Natalia Grace

About

Ukrainian American adoptee with a rare form of dwarfism who became internationally famous for her extraordinary adoption saga and the legal, media, and human rights questions her case raised. Her story grabbed global attention when her second adoptive parents Michael Barnett and Kristine Barnett claimed that she was actually a fully grown adult posing as a child. She is also known for having inspired her life inspired the Investigation Discovery docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace and the Hulu series Good American Family.

Before Fame

She was placed in an orphanage shortly after she was born. She was first adopted in 2008. She was adopted again in the spring of 2010 by Michael and Kristine Barnett in Indiana and renamed Natalia Grace Barnett. Her adoptive parents began questioning her age based off of physical development and petitioned to legally change her birth year to 1989. Her story became widely known in 2019 when the Barnetts were charged with neglect of a dependent which prompted widespread coverage and discussion over whether she was really a child or adult.

Trivia

Her case is one of the rare globally covered adoption mysteries. She had a DNA test done in August 2023 which estimated her to be about 22 years old, which suggested that her original 2003 birth year was accurate. She loves art, drawing, and dolls.

Family Life

She was born Natalia Vadymivna Gava in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Her birth parents were Vadim and Anna Gava. Her first adoptive parents in the U.S. were Dyan and Gary Ciccone in 2008. Her second adoptive parents were Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2010, and it was with the Barnetts that many of the controversies occurred.

Associated With

Her story inspired the series Good American Family starring Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass.