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The Curious Case of Natalia Grace is one of the most truly bizarre true crime cases of our time. Kristine and Michael Barnett sought to adopt a child, only for them to claim they’d adopted an adult con artist in place of a child.
When the Investigation Discovery documentary made its debut it raised many questions about the Barnetts themselves. There were also ongoing disputes around Natalia Grace’s real age, some wondered whether she really was an adult con artist, or if the parents had coldheartedly abandoned a young girl with a disability. Could the entire story be a scheme to make money?
What do Kristine and Michael Barnett do for a living?
Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted Natalia Grace when they were living in Florida. In 2013 they moved to Canada, after which their marriage quickly dissolved. Michael considers himself to be a businessman and has been involved in several jobs and occupations, mostly in retail. According to InTouch he worked district management jobs with companies such as Circuit City and T Mobile. He currently appears to be employed as the director of district operations for a financial company in Indiana.
Kristine grew up Amish, but left the community to marry Michael. Kristine is an author and speaker, advocating for children with autism. She is the founder of the non-profit Jacobs Place, named after her son, who has autism. In addition, she wrote the book The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius, also about her son. Jacob Barnett, the Barnetts’ biological son, was heralded as a genius, gifted in physics and attended the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo at 15. Kristine’s career has understandably faced challenges due to her 2019 neglect charges and the infamy of the documentary.
We may never know the Barnett’s true intentions or Natalia’s actual age but we can all agree on one thing. The Curious Case of Natalia Grace is one of the most bizarre true crime stories of our time and the people involved.