I've seen a lot of disturbing documentaries but none that have given me such a stomach-dropping feeling like The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.
The six-part series investigates American family Michael and Kristine Barnett, who adopted Ukrainian orphan, Natalia Grace, in 2010.
Upon moving Natalia into the Barnett's Indiana home with their three sons, the parents claim they grew suspicious over Natalia's real age after discovering she already had pubic hair despite being told she was six years old.
Watch the trailer for the docuseries. Post continues after video.
Natalia was born with a form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal, which means she's small in stature and therefore, could be mistaken for a child. Due to her condition, she has difficulty breathing and walking, early-onset arthritis, and weak joint mobility.
By 2019, the Barnett couple were charged with neglect after they left their adoptive daughter to survive on her own in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana while the family moved to Canada in 2011. The couple have since divorced.
The documentary features interviews with family members, former neighbours and friends of both Natalia and the Barnetts, along with many (and we mean many) rather unhinged interviews with Michael Barnett.
There are too many shocking moments to count in this series but I've rounded up the moments we can't stop thinking about.
Natalia's age is the question that plagued the entire series. According to the Barnetts, she was 22 years old when they decided to move her into an apartment alone. This is the age that the courts officially declared in 2012 when she was re-aged in a court ruling from eight years old to 22.
However, Natalia's biological mother Anna Gava was tracked down in the investigation and she's telling a different story. After proving via a DNA test that she was Natalia's birth mum, Gava showed a birth certificate that said her daughter was born in 2003.
This would mean that when the Barnetts first adopted her in 2010 and sent her to live alone in 2011, she was very much still a child.
By the end of the six episodes, it's less about how old Natalia was and more about whether she could feasibly take care of herself, or in fact, needed her adoptive parents in order to feed, clean and clothe herself.
There were many moments when the people Natalia encountered spoke about how she needed to change clothes, or complained about being hungry, which doesn't sit right.
Early in the season, Michael paints Natalia as a dangerous person.
He says that he found Natalia had a stash of knives under her bed and while living with the Barnetts and that they once woke to her standing over their bed wielding a knife. In another instance, both Michael and his son Jacob recall a time when Natalia attempted to poison Kristine's drink.
Natalia said in a 2019 interview with Dr. Phil that she disputed these claims.
Michael claimed that after visiting with a psychologist, Natalia was diagnosed as a sociopath.
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Natalia was taken to a mental health facility after an altercation at a cow farm which ended in the police being called after Kristine accused Natalia of trying to electrocute her on an electric fence.
While in the hospital, several workers said they were creeped out by her, or recalled times when Natalia suggested doing sexual favours on other patients.
During her stay, Natalia allegedly wrote letters about how she planned to kill the Barnetts' sons.
As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the Barnetts aren't as innocent as they portrayed themselves to be. Michael recalled several occasions when his wife Kristine would punish Natalia by making her stand against a wall for hours upon hours, resulting in her soiling herself. He also claimed Kristine had beaten Natalia on multiple occasions.
In one of the most disturbing moments in the whole series, Michael's son Jacob was speaking to his father without realising his microphone was still on. He alleged that his mother Kristine had once kicked Natalia down the stairs.
The conversation was horrifying.
Fans of true crime series The Jinx will recognise this as a true 'gotcha' moment.
Michael and Kristine were both charged on several counts of neglect in 2019. Michael was acquitted in October 2022 and Kristine was acquitted in March 2023.
Throughout the series, Michael's emotions were volatile. At times he was over-the-top happy, other times he was throwing objects in anger, or uncontrollably sobbing. But was it all an act?
The final scene suggests this. An outtake shows Michael saying to the camera crew: "You're not getting the crying version [of me]. If you want the crying version, I'll bust that one out," he joked.
Umm, wow.
In the years since the Barnetts were charged with neglect, Natalia was adopted by a new couple, Antwon and Cynthia Mans. In some (much needed) good news, Natalia will tell her side of the story in an upcoming follow-up documentary on the ID channel.
Feature image: ID + Mamamia.