Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace, who was accused of trying to kill her adoptive parents 10 years ago, has revealed that she is living with a new family.
In a new documentary titled “The Curious Life of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter” Grace has opened up about her efforts to escape from her adoptive family, who she accused of being abusive.
Grace was first adopted 15 years ago by Michael and Christine Barnett, who pretended to be six years old and claimed she was an adult who committed murder in her 20s.
The Barnetts also accused Grace of not only being mentally and physically abusive, but also of coming at them while they were sleeping with a knife in their hands, allegations she denies.
And even though Grace proved she wasn't lying about her age, the Barnetts still changed her legal date of birth to 1989.
After Grace was abandoned by her husband, she was adopted by Cynthia and Antwon Manns. However, she claims that she suffered abuse at the hands of her new adoptive parents in December 2023.
Due to the alleged abuse, she fled the house in the middle of the night with the help of her boyfriend Neil.
From there, Grace settled in upstate New York with Nicole DePaul, 49, and her husband Vince, 51.
The DePauls, who also have dwarfism, tried to adopt Grace in 2009 but were rejected.
“It was shaky at first because Mans was still involved,” Nicole says. told the people. “They were constantly calling Natalia and trying to get her a ride back.”
“There was always a fine line between us of not going too far. You know, she comes from this family that was basically ruled by a dictator, so I didn't want to tell her what to do. ” she added.
“She's never been violent,” Nicole continued. “Our dog loves her and sleeps with her. I'm an animal lover. If I couldn't trust her, I wouldn't leave my baby with her. They are also judges of character.”
“We're not trying to control Natalya, we're trying to guide her,” Vince told the outlet. “She's very kind. She wouldn't hurt a fly.”
“Maybe she's done some weird things in the past? Yeah,” Nicole chimed in.[But] When you adopt a child, you accept that child as your own. Don't just remove something because it doesn't fit the puzzle. ”
Grace added that she has always loved the DePauls, but claims they were never allowed to have contact with her.
After settling down with her husband, Grace said she began therapy to overcome past trauma.
Additionally, she is currently studying for her GED in hopes of becoming a teacher someday.
“It was a great experience learning everything I know about how to live with dwarfism,” she said. “I love it. Of course I still miss my brothers and everything. But I love it. I feel free.”
