The ‘disturbing’ story of a 8-year-old with dwarfism accused of lying about her age

The new drama Good American Family dramatises this murky 15-year long saga (Picture: Disney)

When an American couple adopted a child from Ukraine, the saga that followed is stranger than fiction.

Disney+ and Hulu’s new series, Good American Family, tells the complex and wieldly story of Kristine and Michael Barnett who turn against their adopted child with a rare form of dwarfism, Natalia, who they claim is a fully grown adult – and a sociopath.

The official synopsis continues: ‘As they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, mystery emerges around her age and background, and they slowly start to suspect she may not be who she says she is.

‘As they defend their family from the daughter they’ve grown to believe is a threat, she fights her own battle to confront her past and what her future holds, in a showdown that ultimately plays out in the tabloids and the courtroom.’

The catch? This shocking tale is actually based on a true story with disturbing parallels to the 2009 horror movie Orphan.

And over 15 years since her adoption, there are still many conflicting views on what exactly went down, prompting this dramatic retelling from multiple perspectives.

Natalia Grace was adopted in 2010. By 2012, her age had been changed from 8 to 22 (Picture: Provided) The true story that inspired Good American Family

In 2010, the Barnetts adopted 6-year-old Ukranian orphan Natalia who had a rare form of dwarfism known as spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDc).

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, this is ‘a rare genetic disorder that involves spinal and epiphyseal enlargement… [and] affects a structure of connective tissue (collagen) that supports many parts of the body.’

The Barnetts brought Natalia back to their family home in Indiana, where they also had three biological children but as the months went by everything started to take a sinister turn.

After bathing Natalia, Kristine claimed she Natalia had full pubic hair and was concealing the fact she had a period, eventually leading them to believe their adopted daughter was actually a 22-year-old woman.

Her adoptive parents accused her of terrorising them (Picture: Warner Bros)

Then the parents started to claim Natalia was terrorising them from urinating on their son to bringing a knife into their bedroom to planting traps around the home – they even worried she could be planning to murder them.

Other allegations included Natalia trying to poison Kristine’s coffee and drag her towards an electric fence.

In 2012, Kristine and Michael legally changed her birth date from 2003 to 1989 after petitioning the Marion County Probate Court who were convinced by ‘age estimates provided by a primary care physician and social worker.’

A year later they abandoned Natalia in an apartment as the rest of the family moved to Canada. In 2014, Michael filed for divorce and has gone on to call Kristine a ‘monster’ and accuse her of abuse (which she has denied)

In 2019, multiple counts of neglecting a dependent were brought against Michael and Kristine but a jury found Michael not guilty in 2022, and the charges against Kristine were dropped.

After years of DNA and medical testing, Natalia restored her birthday and seemingly proved she was the age she said she was (Picture: Investigation Discovery)

Natalia has vehemently denied claims of terrorising the family, explaining in the Investigation Discovery docuseries – The Curious Case of Natalia Grace – that she ‘can’t bend my fingers to even grip a knife.’

A DNA analysis, several medical tests and many years later, Natalia restored her birth date to 2003 – and a televised medical test proved that she was around 22-years-old which lined up with her age at the time, proving she was a child at the time of her adoption.

In an interview with People in January 2024, Natalia said: ‘There were a lot of people saying, “You’re fake. You’re a liar. You’re a paedophile.”

‘I’m also known for the little girl that was helpless and was beaten and starved and all that. That’s not who I am. But that seems to be the only thing that people know – and that’s why it hurts me a lot.’

In the documentary, Natalia claims she was the victim of physical abuse including being hit with a belt and pepper-sprayed in her eyes.

In a post from 2024, Kristine pushed back against this, writing: ‘[Natalia] was not abused by anyone in my family. Nobody ever took a belt to Natalia, and the allegations that she was ‘beaten’ are just plain false.

Ellen Pompeo plays Kristine in the Disney+ adaptation (Picture: Disney/AP)

‘I sat through numerous hospital visits and therapy visits trying to understand and help Natalia and thinking we might be able to find the root of the issue. In the end I learned she is a sociopath.’

In 2023, Natalia was legally adopted by religious neighbours Cynthia Man and Christian pastor Antwon Mans who already share 10 children but she left the family after a relationship breakdown.

She now lives with a new couple – Nicole and Vince DePaul – as she prepares for an independent life.

When is Good American Family released in the UK and who is in the cast?

The first five episodes of Good American Family are now available to stream on Disney+. New episodes of the eight-part drama will be released every Wednesday.

Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo plays Kristine opposite Mark Duplass as Michael. Imogen Faith Reid, 27, stars as Natalia.

Imogen Faith Reid reflected on how the story made her feel (Picture: Disney)

‘Not only was she left alone in an apartment at eight years old, she was also somebody living with a disability.

‘Playing that and being in that physique and that body, it just felt like: “How can anybody do this to a child?”. It made me feel angry towards the story.

‘It just really made me want to give it my all, and do what I can to portray this as best as I could,’ Reid told IndieWire about the experience portraying this real-life story.

She added: ‘I was very proud of the version that I played on Natalia. I wanted to show empowerment and for her to be seen – and for people to take away not to judge others so much. I think that’s what this story does so well, and I was honoured to play her.’

The first five episodes of Good American Family are available to stream now.

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