Twisted Adoption Story Did Not Inspire the Movie ‘Orphan’

A new docuseries is looking into a strange story of international adoption gone wrong. ID’s The Curious Case of Natalia Grace premieres May 29. The three-episode series explores the story of the Barnett family, who adopted a girl from Ukraine whom they later claimed was an adult posing as a child. 

Who is Natalia Grace Barnett?

In 2010, Indiana couple Kristine and Michael Barnett adopted Natalia, a 6–year-old Ukrainian orphan with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare bone growth disorder that causes dwarfism. After the adoption, the Barnetts say they found themselves in a situation they never could have imagined. The couple claim that Natalia was not actually a child, but rather an adult with violent tendencies who attacked Kristine and threatened to hurt their other children.