The Curious Case Continues: 5 Shocking Updates On Where Natalia Grace Is Now

The saga of Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian orphan with a rare form of dwarfism whose adoption by the Barnett family turned into a global sensation, has taken several dramatic and unexpected turns since the explosive documentaries brought her story back into the spotlight. As of December 2025, the latest updates confirm that Natalia has found stability with a new, supportive family, and her legal status regarding her true age has been conclusively resolved, closing a chapter on one of the most bizarre and heavily-publicized custody battles in recent memory.

The core of the controversy revolved around whether Natalia was a six-year-old child with a rare bone disorder, Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia (SMED), or a sociopathic adult masquerading as a minor, as her former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, claimed in 2019. The legal battle, which saw the Barnetts successfully petition an Indiana court to re-age Natalia to 22, and subsequent criminal charges of neglect against the Barnetts, has finally reached its conclusion. The most compelling question today—"Where is Natalia Grace now?"—has a definitive and hopeful answer that reflects her pursuit of a normal life.

Natalia Grace: A Biographical Timeline and Key Case Entities

The complex narrative of Natalia Grace involves multiple families, court proceedings, and media coverage, making a clear timeline essential to understanding her current situation.

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• Full Name: Natalia Grace
• Birth Year (Original/Restored): 2003 (The original birth year, which was legally changed to 1989 by the Barnetts in 2012, has since been legally restored to 2003).
• Place of Birth: Ukraine
• Condition: Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia (SMED), a rare form of dwarfism.
• First Adoptive Family (2008): Dyan and Gary Ciccone (New Hampshire).
• Second Adoptive Family (2010): Michael and Kristine Barnett (Indiana). This is the family at the center of the controversy.
• Legal Age Change: In 2012, the Barnetts successfully petitioned the Marion County Probate Court to change Natalia's legal age to 22, claiming she was an adult.
• Abandonment/Neglect Charges: The Barnetts were charged with neglect after moving to Canada and leaving Natalia in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, in 2013.
• Barnett Legal Outcome: Michael Barnett was acquitted of neglect charges in 2022. Charges against Kristine Barnett were dismissed in 2023.
• Third Adoptive/Guardianship Family: Antwon and Cynthia Mans (Lafayette, Indiana). Natalia lived with them after the Barnetts left, but they dropped their guardianship petition after the court maintained Natalia was legally an adult.
• Current Family (Since 2023): Nicole and Vincent DePaul (The DePaul Family).

The Definitive Answer: Where Natalia Grace Lives Today

The most significant and comforting update for those following Natalia's story is her current living situation. Natalia Grace is now living with the DePaul family, Nicole and Vincent DePaul, a couple who also have dwarfism. This move, which took place around 2023, came after her time with the Mans family and was a crucial development shown in the follow-up documentary series, *The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter* and *Good American Family*.

The DePauls are not strangers to Natalia. They were described as supportive friends who had previously attempted to adopt her when she was a child. Their willingness to take her in provides a stable and understanding environment, particularly given their shared experience of living with dwarfism. In addition to the DePauls, Natalia is also reported to be living with her boyfriend, suggesting she is pursuing a fulfilling, independent life as a young adult.

This development is a stark contrast to the tumultuous years following the Barnett's abandonment and the intense media scrutiny that followed the initial claims of her being an adult impostor. For the first time in her adult life, Natalia appears to have found a genuine sense of family and belonging, far removed from the sensationalized narrative of the past decade. The supportive nature of the DePaul family is seen by many as the positive resolution that Natalia deserved after years of uncertainty and alleged abuse.

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Legal and Age Controversy: The Final Verdict

The legal battle over Natalia's true age was the cornerstone of the entire case, determining whether the Barnetts were victims of a "sociopathic adult" or perpetrators of child neglect. The latest and most authoritative legal update confirms a significant victory for Natalia: her original 2003 birth year has been legally restored.

The 2012 Indiana court order that legally changed Natalia's age to 22 was a devastating blow to her case, essentially re-classifying her as an adult and enabling the Barnetts to leave her in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, without facing immediate legal repercussions for abandoning a child. However, the subsequent investigation and the intense public interest generated by the documentary series helped to bring new scrutiny to the evidence.

The restoration of her 2003 birth year is a crucial step, confirming that Natalia was, in fact, a minor when the Barnetts moved to Canada in 2013. This legal change affirms her claims of innocence and refutes the Barnetts' central narrative that they were dealing with an adult posing as a child. While Michael Barnett was acquitted of neglect charges in 2022 and charges against Kristine were dismissed in 2023, the legal restoration of Natalia's age provides a moral and factual vindication for her side of the story.

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The Aftermath for Michael and Kristine Barnett

While Natalia Grace has moved on with the DePaul family, the lives of her former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, have been irrevocably altered by the legal and media fallout. The couple faced criminal charges of neglect, which concluded with Michael's acquittal in 2022 and the dismissal of charges against Kristine in 2023.

Despite the legal victories, the Barnetts remain central figures in the ongoing public discourse, largely due to their participation in the documentary series. The narrative presented in the media continues to be highly polarized, with intense public debate over their motivations and actions. Kristine Barnett, in particular, has maintained her claims that Natalia was an adult attempting to harm their family. The documentary series, which featured both Michael and Kristine, offered conflicting accounts and led to further public confusion and speculation about the true events. The Barnetts are now divorced and are pursuing separate lives, forever linked by the bizarre case of the Ukrainian orphan they adopted in 2010.

Natalia Grace: Looking Ahead to a Private Life

The latest updates suggest that Natalia Grace is finally seeking the privacy and normalcy that eluded her for years. Her life with the DePaul family, coupled with the resolution of her legal status, marks a significant shift from the public spectacle of the past. Having shared her side of the story in the documentary *Good American Family*, Natalia has provided her own account of the events, maintaining her innocence and describing her experience as a child victim of alleged abuse and abandonment.

The entities involved—the Indiana courts, the Lafayette community, the Mans family, and the DePauls—have all played a role in the long, winding path to her current stability. With her true age legally recognized and a supportive network in place, Natalia Grace is now focusing on building a future away from the intense scrutiny of the media. The hope is that this latest chapter is the final one, allowing her to live a quiet life defined by her own choices, not by a curious case. The public interest remains, but the narrative has shifted from one of fear and suspicion to one of resilience and hope for the young woman who endured a decade of uncertainty.