Natalia Grace labels mother Kristine Barnett 'monster,' alleges adoption was 'mission to boost ego'
LAFAYETTE, INDIANA: Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian native who is at the center of the controversial adoption case opened up about her time with her adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett.
The mysterious case gained notoriety due to Barnett's claim that Grace was not a young child but an adult. However, the case has now taken a new turn with Grace's revelations, according to E!News.
Natalia Grace says 'never once did I see love' after she was adopted
Grace who has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare genetic disorder stated that she was a young girl eagerly anticipating her future when the Barnetts welcomed her into their home.
However, the adoptive parents claimed she was a dangerous adult who had the intention to kill them.
Grace believes her adoptive parents had ulterior motives behind adopting her.
In an exclusive clip of the ID docuseries 'The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks', Grace says "Kristine said that adopting me was this mission of love and never once did I see any love."
"I feel like it was a mission of boosting her ego type of thing. I feel like she just wanted people to be like, ‘Oh my goodness like she's this amazing person.'"
"'She just adopted a little girl from the Ukraine who has dwarfism and has all these different medical issues and everything like that. You know, she's a great mom for wanting to help somebody, right?'", she explained.
Grace believes that Kristine's adoptive mother's intentions were not genuine and her persona was really a "mask."
"Have this really nice smile, 'I'm a great mom,'" she added.
"But and then it's like, pull that mask off—this is who she really is, like your true colors. Kristine was a monster. I didn't know what she was going to do next," Grace continued.
Michael and Kristine Barnett accused Natalia Grace of attempting to harm them
In 2012, Barnetts accused Grace of attempting to harm them on multiple occasions.
They petitioned a court to change Grace's birth year from 2003 to 1989, asserting that she was 20 years old when they adopted her.
Following their move to Canada in 2013 along with their three sons, Grace was left to live alone in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana.
The legal saga continued for six years, with Kristine and Michael facing charges in connection to their move to Canada.
The now-estranged couple also finalized their divorce in 2018.
In 2022, Michael was found guilty of his charges while the case against Kristine was dropped in March 2023.
