7 Shocking Facts About Michael And Kristine Barnett’s Lives After The Natalia Grace Scandal (2025 Update)

The tumultuous saga of Michael and Kristine Barnett, which captured global attention following the adoption of Natalia Grace, continues to unfold with dramatic personal and legal updates. As of December 18, 2025, the former Indiana couple is no longer married, has faced and overcome serious criminal charges, and has moved on to entirely new chapters in their lives. The case remains a high-profile example of a family fractured by an adoption gone wrong, centered on the controversial claim that their adopted daughter, who has a rare form of dwarfism, was actually an adult masquerading as a child.

The Barnetts’ story, which was the subject of the explosive docuseries *The Curious Case of Natalia Grace* and its follow-up, has seen its most significant developments in the courtroom over the past few years, finally bringing a sense of closure to the decade-long legal battle. From a prodigy son to a second divorce, here are the most recent and shocking facts about where Michael and Kristine Barnett stand today.

Michael and Kristine Barnett: A Biographical Profile and Timeline

The lives of Michael and Kristine Barnett were irrevocably altered after the 2010 adoption of Natalia Grace, but their background reveals a family already in the public eye due to their biological son’s extraordinary intellect.

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• Kristine Barnett (Adoptive Mother):
• Occupation: Author, professional speaker, and autism advocate. She has a background as an academic administrator and faculty member in higher education.
• Claim to Fame (Pre-Scandal): Gained public recognition for her memoir, *The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius and Autism*, detailing her life raising her son Jacob.
• Current Status: Reportedly living in Florida. Charges of neglect of a dependent were dismissed in 2023.
• Michael Barnett (Adoptive Father):
• Occupation: Businessman, with past jobs including manager at Circuit City and T-Mobile.
• Current Status: Living in Indiana. Acquitted of neglect charges in 2022. He appeared in the follow-up documentary *Natalia Speaks*.
• Biological Children: The couple has three biological sons: Jacob Barnett, Wesley Barnett, and Ethan Barnett.
• Jacob Barnett: A science prodigy who was diagnosed with autism and started college at a very young age, with an IQ reportedly higher than Albert Einstein's.
• Adoption & Legal Timeline:
• 2010: Adopted Natalia Grace from Ukraine.
• 2012: Petitioned to have Natalia's legal age changed from 8 to 22, claiming she was an adult sociopath.
• 2013: The Barnetts moved to Canada, leaving Natalia in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana.
• 2014: Michael filed for divorce from Kristine.
• 2018: Divorce finalized.
• 2019: Michael and Kristine charged with multiple counts of neglect of a dependent.
• 2022: Michael Barnett acquitted of all charges.
• 2023: Charges against Kristine Barnett dismissed.

1. Kristine Barnett’s Charges Were Officially Dismissed in 2023

The legal chapter of the Barnett case finally concluded in 2023, bringing an end to the criminal proceedings against Kristine. While Michael Barnett was found not guilty by a jury in 2022 on three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent, Kristine’s case was handled differently.

Her trial was scheduled to begin in April 2023, but the charges were ultimately dismissed. The prosecution concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges against her beyond a reasonable doubt, effectively clearing her name in the eyes of the law regarding the neglect accusations.

2. Michael Barnett Has Been Divorced Twice Since the Scandal Began

A little-known fact about the post-scandal life of Michael Barnett is his subsequent marital history. Michael filed for divorce from Kristine in 2014, and their divorce was finalized in 2018.

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He went on to marry a woman named Jennifer Barnett in 2016. However, this second marriage was also short-lived. Court records reveal that Michael filed for divorce from Jennifer in October 2021, and the divorce was granted in January 2022. This means Michael has been divorced twice in less than a decade, underscoring the profound personal upheaval he has faced since the Natalia Grace adoption.

3. The Barnett Family Fracture: Jacob, Wesley, and Ethan

The scandal did not only affect Michael and Kristine; it had a major impact on their three biological sons: Jacob, Wesley, and Ethan. The eldest, Jacob Barnett, is an internationally recognized physics prodigy.

The family's narrative was originally one of a mother advocating for her autistic genius son, which Kristine detailed in her book. However, the subsequent legal battles and public accusations against Natalia Grace—whom the Barnetts claimed was a 22-year-old sociopath—created a deep rift within the family. Michael’s decision to participate in the documentary *Natalia Speaks* and his testimony during his trial revealed the extent of the emotional damage the case inflicted on all members of the Barnett family, including their sons.

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4. Kristine Barnett is Now Living in Florida and Focuses on Her Career

Following the dismissal of her charges, Kristine Barnett has relocated and appears to be focusing on her established career as an author and speaker. She is known for her work in the field of autism advocacy, stemming from her experience raising Jacob.

Her professional background also includes being an experienced leader and faculty member in higher education, indicating a return to her intellectual and advocacy pursuits away from the spotlight of the criminal case.

5. Michael Barnett Has Participated in Follow-Up Documentaries

While Kristine has maintained a lower profile since her charges were dropped, Michael Barnett has remained in the public eye, notably by participating in the follow-up docuseries, *The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks*.

This series offered a direct confrontation between Michael and Natalia Grace, where he expressed regret and a desire for the truth to be revealed. His continued involvement in the media surrounding the case suggests a desire to publicly confront the events that led to his legal troubles and the end of his marriage to Kristine.

6. The Core Controversy: The Age of Natalia Grace

The entire basis of the criminal case and the family's public notoriety hinges on the age of Natalia Grace. The Barnetts maintained that she was an adult woman posing as a child, while Natalia insisted she was a child when adopted.

A key piece of information revealed in the docuseries was the result of a medical test that determined Natalia was approximately 22 years old at the time the test was conducted, meaning she would have been around 9 years old when the Barnetts adopted her in 2010. This finding directly contradicts the Barnetts’ 2012 court-ordered age change, which legally deemed her an adult, though the legal system was later prevented from using that age change in the criminal trials.

7. Current Locations: Indiana and Florida

The former couple now lives hundreds of miles apart, symbolizing the finality of their separation and the end of the Indiana-based family unit. Michael Barnett is currently residing in Indiana, where he was acquitted.

Kristine Barnett, having been cleared of her charges, has relocated to Florida. This geographic distance reinforces the fact that the two have completely moved on to separate lives following the intense media scrutiny and legal drama that defined their last decade together.