A Ukrainian female adopted by an Indiana couple – and later abandoned by them after they claimed to have learned she lied about her age and was actually a 22- or even a 33-year-old woman – says the bizarre allegations against her aren't true.
Natalia Barnett, an orphan with dwarfism, opened up about the accusations in an interview with Dr. Phil scheduled to air on his talk show Thursday. Her story drew attention nationwide in September, when her adoptive parents, Kristine Barnett, 45, and Michael Barnett, 43, were each charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent stemming from their move to Canada in 2013 — without Natalia, according to investigators.
The Barnetts, who are now divorced, adopted Natalia in 2010 and a doctor determined she was estimated to be around 8 years old. Natalia told the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department in September 2014 that she came to the U.S. "through an adoption” in 2008 from her native Ukraine and that the Barnetts adopted her two years later.
Natalia Barnett tells Dr. Phil she just wants "people to hear my side" about the bizarre allegations made against her by her adoptive parents. Her interview is set to air Thursday. (Dr. Phil)
She said she lived with the Barnetts for about two years in Hamilton County. A skeletal survey taken at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in 2012 estimated Natalia's age to be 11, according to WISH-TV.
But that same year, the Barnetts changed Natalia's legal age to 22, and, soon after, moved to Canada. Though the couple reportedly rented Natalia an apartment in Lafayette, Ind., she knew no one in the city, and was left with no means of financial support. She was eventually evicted in 2014, at which point she was reportedly taken in by neighbors.
Natalia says she hasn't seen the Barnetts since they left the country. The pair made a slew of peculiar accusations against the Ukrainian, claiming the supposed adult was merely posing as a little girl. Kristine told the news station in September that Natalia was diagnosed as a psychopath and sociopath and claimed her adoption was a "scam."
The Barnetts recently told ABC News' "Good Morning America" they believe Natalia could be as old as 33.
In her interview with Dr. Phil, the host asks Natalia if she's a "33-year-old scam artist."
"She's painted you as an evil dwarf that's gonna poison their coffee or stab them in their sleep...They say you scammed them, lied about your age and terrorized them," Dr. Phil says, to which Natalia replies through tears: "It's not true at all."
Michael Barnett, 43, and Kristine Barnett, 45, were charged with child neglect after abandoning their adopted daughter to fend for herself in Indiana, while they moved to Canada. (Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office)
"Why did they want to get rid of you so badly? A 6- or 7-year-old child living in an apartment alone for a year? That's just not believable to me," he says. "I guess it comes down to whether or not you are an evil psychopath demon child that's come over here to murder everybody."
The Ukranian female of an indeterminate age says she just wants "people to hear my side."
Last week, a judge in Tippecanoe County, Ind., issued a gag order in the case, telling the Barnetts they cannot discuss Natalia's medical, mental or education records in media interviews because such characteristics can cause pretrial publicity that makes it difficult to find unbiased jurors.
The couple may, however, discuss the allegations and their defense in general terms, as long as their comments do not impugn the couple’s adopted daughter, the judge said.
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