‘Natalia Speaks’: Natalia Grace Docuseries Ends on Jaw-Dropping Cliffhanger (VIDEO)
The incredible story of Natalia Grace took another shocking turn on Wednesday night (January 3) in the closing moments of Investigation Discovery‘s docuseries, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks.
For those unfamiliar with the case, Grace, a Ukrainian-born American, was adopted in 2010 by Michael and Kristine Barnett, who believed her to be a six-year-old orphaned girl. What the couple didn’t realize was that Grace has a form of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.
Over time, the Barnetts became suspicious that Grace wasn’t actually a child. They also accused her of trying to harm them and their children, including attempting to poison Kristine and pushing Michael into an electric fence.
The Barnetts eventually had Grace’s legal age changed from 6 to 22 and bought her an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, where they left her as they moved with their family to Canada in 2013. The couple, now divorced, was later charged with abandoning Grace, though Michael was found not guilty in 2022, and charges against Kristine were dropped in March 2023.
ID/YouTube
Grace, who denied trying to harm her former adoptive family, opened up about her experiences in the ID docuseries. The show saw her legally adopted by her new parents, Antwon and Cynthia Mans, the couple who took her in after she was abandoned by the Barnetts.
The future looked positive for Grace during Wednesday’s season finale, which saw her former adoptive father, Michael, asking for forgiveness for abandoning her and laying the blame on his ex-wife, Kristine. Grace eventually forgave Michael.
With the past behind her, Grace could now focus on her future with the Mans; however, things took a surprising turn in the episode’s closing moments.
A title card popped up on the screen, reading, “Two weeks ago, and six months after Natalia’s adoption, the producers got a shocking phone call.”
Over shots of Grace’s neighborhood, viewers heard the audio from the phone call, where Antwon and Cynthia claim that Natalia deceived them and has been acting strange.
“Something ain’t right with Natalia. This girl is tweakin,'” Antwon says in the audio clip. “I feel like she’s the enemy in the house. And she said to us, we have held her hostage. Made us look like we’re the enemy.”
Cynthia then adds, “Natalia is stabbing her family in the back over a complete lie.”
“She’s done other things too, but this was a new low,” Antwon continues. “Natalia does not have emotions for nothing but herself. We’re done. We’re done with her.”
It’s unclear what happened, but the final title card promises, “Natalia’s story will continue.”
Earlier in the series, which began airing on January 1, Grace took a DNA test which revealed she is approximately 22 years old, meaning she was just nine years old when she was adopted by Michael and Kristine in 2010.
“This one little piece of paper throws every single lie that the Barnetts has said right into the trash with a match,” Natalia said in the premiere episode. “This is so big. Because literally, this has been 13 years of just two people lying their butts off. They ruined a kid’s life. They painted [me] as some big monster.”
Viewers will now have to wait to see where this ongoing saga goes next.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace where to stream
