Is Natalia Barnett 19 or a 31-year-old Scam Artist?

When I think of a cold case in terms of what I normally see on TV, my mind jumps to unsolved murder. However, cold cases don’t have to involve killer intent, and are often more fascinating when they don’t. A cold case can also be a simple detail about the case that remains unidentified. In Natalia Grace Barnett’s case, it is this simple detail that is contingent on the determination of many factors for her and other individuals. For over a decade, people have been questioning Natalia’s age, but no one really knows the true answer. Knowing for certain would determine whether her adopted parents should be placed under arrest for when they abandoned her, and whether she can be re-adopted now.

Starting from the beginning, Natalia was placed in a Ukrainian orphanage because of her unusual pathology known as dwarfism, specifically Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita. When she came to the United States in 2008, she was living with people that had similar conditions, Vincent and Nicole Depaul. While in their care, they were provided with birth certificates that date back to 2003, and Natalia is pictured with her two front teeth coming in. This is some of the most compelling evidence that she is only a child. Natalia’s biological mother confirms this 2003 birth certificate. In 2009, Natalia took a school readiness test that placed her in the normal age range to be consistent with her birth certificate. Nothing was out of the ordinary until Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted her in 2010 and questioned her age due to her having a menstrual cycle, pubic hair, and what seemed to be a mental age above what was normal for their supposed 7-year-old (www.insider.com 2019).

They had her bone density tested by an orthopedist and the results concluded that she was 8 years old, which is consistent with everything else so far, but in 2011 the first conflicting information arose when the dentist described Natalia’s teeth as being adult (www.insider.com 2019). However, when Natalia is tested by another specialist, an endocrinologist, they determine that she is only 11 once again. In 2012, during a psychiatric hospitalization, a neuropsychologist evaluated Natalia as fully grown with secondary sex characteristics. It was stated that she was at least 14 years of age, and her menstrual cycle was documented. During the stay, Natalia’s therapist says she was told by Natalia that she is actually 18, and that she tried to kill her family. She was diagnosed with sociopathic personality disorder, which doesn’t usually prevail until 16 years of age.

The Barnetts’ went to court to have her birth certificate changed, so she could be treated age appropriately at the psychiatry office. They had their primary care doctor, McAlery, write a letter saying Natalia’s birth certificate was incorrect (InformOverload 2020). He said that age determination was difficult, and that due to her dwarfism, conventional methods were not useful. He stated that after being seen by both an orthopedist and endocrinologist, neither were able to help substantially with age assessment (Even though they both concluded with results saying she was a child). A court decision changed Natalia’s year of birth from 2003 to 1989, making her an adult.

The family planned to move to Canada for their son’s education, so spectators of the court case believe the adopted parents had this done in order to legally leave her unattended in the United States when they moved. It is also known that the doctor, McAlery, who evaluated her as an adult is a family friend of the Barnetts’. In 2013, they left Natalia in her own apartment with a home health aide and granted her Medicaid, disability aid, and food stamps. At this time, she was supposedly about 8 years old according to her original documents. Shortly after, she began living with Antwan and Cynthia Mans. They wanted to become her legal guardians and asked the courts for her birth certificate to be changed back to 2003, which was denied because Michael presented the letter from his doctor, maintaining that she is an adult.

In breaking down all of the different specialists’ examinations of Natalia, the Barnetts’ primary doctor is right about one thing; Age estimation is difficult, and it is even more so in an individual with Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita. This form of dwarfism causes a mutation in type 2 collagen which is important in bone growth, especially long bones (InformOverload 2020). There is no estimating age based on growth plates in the case of Natalia Barnett. It’s not like they could measure her bones because they’re not going to be normal anyways, but luckily there are other methods of age determination. The orthopedist estimated her age based on bone density because bone mineral content and density tend to increase as children grow into adults. Of course, this science isn’t perfect because biological age and chronological age are two different things. The doctor probably had to also take into account other variables that would affect her bone density, like how her condition causes arthritis.

For this same reason, an expert wouldn’t use the pubic symphysis to estimate age either as one would expect more wear on the bones of someone with this condition. A better way they could have determined age would have been by checking the histomorphometry, or looking at her skull sutures since a child’s skull would not be completely fused. It’s not as accurate as other methods, but in Natalia’s case there are fewer options. I don’t believe that the orthopedist would have gotten her exact age correct, but I do think they would be close and have an accurate assessment of whether the individual was a child or adult. After all, the orthopedist having estimated Natalia as 8 is perfectly consistent with her birth records.

The Endocrinologist would have inspected Natalia’s glandular functions and reproductive system. I think it’s interesting that this specialist estimated her to only be 11 when Barnett's only piece of evidence for her actually being an adult was that her reproductive organs were too developed to be a young girl’s. I think that pubic hair and a menstrual cycle could easily be explained through precocious puberty, especially knowing that it can be caused by trauma. Realistically, 11 isn’t all that far off from 8 in terms of age estimation.

In 2022, we are awaiting information about the Barnetts’ most recent court case (Www.Jconline.Com 2022). Prosecutors were not able to find them guilty for abandoning their child in 2013 because legally she wasn’t a child. However, now they are charging the Barnetts’ with neglect of Natalia’s disability. What makes this a cold case is the fact that this year, Natalia will legally be 31, but her original birth certificate would make her only 19. Many people believe that Natalia is the age on that certificate, or that she may not know her age and that it is somewhere in between. Trying to age Natalia has gone cold because by now it doesn’t matter, since she is an adult regardless. Her age no longer changes her status, so unfortunately it will remain a mystery forever. I definitely think that Natalia today would be closer to the age of 19 because it’s very telling that there was no conflicting information until the Barnetts’ adopted her. Pictures of Natalia’s teeth are very compelling as well as how much she changes throughout the years in photos whereas an adult would stay stagnant. Natalia’s new parents say they don’t care how old she is, and her old parents got to leave her in the past. In a way, it has worked out for everyone.

References

Cases involving Kristine Barnett, Michael Barnett filled with twists and turns. (2022, February 20). Www.Jconline.Com. https://www.jconline.com/story/news/local/lafayette/2022/02/20/kristine-michael-barnett-natalia-update/6802645001/

Natalia Barnett Case Marathon | Everything You Need To Know | InformOverload. (2020, November 15). Www.Youtube.Com (1). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8aQJy3P8wg&t=2852s

Natalia Grace Barnett: “I’m 16, not a 33-year-old scam artist.” (2019, November 8). Www.Bbc.Com. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-50319910

Natalia Grace Barnett - Timeline Of Events. (2019, October 29). Justicefornataliagrace.Blogspot.Com. https://justicefornataliagrace.blogspot.com/2019/10/natalia-grace-barnett-timeline-of-events.html

Student Doctor Breakdown of the Insane Adoption Controversy of Natalia Grace. (2019, November 13). Www.Youtube.Com (2). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPTJSEXjd3g

The Ukrainian orphan accused of being an adult hung out at a drug recovery house and took adult education classes after her adopted parents moved to Canada. (2019, October 4). www.insider.com https://www.insider.com/ukraine-orphan-natalia-grace-took-adult-education-courses-lives-with-pastor