ID’s infamous docuseries The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace has come to an end, but despite the 6 episode-long breakdowns of what went down between the Barnetts and Natalia Grace, we are left with newer mysteries that remain unanswered.
This intense documentary first premiered on the streaming platform on May 29th, 2023. It was produced with the hope of offering a clear picture of Natalia Grace‘s case and whether she was truly guilty of posing as a child while in her 20s. This one-of-a-kind tale goes way back to 2010 when an Indiana couple adopted a female child with disabilities. Although things were normal at first, the pair, Michael and Kristine Barnett, started to realize that Natalia was much older than she looked.
The situation supposedly got worse when Natalia started to traumatize Kristine and even tried to poison her by mixing bleach in her drinks. The uncanny resemblance between the movie Orphan and Natalia Grace’s case has led many to believe that the Barnetts could have been inspired by the events of the film and decided to use the situation to their advantage.
Through the use of exclusive video footage, pictures, and interviews, this ID documentary was able to offer a deep dive into this unhinged family saga. Asides from interviews, we see Michael Barnett at the epicenter of this documentary, trying to prove himself right and make sense of the complex situation he had gotten involved in. The Curious Case of Natalia Grace has a total of 6 episodes, each featuring Michael preparing for his trial.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: What Happens in The Documentary?
As the documentary starts, we see Michael Barnett talk about the good times of his life with his wife Kristine and his extremely intelligent kids. They decided to adopt a disabled Ukrainian girl child in the hope of improving her life, only for this to become the sole reason for their family’s destruction.
Once the Barnetts found out that Natalia could be an adult, they started distancing her from the family, even going as far as abandoning her all alone in Indianapolis.
Since the exact age of Natalia Grace at the time of abandonment was unknown, Michael and Kristine are filed with charges for abandoning a dependent. Natalia was later taken in by another family that found her struggling to live alone in the apartment.
As each episode unfolds, we see that Michael is a mentally unstable wreck because of the upcoming trial and has a deep hate for his wife Kristine, who he reveals was the brains behind everything that happened to Natalia Grace.
By the end of the docuseries, we see Michael preparing for his trial, meeting with his attorneys, and building up the courage to face everyone in court. Barnett has multiple breakdowns throughout the show.
When the day of the trial arrives, Michael and Natalia are summoned to court. They each testify and put forward their evidence, and the verdict turns out to be that Michael was not guilty. This comes off as a huge disappointment for Natalia, her former adoptive parents, and people from the jury.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Ending Explained
The final episode of The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace showcases Michael’s win in the case, as there was no evidence suggesting he had abandoned a child. Although the court passed the verdict in Barnett’s favor, the documentary falls in Natalia’s favor, as it’s apparent that she was just a child when the Barnetts adopted her in 2010.
Anna Gava, her real biological mother, was able to provide her real birth certificate as well, which suggested she was 8 or 9 when Michael and Kristine abandoned her.
What’s worse is that the documentary also shows that Kristine had been torturing Natalia while also actively cheating on Michael. Despite his deranged behavior throughout the show, Michael is granted double jeopardy, meaning he won’t be charged again, even if new evidence does end up coming out.
He is also made to testify against Kristine in court. In the case of Natalia Grace, the true villains seem to be the Barnetts, who couldn’t take care of a disabled child, and also the adoptive family that took Natalia in later.
Kristine’s case is also dismissed, and she’s free of charges as her motion was accepted by the court. Whether the child impersonator faced what she deserved or became the victim of an incompetent Justice system will only remain a mystery for us for now.
All episodes of The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace will be available to stream on Apple TV and Discovery+.
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