The Curious Case of Natalia Grace Now Includes a Boyfriend for the Controversial Woman

To quote Louis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland, this case keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. The woman known as Natalia Grace has been in the public eye since 2019. If you're unfamiliar, in 2009, Michael and Kristina Barnett adopted a Ukrainian child they believed was 6 years old at the time. Grace had dwarfism but was otherwise healthy and happy.

Kristine began questioning Grace's real age when she was giving the young girl a bath and saw what she said was pubic hair. Things only got stranger, as they soon accused their adopted child of trying to hurt them. The Barnetts moved to Canada in 2013 and left Grace behind in Lafayette, Ind. to fend for herself in an apartment they paid for. Grace was adopted by two more families but is still fighting for her independence, which includes being with a new boyfriend. Here's what we know.

There have been several documentaries about Grace. Michael and Kristine Barnett divorced in 2014, and five years later were charged with neglect. Kristine's charges were dismissed in March 2023 while Michael was acquitted in October 2022, per the Lafayette Journal & Courier. A DNA test later proved that Grace was almost 10 years old when she was adopted.

After Grace was abandoned by Kristine and Michael, she was adopted by a different couple. Antwon and Cynthia Mans became her new legal guardians, and it seemed as if things were equally as difficult at their house. In the Season 2 finale of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Antwon calls the show's producers and says something is wrong with Grace. Enter the third season, aptly titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter. This is where we meet her boyfriend, Neil.

Neil who lives in London, is in the four-part docuseries. He is trying to help Grace escape from the Mans' home. Grace told People Magazine that the couple met via social media in January 2024. "At first it was just like a small message and then I grew feelings and he grew feelings," Natalia said. "I just opened up my heart. It felt really good."

Antwon was telling the docuseries's producers that they didn't trust Neil. This was especially true after they discovered explicit messages they sent to each other on Facebook. "She’s got this dude online. He turned her against us. She’s ready to go to hell with gasoline panties on," says Antwon in the series.

Neil reached out to the producers separately and told them he believed Grace's life was in danger. He also spoke with the DePauls, a family of little people who wanted to adopt Grace in 2009. Nicole DePaul, the family matriarch, said she initially ignored Neil because she had no idea who he was. "He finally sent me some proof that he was really him — then I believed that I was talking to an actual person that knew Natalia."

In December 2023, Neil worked out a plan with the DePauls, who drove to Nashville from upstate New York in order to spirit Grace away in the middle of the night. In the series, Grace is shown speaking with Neil on the phone from their car. "Hey babe, I'm so, so thankful you found me," she said. "I love you so much." Grace has confirmed they have met in person and she hopes to someday get married and have children.