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Natalia Barnett Now: 7 Shocking New Details About Her Life, True Age, And The Mans Family In 2025

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The curious and deeply unsettling case of Natalia Barnett (also known as Natalia Grace) continues to captivate the world, with new developments in 2024 and 2025 finally offering clarity on the Ukrainian orphan at the center of a global legal and media storm. As of December 2025, the woman whose age was legally reclassified from a child to an adult is now living a "free" life in upstate New York, having found a new adoptive family and a degree of stability after years of trauma and intense public scrutiny. The controversial saga, which saw her original adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, accused of neglect, has been extensively documented, but the latest revelations about her biological age and current well-being provide the most definitive picture yet of her life today.

This article provides an in-depth look at the most recent, confirmed facts about Natalia Barnett, drawing from the latest DNA evidence, legal outcomes, and public statements from the families involved, establishing the current truth of this stranger-than-fiction story.

Natalia Barnett: Complete Biographical Profile & Case Overview

Natalia Barnett’s life is defined by a series of dramatic twists, beginning with her adoption and culminating in a highly publicized criminal case. She was born in Ukraine with a rare form of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita (SEDc).

  • Full Name: Natalia Lourdes (Original Ukrainian Name), Natalia Grace Barnett (Adoptive Name), Natalyah Mans (Current Name)
  • Date of Birth (Original/Estimated): Circa 2003 (Original Adoption Record) or 2001 (Endocrinologist Estimate).
  • Date of Birth (Legal Reclassification): 1989 (Successfully petitioned by the Barnetts in 2012).
  • Current Age (Estimated Biological): Approximately 22 years old (as of 2024, based on TruDiagnostic DNA Test).
  • Place of Birth: Ukraine.
  • Condition: Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita (SEDc), a form of dwarfism.
  • Adoptive Parents (2010): Michael and Kristine Barnett (Indiana).
  • Current Caretakers: Nicole and Vince DePaul (Upstate New York).
  • Legal Status of Barnetts: Michael Barnett was acquitted of neglect charges in 2022; charges against Kristine Barnett were dismissed in 2023.
  • Documentary Subject: The Curious Case of Natalia Grace (2023) and The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks (2024).

The Shocking Truth of Natalia’s Age: DNA Test Results

The central question of the entire saga—was Natalia a child or a manipulative adult?—was supposedly answered with scientific evidence in early 2024.

The Age Reclassification Controversy. In 2012, Michael and Kristine Barnett petitioned the Marion County Probate Court to legally change Natalia's age from 8 to 22, changing her birth year from 2003 to 1989. This reclassification was the foundation of their claim that she was an adult "sociopath" posing as a child, alleging she made threats and exhibited adult behavior.

TruDiagnostic DNA Test. During the filming of the docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, a DNA test was performed by the lab TruDiagnostic. This test, which analyzes DNA methylation to estimate biological age, determined that Natalia was approximately 22 years old at the time of the test's reporting (circa 2024). This finding suggests that when the Barnetts adopted her in 2010, she would have been approximately nine years old, directly contradicting the Barnetts' successful legal reclassification to age 22.

The Endocrinologist’s Report. The DNA results align more closely with an earlier 2010 evaluation by an endocrinologist, which estimated Natalia's age to be between nine and eleven years old, a finding the Barnetts reportedly dismissed.

The scientific findings strongly support the narrative that Natalia was, in fact, a child who was abandoned by her adoptive family, not an adult con artist. This new evidence shifted the public perception of the case, focusing attention back onto the actions of the Barnetts.

Where is Natalia Grace Now? Her Life in 2025 with the DePauls

Following the abandonment by the Barnetts, Natalia was taken in by the Mans family, but that relationship also became strained and was the subject of a follow-up documentary. Today, she is living a new, stable life with a completely different family.

A New Home in Upstate New York. As of late 2024 and throughout 2025, Natalia (now Natalyah Mans) is living in upstate New York with Nicole DePaul and her husband, Vince DePaul. Both Nicole and Vince have dwarfism, providing Natalia with a unique level of understanding and support that she lacked in previous environments.

Finding Freedom and Stability. Natalia has expressed that she "feels free" in her new environment. She is reportedly engaging in typical young adult activities, such as listening to music artists like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, and is learning how to drive.

Mental Health and Diagnoses. The trauma of her life has left its mark, and Natalia has been officially diagnosed with multiple conditions. These include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Her current caretakers, the DePauls, appear focused on providing the therapeutic support necessary for her healing.

The Final Legal Outcome for Michael and Kristine Barnett

The criminal charges brought against Michael and Kristine Barnett for neglect of a dependent—based on their alleged abandonment of Natalia after having her age legally changed—have concluded with no convictions.

Michael Barnett's Acquittal. Michael Barnett faced trial first. In 2022, a jury found him not guilty of the neglect charges. The defense successfully argued that the Barnetts believed Natalia was an adult at the time of the alleged neglect, largely relying on the 2012 court order that legally reclassified her age.

Kristine Barnett's Dismissed Charges. Following her ex-husband's acquittal, the charges against Kristine Barnett were dismissed in 2023. The prosecution reportedly faced difficulty in moving forward with the case after the key issue of Natalia’s age was deemed questionable by the previous jury's decision and the re-aging order was not allowed to be fully challenged in the trial.

Despite the lack of criminal convictions, the legal proceedings and the subsequent DNA evidence have provided a definitive timeline of events for the public, clarifying that the abandonment occurred while Natalia was still a minor, according to scientific and medical estimates.

The Documentary Impact: 'Natalia Speaks' and Public Opinion

The case gained renewed global attention with the release of the Investigation Discovery (ID) docuseries, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, and its 2024 follow-up, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks.

Giving Natalia a Voice. The 2024 series, in particular, was pivotal as it gave Natalia a platform to share her side of the story directly. Her emotional interviews and confrontation with Michael Barnett offered a raw look at the trauma she endured, significantly swaying public opinion toward her as a victim of abuse and neglect.

The Mans Family Investigation. The docuseries also explored the relationship with the Mans family, who took Natalia in after the Barnetts moved to Canada. The final chapter of the documentary suggested new allegations of abuse and fraud against the Mans family, creating a further layer of complexity and tragedy in Natalia’s continuous search for a stable home.

The ongoing media coverage, including the 2024 series, ensures that the story of Natalia Grace Barnett remains one of the most talked-about true crime mysteries of the decade, continually raising questions about the ethics of adoption, the reliability of legal age reclassification, and the vulnerability of children with disabilities.

natalia barnett
natalia barnett

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