree everyone here was lying ,I think the husband was overly dramatic but I do believe Christine was highly abusive and I dont believe Michael was an innocent victim. I think that the documentary makers were very sneaky even though Jacob mistakenly still had his mic on they were def not acting in anyones best interests except their own.
I think they were working in the best interests of Natalia especially since Michael admitted their family abused her. And I'm glad they caught Jacob and Michael lying about covering up pushing her down the stairs. They are abusers
@@rosiekapun207 precisely! I wonder if Jacob really forgot or it was his way of making amends for what he did.
Have you seen natalia now? She's clearly grown and clearly an adult. People are placing a lot of blame on an abandoned child who seems to have been dragged from one terrible situation to another with shady people all around. At this point does SHE even know whats a lie and what's the truth about her with the amount of abuse she's endured
@Rosie Kapun I don't. It's a documentary . They are notoriously one-sided, and what happened to Natalia is awful, but Jacob isn't to blame he was a child who was weaponized by his mother,also abuse.
I agree too, everyone was lying, whether it’s by omission or on purpose. I do believe that Natalia been through alot. Despite any controversy about her age ( I have a hard time believing that Ukrainian woman was born in ‘79 ) she still needed help. She didn’t deserve to be abandoned.
I comment just to help Dr grande’s UA-cam career. He adds so much value to my life. I happily watch the ads on his videos
I would LOVE to hear from the FIRST adoptive family. I want to know why they gave her back. There MUST be some reasoning for that.
I go back and forth a lot bc on one hand, the family she has lived with since apparently hasnt had issues with her. So that would suggest there was a family issue. But then again, some of the things reported by like her neighbors is upsetting as well and the staff at the facility as well and therapist diagnosing her as a Psychopath. That all feels significant to me and not likely false. Also, the little couple who considered adopting her also said they had an evil feeling from her. Even if they are advocating for her now, this is the reason they report is for not adopting her. That again doesnt seem likely either to be fake. Why would any of these people lie about this stuff??
It was due to her demeanour towards another child in the family.
Natalia Grace speaking in an American accent and not knowing Ukrainian really isn’t weird at all once you know about her background before she came to the Barnetts. They didn’t adopt her directly from Ukraine, she had been living in the US for 2 years before the Barnetts adopted her from a private adoption facility in Florida. Little kids pick up language and accents much quicker than adults, people who immigrate to the US as young children like she did usually lose their foreign accents very quickly. Adopted kids to come to the US and aren’t exposed to their birth language often lose that birth language very quickly, so it also lines up that she wouldn’t be fluent in Ukrainian anymore. So not having an accent or speaking Ukrainian actually goes in favor of her being as young as she said she was. Idk why the Barnetts expected her to talk like Boris and Natasha.
Ignorance
Yes, I thought that was ridiculous. I have adopted sisters and they picked up English and lost there language and accents very quickly. smh I don't believe most of what those weirdos say...
Thank you for explaining this. I didn't understand the whole language thing, now this makes absolute sense
A few thoughts.. is it possible she had some early puberty signs due to a disorder that wasn’t invested? Also. It’s well known that children raised in orphanages can have some serious attachment issues.. the quick adopted raises red flags for me as an adoptive parent… I didn’t watch the documentary but was the first adoption disrupted and what were the reasons? Some children adopted from traumatic situations can have serious mental health concerns.. are you familiar with reactive attachment disorder? Could that be part of this scenario?
Yes, precocious puberty. I was thinking the same thing.
My thoughts as well. I remember when the story first came out, a couple that had dwarfism themselves had tried to adopt her, but it fell through. They shared pictures of her when they had her, and she was missing teeth. She was clearly a young child. It just amazes me that people can discard these reasonable possibilities, like precocious puberty, or RAD, and jump straight to...her being an adult.
Precocious puberty is not related to her condition. In fact, it’ is more common to have delayed puberty in her circumstances. Precocious puberty can be related to stress, obesity, and/or genetics, as well as environmental factors. Though having full pubic hair and cycles at six are possible it is VERY unusual. That mixed with some of her other behaviors, especially the advanced vocabulary, are not part of early puberty. My kid has this so I’ve done tons of research.
This kid was probably really 12-14 years old s he had a full set of adult teeth? Probably more like 14. Interesting case.
@@atticusandwinifred3274 You gotta remember Natalia SAID that she hasn't has a menstral cycle since that day her adoptive mother Christine said she had one. Christine obviously lied about many things. Probably convincing a 6 year old Natalia that she did things that she didn't and Natalia just believed her (since she was a naïve 6 year old). Also since she hasn't had a menstral cycle since that day, could that period blood be from sexual abuse instead since Christine caught was trying to get a 6 year old Natalia to hook up with a stranger? Natalia displayed many signs of sexual abuse.
@@SammyMcnammy I wouldn’t believe anything that either of them said, but we can focus on the facts that Dr Grande discussed in the video.
My days are always better when one of Dr. G's videos is involved. ❤️
Good thing there's a new one every day!
I would love to see an analysis done on Michael.
He’s a drama queen.
After watching the series…it left no doubt in my mind that Natalia was indeed a young child when she was adopted.
Her biological mother was not old enough to be the mother of a young adult during the time frame that was established. Birth mom also verified the date of birth with a birth certificate.
Just seeing how Natalia looks now as a known adult compared to how she looked at the time of her adoption confirms it. She changed a LOT as one would expect from childhood to adulthood.
Her adoptive mother was pretty awful as verified by a few people’s testimonies. I didn’t find him to be a great guy either, but she was definitely the worse parent at least as she was portrayed in the series.
Her sexual conversations with the “little person” in the wheel chair and trying to set poor Natalia up with him were so disgusting and disturbing…and also revealing of her true character.
This is like a horror movie. I wish the family would have not adopted her to begin with …. Saying you have 24 hours to make such a huge decision is not acceptable. This entire situation is sad. Great work Dr Grande.
IMO - Michael Barnett is a drama king. He does not act like an adult, and seems to be very self absorbed.
And he appears to be deeply closeted!
I think he may be autisitic like his son.
He's a textbook narcissist. Both of the parents appear to be deeply and dangerously narcissistic.
@@blondespitfire When he get s upset the queen really comes out.
Thank you for the upload. Dr. Grande. The son was the only one who was trying to maintain a semblance of reality.
Reactive Attachment Disorder exists. Very silly parents.
I raised two children adopted thru foster with RAD. No doubt but Natalia had it.
Yes!! I came here to say this!! Spot on, IMO. Can’t imagine what she went through in the years leading up to being involved with this family, and then the cruelty and rejection in this home. Terrible.
Poor natalia she didn't have a hope with these 2 and there's seems to be something much more nefarious that may well come out
“Silly” is the understatement of the year. This people were monsters who abused that child with extreme cruelty.
So does psychopathy.
She was ALWAYS a child and what they both did to her is truly disgusting🤮🚮
Please give us a follow up, because after seeing the full first season and now the 4 episodes into the second season, I think your analysis needs an update... Like that was an actual child, and she has real proof from a DNA lab, from the dentist she saw as a child, its wild.... and you should have seen the dentists look of disbelief when they told him what had become of her...
I can not believe anyone would ever think she was an adult... This is crazy, and its downright criminal what they did to that child.
It would make sense thst she was 13 or 14 at the time and dealing with intense trauma, possibly trauma she had blocked out of her memory. In any case, they should have at least put her in a group home and not an apartment by herself.
At the end of the day, Natalia has had a lot to deal with. Some of the video the Barnett’s filmed to prove their point, made them look like horrible parents. I felt sorry for her during the entire documentary.
No, all she’s done is figure out a way to live off everyone or anyone else.
Lol she was a child. A child is called dependent legally for a reaspn. She was re-aged unjustly. It was the Barnnetts who fleeced everyone with their manipulative story.
I know. When they first started showing the "home videos" I was like are they for real just going to show us these parents outright psychologically abusing this girl... and then they did.
@@aeropsia exactly..all those unhealthty TESTS like getting a ukranian speaker to test natalia, to question her age and dwarfism by getting a kid who had her disorder and take pix to compare sizes, the cell phone interrogations WHO ARE YOU, HOW OLD ARE YOU, WHY DO YOU HAVE BLOODY UNDIES, WHY DO U LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING, YOU'RE A RUSSIAN SPY...YOU ARE A CRIMINAL YOU ARE EVIL... and making her stand for hours against the wall.... absolutely sick fcks..
@darleneww3670 They left her alone with no food or proper care, how is she living off of them?
Instead of watching long, multi episodes series of a particular case, just watch Dr Grande's analysis on it. Gets to the point with adding the most relevant information and in return, you save so much more time and get a well informed, factually correct analysis by someone who has a lot of mental health experience. ❤️ I wish I had a Dr. Grande in my life...I could've avoided certain toxic situations in my younger years if I had 😂
I agree. Dr. Grande provides a fair assessment of a broad range of information. Too often, people advocate for one side to the exclusion or derogation of the other.
I feel really bad for Natalia. Whatever her age, she was the kid here and the adults failed her at every level. I hope she finds a way to put this all behind and be happy.
I haven't seen you in ages. Glad to see you are still looking well & around. I'm a Ret PsychNurse/USVet/Foster Mom so you don't want to get me started about the dysfunction of our Child & Family Services & Child "Protection" Agencies in America. Grrr. Thx.🙏
Thank you, Dr. Grande. An excellent analysis, as always. Also, my compliments on your set and lighting design. True to your style, you have achieved perfection.
Cool background Doc! Ive been watching you since you were in a regular computer room. I love to see you keep upgrading and changing it up. You've been putting in work, you deserve it!
Natalia would have said and done anything she could if she thought it would make her parents love her. She’ll tell people she’s older because she thinks that’s what her parents want to hear.
Reactive attachment disorder! Explains so much of her behavior.
Why would she think that claiming to be an adult would make her parents love her? Nor would it explain the physical signs she was older.
@@eadweard.uh because her age was changed lol? Her mom was beating the “truth” out her . Most people will say whatever their abuser wants to hear to stop the abuse.
@@deaf2819 right 💯!! I’m no professional… just a person who has a fascination with psychology & wastes way too much researching these topics. But the whole time, my mind was screaming Reactive Attachment Disorder. The Barnetts are just a s#!t show (I won’t even get started!), just so obviously not equipped to raise a child with this or trauma in general. I believe she needed psychiatric treatment. She was a child, and probably shouldn’t have been placed in a home with so many other young children. This adoption agency needs to be held accountable!!
@@deaf2819 She showed physical signs of being older "because her age was changed"? What do you mean?
There is another documentary I saw about a russian girl who was abandoned like this girl by an american couple. Her name is Sabrina and she was also influenced by the adoptive parents to lie about her mental health when she was a minor. She was told she heard voices and wanted to kill her brother. She was returned to Russia, but luckily was adopted by other american family and she is a healthy woman, a professional and a mother with no mental issues now. People don't understand how influental children can be.
I truly believe that parents who want to adopt shoud undergo a series of psichological tests before they adopt a person. I don't know if that is compulsory in América like in my country.
The state does nothing to help. But they will be glad to swoop in years later to charge you with something.
I knew a family who travelled to Russia & was supposed to adopt only one child. They came back with three young girls. The orphanage had presented all girls as sisters. They started their puberty way too young and were obliged to take meds to delay menstruation. These new parents did not really know anything about their girls' previous history in Russia. Girls were hyperactive and hard to control. So many ailments which probably came from the mother's plight: risky living, alcohol, homelessness etc. So many fearful situations are bound to leave emotional cracks. However, love is always the best meds. You just have to love your adopted child as you would your own: unconditionally !❤❤❤
A lot easier said than done.
I grew up on a farm with electric fences. We bumped into them frequently. They sting, and it will make ya "yip", but hardly dangerous. Maybe if wrapped in it for an extended period of time. It would be mean to push someone into it, but unlikely to be too hazardous unless there is some health condition. IN fact it was common for older kids to tell younger ones to pee on the fence, as a joke.
Yeah, that whole 'murder by electric fence' plot made me chuckle. Was that even the original intent? Or was that incident just domestic drama or abuse?
@@ericfg806 I was leaning to either it was misunderstanding of the situation or a prank. After all, anyone who is of rural roots will likely chuckle at this being a "murder" device. I suppose a person with a pacemaker or something may have issues getting shocked, I dunno. A doctor maybe would know this-- but it was a right of passage I think for us kids to get hit with the fence at least once in our lives.
@@ericfg806the farm worker came and confirmed that whole situation to be another manipulation tactic full of lies by the Barfnetts.
Mrs. Barnett's story sounded like a big fat lie. Especially after Natalia explained what had happened. I know it's possible for Natalia to lie but her story sounded way more plausible and yes electric fences will at the most knock you on your butt and that's only if they are turned up really high. They are usually just a little zap and they fell NEAR the fence when they were trying to get up from resting because Natalia's feet were bleeding and sore which I believe. I totally believe given her condition that her feet were hurting her from the long walk in those shoes.
@@ericfg806 Yeah it's totally bonkers. She was tiny and could barely walk on her own, how could she have shoved or pulled a grown woman into the fence?
If Natalia is allowed on then another series should be on a series featuring the neighbors and others that are not connected with her or either family.
Ahh yes! Fifteen minutes and just in time for me to climb into bed and listen to my fav doc. Love to all from the Poconos PA
Leominster MA. Cozy bedtime ritual with the Dr. telling us a story.
In the last court case they refused to let the doctor give an opinion about her age because that crazy judge ruled that she was an adult. The physician was pissed because he said that it just didn't make any sense. He looked at her old x-rays and said the bones in her skull hadn't closed up at the time and she was clearly a child! Those people were crazy! They kept taking her to multiple physicians and psychiatrist until they could find one's that agreed with them. Sad!
Thank you for being respectful. Most channels on this topic are so rude and disrespectful 🤮
I think Natalia was about 9 years old when she was adopted and not 6. There was no way she was 14 years older. Her face was child like and her behaviors when living on her own were consistent with preteen lack of boundaries. Her behaviors were also consistent with someone subjected to significant abuse and abandonment. The Barnetts are crazy and unsuited for parenthood.
I think she was 6 she had all her baby teeth and kids don't have baby teeth at 9.
@@Wilbur-mj3fq I still have some baby teeth and I’m in my 40’s
I absolutely agree one of the photos that they showed when she was adopted. I would even say she was7or 8 years she was definitely under 10 years old .
@@sadiamj7732 and if the mother in Ukraine said she was born in 2003, when she was adopted she was exactly 6-7. She was a child. That's so sad.
@@agostinodublino1387 Did the mother say why she gave her up for adoption ?
I took the time to watch The Curious Case of Natalia Barnett and also the Dr. Phil episode with the adoptive parents who've had her for almost 7 yrs. Her Birth mother was found. Natalia was born in 2003. She didn't exhibit bad behavior with her current family. She probably was abused in the past. She may have been given hormones which caused early puberty. But many things said by the Barnetts is a flat out like!
no word on the corrupt adoption agency? they knew something was wrong with that girl
I watched the documentary. I am heartbroken at what that child went through. The shots of her looking up at them and trying to answer their questions just gave me the creeps. She was so vulnerable, so precious. I have no doubt there were behaviors from Natalia that were disturbing. That's was parenting is for. Sadly, 'parenting' was lacking in her case. I want to go back in time and hug Natalia.
I want to go back in time and have her adopted by the family who took it upon themselves to care for her.
Of course she’s was a child! Look at pics of her then and now, she’s obviously aged, also, her orthopedic surgeon stated that when he operated of Natalia she had growth plates in her bones, these wouldn’t be open if growth was finished. If anyone wants and in-depth telling of Natalia’s case Stephanie Harlow has a good one.
This family seems to like attention. First one of there kids is featured on 60 minutes then this happens?
IMO - I agree totally with you. It is my opinion Natalia was a "prop" who was going to be show -cased as another example of what a superwoman Kristine was. The adoptive mother had already made money from the book about her prodigy son. The Barnetts probably dreamed up a lucrative scam along the same story lines. It turned out that Natalia was far more than what they had bargained for: she did not fit into their pre-planned narrative. One would be hard pressed to find two more selfish adults.
@@butterflygirl2285Bingo.
@@butterflygirl2285 After seeing how inappropriate both the Barnetts were I wouldn't put it pass them. There was a youtube family vloggers that did something similar. Adopted a child with disabilities for clicks and views and money and then offloaded him when it turned out he actually needed extra care and that's WORK. smh
@@rebekahdavis5935 IMO - I think I know exactly the couple you are speaking about.
A vast majority of Natalias behavior could be chaulked up to a very traumatized little girl who may have been lied to about her own age by others. In her 'adoption' pictures she looks no older than maybe 12 at the most. And yes its very possible for her to have a period and full pubic hair at that age. I have a cousin who was 8 years old when she got her period, though I dont know about hair growth Im sure that happened around the same time too. Her previous adopters could have lied to her about her age. She clearly has aged a LOT since she was adopted for sure. She was probably not 6 years old at the time of adoption but more like 12 or 14 at the very most. And even her behaviors just sound like a very disturbed girl who needed some psychiatric help. Her methods of trying to kill her adopted mom by putting Lysol in her drink, or throwing her into an electric fence arent very reliable methods or anything youd think a grown adult would think would actually kill someone. Then everytime she was confronted with a knife or weapon she would immediately tell them her intentions to kill. That doesnt sound like someone who is evil, it just sounds like a disturbed young person who really needed some help from professionals. This isnt a movie its a real person.
For sure and I don't think you can believe Mrs Barnett anyway. I'm sure Natalia has some major issues that she needed help with ,not to be further abused by the Barnett family but that electric fence story was a load of bs imo.
@@rebekahdavis5935 Not really the electric fence incident did happen and I look for a common denominator in all parties involved- everyone agreed the police was there and everyone agreed NATALIA not KRISTINE left in the ambulance to be taken to the Mental State Hospital for a Psychiatric Evaluation - where Natalia ended up staying for 3 months......
I wish the documentary would have interviewed the Police Officers and we could have gotten a better reason of why they decided to take Natalia to Mental State Hospital and not Kristine
My understanding a police officer will make that call if :
The person are acting in a disorderly manner involving violence or a threat of violence to themselves or another person;
and.......
The person’s actions are likely to cause them to harm themselves or another person. Sometimes an officer will take the person to the psychiatric hospital instead of charging them with a criminal offence (if they have grounds to do so).
Same here. A friend of mine had her period at 9 years old when at that age we used to play dolls .
@@verucasalt9182 That is all good and dandy but unfortunately Natalia is saying she has never had a cycle - matter of fact after the bloody underwear incident Kristine took her to the Doctor's the next day- point blank Natalia had a period - There are receipts and a medical report of this that was turned into the Indiana Superior Court House back in February 2022.....Beth Karas on Documentary said she saw medical reports where Natalia was diagnosed with Anti-Social Personality Disorder-Sociopath and other mental health issues......I would like to know what the other mental health issues are because she act like she has delusional disorder as well ........Natalia point blank lies and say it didn't happen when you have receipts of medical reports from Expert Doctors and other witnesses who saw her acting out or saying weird stuff about killing her adoptive family .....
It is ok to take her in and give her a roof and treat with respect ....but do not ignore her mental health status
I don't judge this family for their inability to cope with Natalia's behaviour at the time, I do judge them though for trying to paint her as a manipulative psychopath with an agenda, after they failed in their duty of care.
Parenting doesn't finish when your child turns 18, and it doesn't finish when your child turns out to be something or someone other than you wanted or expected them to be.
I disagree the Barnett's cannot diagnose her with ASPD-Sociopath ....she was diagnosed by Expert Doctors' a Psychiatrist, Psychologist and a Neuropsychiatrist ...Barnett's cannot change her age only a Judge by Court of Law - and the Judge in June 2012 rightfully did so by obtaining a actual certified copy of her birth certificate which affirmed her birthdate September 04 1989....after the adoption was annulled in June 2012 the Barnett's should have left her little ass alone.......
@@camiosisshe wasn’t born then tho sooo she was born in 2003 her birth mother confirmed and they did dna testing she was telling the truth.
@@bellaorman2870 Her actual birth mother is deceased her eldest sister is perpetrating as her alleged mother . If you have been following this case Natalia never did her part of the DNA test back in December 2019 she told Court Judge she could not take a DNA test because she was a minor and need guardian consent .....and then never turned in DNA test results before Mandated Court Date Expired August 14, 2020. .. The only birth certificate that verified and affirmed her birthdate at the Civil Registry Office of the City Natalia was born is her September 04 1989 birth certificate in her original birth name *Natasha Gava Vadymivna*
Natalia did her only DNA test on August 14, 2023 ..... 3 years after the Mandated Court Date Expired to turn in DNA test and it was the wrong type of DNA test .... TruAge Diagnostics only specialize in Biological Age Testing by glycan cells to determine your healthspan age and it can be reversed ..... Has nothing to do with DNA Chronological Age Testing that cannot be reversed or DNA comparison with a sibling or parent.
Natalia and her cohorts are liars they have one common denominator their dislike for the Barnett's . ... I don't like nobody involved ...but seek Justice ( period) .... Once Natalia get what she wants from you she show her true blue little mini ass .... Can't trust her period. ...
@@camiosis its been confirmed that she was a child
@@camiosiswhen an adopted child has pubic hair and is throwing feces on the wall that's... The end of the story right there. That's a nope.
The way Natalia acted in her first apartment screams an abandoned child. I'm so sorry for her...
Not to me she was not too concerned being left alone she was not scared and was all over the damn neighborhood not once did she call the police and tell them she was a child ....but reversed back to her old profession she was taught previously as she said she has used sex in exchange for money before .........Especially since I know now she was truly born September 04, 1989........
that would mean her mother was 10 when she gave her birth. her mother has been located and DNA tested. and she was shown to be born in 1979. so nah man@@camiosis
some ppl are stuck on stupid ! she clearly was a child
@drtodgrande you are forgetting to mention there are many dr.s that said early on that her growth plate showed she was a child. Additionally, where her dentist showed xrays showing she did indeed have baby teeth consistent with the age she claimed to be.
I feel like she was at max 8 for the simple reason how much her face changed in comparison to her 18th birthday picture. like you see how much she has matured in bone structure alone. so she was a poor kid they just abandoned. she probably had serius mental health issues but what they did is crazy.
Honestly I find it hard to be afraid of a childish, small person who can't even hold utensils properly or walk without issues. Her behaviour could be problematic but these so called adoptive parents are an embarrassment.
@@rosiekapun207 yea 6 is about the moment people learn to write many still holding there pen wrong.
Natalia was indeed a child when she was adopted.Its the barnett's who were the psycho monsters.
Imagine your mom telling you to pee on your sister's bed.
Disturbed people adopting a disturbed person. Poor other kids being caught up in that mess
What a curious case! I am going to watch this documentary now.
Thank you for covering this case and I hope you post updates on it as well.
Have a wonderful day, Dr. Grande.❤
Hi Dr. Grande, I totally blame the strange adoption agency. Strange because giving prospective parents just 24 hours is strange to me. Dr. Grande as always you did a super good job on this very odd case.
I knew a family like this- adopted a disturbed 12 year old and the oppressively strict environment and problems the adults all had and their inability to deal healthily with her problematic behaviour made the 12 year olds behaviour worse. There were also knives and threats of killing in her repertoire as well. She moved out at 18 and we didn't hear from her for a few years. I believe she is doing well now. This case really resonates with me because I just think it's so damaging to children to be shamed and labelled as dangerous when they are just children. It becomes part of their own beliefs and identity. I'm not surprised Natalia has never been the best advocate for herself, I hope she can learn to love herself one day and can move on and away from these toxic people.
I really don't think it matters if she was 6 or 12, except that her being older removes some responsibility from the adopted family in their complete failure to provide her with a loving and nurturing and stable home until she was ready to fly the nest. Which doesn't automatically happen when someone turns 18. And any parent will attest to the fact that being a parent is a lifelong occupation and doesn't just stop when your child turns 18.
did you miss the part she was diagnosed as a phsycopath, there is no hope, lock her up in a mental asylum and be done with it. She will only casue pain if not murder eventually.
@@thecanadakid7622 IMO - I did not understand why the mental hospital did not refer Natalia to a permanent in patient treatment center if she was deemed psychologically disturbed (according to the anonymous hospital employees).
The trouble is is that kids kill their families more often then we care to admit so it’s not just an empty threat
@@thecanadakid7622 no one can be diagnosed as a psychopath especially as a child. If anything, a doctor would claim a patient had anti-social traits. Michael was exaggerating per usual.
@@juliemiller6966 maybe. But kids are a reflection of their environment. It's not fair to ask a child to take full responsibility for their dysfunctional behaviour. If the child poses a genuine danger then all the more reason to pour resources into him/her during critical developmental phases. Not just say, 'this is too hard, you aren't really my child anyway, so I'm giving up on you and I need to protect myself and my other children/family.'
Have friends who adopted a girl from China. They were told she was 10. After the adoption and dr visits, they found out she was 16. She had emotional issues, and had been a bully to other kids. None of this was of course noted. The orphanage wanted her gone. They struggled for a long time with her, doing everything they could to help her and keep her happy. Even had other Chinese children and her get together so they felt more comfortable. She left home as soon as she was 18 and has no contact with them. Unfortunately, countries lie to get troubled kids out of their hands. Do your research if you adopt from another country.
Thanks for your consistency Dr Grande!
I haven't watched the documentary so may change my mind afterwards but by what was covered in this description and analysis the parents do not sound unreasonable. Even clinicians said she was a sociopath and highly manipulative. Waking up to her standing over your bed with a knife, trying to push someone into an electric fence, talking about killing, trying to lure the children onto the street/road, purposefully defecating over everything, being inappropriate etc... I think she needed to be in a facility not housed with a family. If she was just difficult or maybe had developmental difficulties I wouldn't be saying this but her behaviour was a lot more than this.
As someone who is disabled & shunned from my family in much the same way my father was shunned when he got sick. So I’ve seen the repetitive cycle in my own life. I really feel this boils down to how relatively “normal” ppl treat ppl who are disabled/handicapped. I really do.
There’s like this unconscious thing ppl do. Where they put all the blame on the sick person so they are absolved of any responsibility. Bc when it comes to survival instinct, it is terribly difficult not only taking care of yourself but also caring for some1 disabled. But then there’s guilt attached to not helping a fellow human being. So it becomes easier to blame the sick person instead of sacrificing to help them.
This also speaks to behavior. Ppl who are severely traumatized or who have grown up like I have. In hospital settings & such. “Institutionalized” for lack of a better word. They behave totally differently than a normal, balanced person. They act out. They have trouble connecting. They are “weird”.
But ultimately they are HUMAN & have feelings & deserve to be treated w respect. Even if they are broken. Natalia is not perfect. But she is a victim of horrible things & deserves immense sympathy. Painting her as some evil psychopath dwarf is just disgusting ableism & I’m frankly tired of no one calling it out.
This story reminds of the movie from 2009 The orphan! Horrifying film which of course ended up in murder!! Yikes….. Thanks Dr Grande.
more the newer Orphan 1st kill.... the newer prequel to Orphan. its even crazier than the first
It came out the year before she was adopted. Perhaps the parents saw it 👀
This is what the movie was inspired by, no joke. The villain (in real life and in the movie) has Narcissistic Borderline Personality Disorder combined with Psychopathy. Same as Jodi Arias.
Iam a fan of those Orphan movies too.
@@hopeseekr the movie was before this. Clueless.
Regardless if Natalia was mistreated, she had been returned to the orphanage more than once. Why would families, over and over, do such a thing? Something doesn't add up. It's interesting that Dr. Phil's interview with her didn't share all the info that Dr. Grande had gleaned from the documentary. Her new adoptive family swears she is a child and as long as this is a minor, she gets benefits from the government.
She is still legally an adult, so would not be receiving any benefits as a minor. She couldn't even go to school.
They do that all the time
Hmm, I wonder why an abandoned, neglected, disabled, and different looking child would keep getting returned? Maybe ableism??? She was definitely a child when she was adopted by the American family. Unfortunately, they turned out to be total nut cases.
As an adult, Natalia would receive benefits based on her disability, including SSI, Medicaid and food stamps. She also would be eligible for caregiver services under Medicaid’s home and community based waiver.
@@purpleslurple5149 She's saying she's only 19. She can get public assistance because she's disabled.
Agreed. Michael was so laughable in his “testimony”.
He was a bit over the top.
@@annazaman9657 Just a tad. Like a millimeter over the top. 😉
You folks don't know trauma that's why.
I strongly suspect Michael is autistic, like Jacob.
So you're telling me that a mentally ill child got adopted by mentally ill parents and it didn't work out? I... Am... Flabbergasted.
Is she mentally ill though? Seems like she had behavioral problems due to being placed with abusive "parents". She does have a physical disability and should have never been adopted by those monsters.
@@augustek5382 I'd take a guess that the abuse started way before the couple in the US adopted her. Imagine the hell she went through before they got her. I reckon that kind of childhood would cause most people to develop mental illness. Add that to the physical and mental burden of her disability, and I don't think she ever really had a chance of being normal.
@@DigitalNebwith a lot of love and patience my nephew was fine with me. He’s now an RN, loving father and husband and a wonderful son. Yes he was a mess when I got him but hes more than fine now
@@mimiof8324 That's fantastic. He's lucky to have someone that cares so much. Good job!
@@DigitalNeb thank you. However, I’m the lucky one. He taught me so much
A curious case, indeed. Also, I saved time watching your video, as opposed to multiple episodes of the documentary series; thank you for your service, as always, Dr. Grande.
This is the plot from the horror movie, "The Orphan" which was released in 2009. I think Natalia saw it. Great analysis as always.
I think the adopted parents watched it and used it to get rid of the kid. They are disgusting human beings!
@@GR-jk5lq Yes!
Reminds me of the classic bugs bunny cartoon when the short baby face gangster was hiding fr from the cops posed as a baby and bugs bunny was baby sitting him😂
Finster!
Oh, yes! Don't mess with Bugs. "Finster, you come down from there". 😅😅
I'm autoplayed here a year later. DNA was done and Natalia is the age that she said she was. She is 22 today. Not back then.
Came looking for this comment! I wish more people knew the truth, this was a traumatized little girl who was further abused by people she was expected to trust and obey.
@@BunnyQueen97And further abused by content creators pretending that preposterous psycho secret adult story could be true
thank you for doing this video. this happened in my hometown and I have been dying for a mental health standpoint on this case.
I was hoping you'd cover this! Thank you!