What happened to Natalia Grace and the Manns family?

Natalia has a rare form of dwarfism known as spondyloephyseal dysplasia. Natalia’s Ukrainian birth certificate said she was born in 2003, but in 2012 Michael and Christine Barnett were able to legally change Natalia’s birth year to 1989.

Although Natalia was a legal adult, she was still classified as a dependent due to her disability status. After leaving Natalia alone in her Indiana apartment and immigrating to Canada in 2013, the post-divorce couple was charged with child neglect in 2019. Michael was acquitted in October 2022, and the charges against Christine were dismissed in March 2023.

The second season of the series, Natalia Speaks, aired this week and features an extensive interview with Natalia, in which she denies the Barnetts’ claims of violence and lying about her age.she He also accused Christine Barnett, who did not take part in the documentary, of abusing him as a child. The documentary also features a conversation between Natalya and Michael Barnett, in which Barnett apologizes to Natalya and claims that Kristin manipulated him.

Years after spending time with the Burnett family, and amidst legal turmoil, Natalia finds a new family in Cynthia and Antwon Manns. However, revelations in the final two minutes of the documentary cast doubt on her relationship with the Manns family.

How did Natalia Grace meet her new adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Manns?

Antwon and Cynthia Manns feature prominently in the documentary series, with Antwon accompanying Natalia to receive the results of a DNA test, which revealed that Natalia’s real age is approximately 22 years old. He was also present at the confrontation with her former adoptive father, Michael Barnett. Natalia admires the Mance family throughout the series, calling them her parents even before she legally adopted them.

Natalia previously told the court in Michael Barnett’s neglect trial that she met Cynthia Munns through a neighbor when she was living alone in Lafayette, Indiana, after being moved by the Barnetts in July 2013. He testified that he came to live with him. She was 9 years old, but the Barnett family changed her age so she was legally 23.

Antwon and Cynthia, who had multiple other children living in the house when Natalia came to live with them, speak highly of Natalia in the series. They say she did not act uncharacteristically toward her other children in her home and was never in the manner the Barnetts say she acted with them. However, this program focuses on one particular incident. Genesis Manns, a child who also lives with the Manns family, said in an interview for Episode 5 that Natalia bit Genesis when she was a baby. According to Genesis, Natalia said the incident happened when Natalia was 10 years old. That approximate age means Natalia was legally 24 years old at the time.

“I think she was violent in the typical way that most kids are. You know, most kids fight, most kids argue, but… There was just crazy anxiety in a kind of way, nothing unusual. There’s nothing dangerous about Natalia. ‘Not at all, absolutely not,’ Bishop Antoine Manns said in Episode 5. said in an interview.

In episode 6, Natalia apologized for her earlier behavior, saying she remembered “having some behavioral issues” when she first met Mr. and Mrs. Mann.

“When Natalia was first with us, she had moments where she was very hurt and was like, ‘How do I deal with this?'” Cynthia Manns said in an interview for episode six.

“Natalia has been with us for years. Let me tell you, we straightened her out. She never came at us with a knife, never put a thumbtack on the stairs. “I never tried to hurt my children,” Cynthia continued. Regarding the Barnetts’ claims.

Episode 6 shows Antwon and Cynthia Manns officially adopting Natalia, with the parents wearing T-shirts celebrating their status as adoptive parents.

“It’s been a really long journey. I always wondered if I’d ever find someone who would truly love me. But then I met my parents. Things have changed since then. It’s been a good change.” Natalia says in the interview for the sixth episode.

Documents shown in the episode show that adoption papers were filed in June 2023.

What happened between Natalia Grace and the Manns family?

In the last two minutes of episode 6 of this docuseries, a black screen displays the following text: “Two weeks ago, six months after Natalia’s adoption, the producer received a shocking phone call.” .

And Antwon and Cynthia’s voices can be heard over a zoomed-in shot of Natalia sitting on the porch.

“There’s something wrong with Natalia,” Antwon says. “This girl is messing around. I feel like we’re the enemy in her house. And she told us we’re holding her hostage. We’re her enemies. I made it look like it was there.”

“Natalia is stabbing her family in the back with all these lies,” Cynthia said.

“She does other things,” Antwon continues. “But this was a new low. Natalia has no feelings for anyone but herself. We’re done. She’s done with her.”

The screen then goes black and a message appears saying, “Natalia’s story continues.”

The full conversation has been uploaded to Investigation Discovery’s YouTube channel and can be viewed here.

Jason Sarlanis, Discovery’s president of crime and investigative content, linear and streaming, told The Hollywood Reporter that producers initially wanted Natalia’s story to be positive, even though it was full of “twists and turns.” He said he believed he had reached a conclusion.

“We really thought Natalia had found her happy ending with her new family, so you can imagine we were all completely shocked when we got that call from Mr. and Mrs. Mann,” Saaranis said. said.

“Although our series had already ended and was locked, we immediately worked with the producers to ensure this shocking development was included in the final episode,” Sarlanis told THR. Told. “Our viewers care so much about Natalia’s case that we felt our series needed to reflect the ever-changing truth of her situation.”

“One thing has always proven true in Natalia’s story: Nothing is what it seems.”

Does Natalia Grace still live with the Manns?

Based on documents suggesting Natalia’s adoption into the Munns family took place in June 2023, the phone call from Cynthia and Antwon Munns in the final moments of episode 6 occurred in mid-to-late December. It seems that it was done. (An ID representative declined to confirm the timing of the call.)

However, Natalia has appeared in recent social media posts from the Mance family’s social media accounts, including a Thanksgiving post on Instagram.

The family’s TikTok account mentioned on their Instagram page most recently posted on December 26 that Natalia had launched her own TikTok account under the handle @natgrace20. The post is tagged with several hashtags, including #MamaBabyIsGrowingUp, #MamasForEverBFF, #FamilyIsForever, and #GoFollowBabysPage. According to the timeline presented in the docuseries, this post likely took place after or around the same time as a phone call between the Mance family and the producers of the docuseries.

The most recent post seen by BI from the @natgrace20 account was a video of a woman believed to be Natalia wishing her followers happiness in 2024. A post from the same account on December 29th includes a photo of Natalia and the Mance family.

The Dec. 29 post had the caption, “2023 was great and 2024 is going to be great,” along with the hashtags #newbeginnings, #fyp and #family4ever. Mann’s family accounts are also tagged.

Mann’s family’s account responded to the post, writing, “We love you so much, forever baby.”

“Mom, I love you,” Natalia’s account replied.

BI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Manns family’s Instagram account, as well as the @natgrace20 TikTok account, which identified Natalia as belonging to it.

All six episodes of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks are now available to stream on Max.