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If you've seen Disney+'s Good American Family, one of the first questions on your mind is probably: where is Natalia Grace now? The show tells the chilling tale of a family who adopt a young girl with a rare form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDc) — but things take a sinister twist when the family accuse the girl of lying about her age, while the girl accuses them of mistreating her. Even more chilling? The show is inspired by real events.
Natalia Grace was adopted from the Ukraine in 2008 by a couple from New Hampshire, but two years later, she was placed for adoption again. In 2010, she was adopted by the Barnett family from Indiana and thought to be around six or seven. However, in 2012, they petitioned to have her age legally changed to 22 after they claimed to have found signs that she was lying about her age, such as bloody tampons and pubic hair. That year, the couple placed Natalia in her own private apartment and began plans to move to Canada with their three biological sons.
The bizarre story plays out in Good American Family told from multiple perspectives to show the various accounts of what really happened. A docuseries, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, also recounted the story of Natalia Grace's life after leaving the Barnetts in real-time.
So how much of Good American Family is a true story and where are Natalia Grace and the Barnetts now?
The true story behind Good American Family
After they placed Natalia Grace in an apartment, Michael and Kristine Barnett were charged with multiple counts of neglecting a dependent. During the investigation, the Barnetts claimed that Natalia had posed a physical threat to their family, stating that she had attempted to poison Kristine’s coffee and once attempted to drag her into an electric fence. According to the family, Natalia also hid knives in her bedroom and scattered clear thumbtacks on the stairs so the family would unknowingly step on them.
DNA testing also found that Natalia Grace was the age she claimed to be — the test found that she was approximately 22 years old at the time, meaning she was around 9 years old when she was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett.
However, after a five-year investigation, Michael was found not guilty in October 2022 on three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent. In March 2023, similar charges against Kristine were dismissed.
The TV series explores a shocking true story of what happened when a family adopted Natalia Grace, a young girl with dwarfism.
What happened after Natalia Grace was forced out of the Barnetts' home?
Natalia Grace lived alone from 2012 until 2014, when she was taken in by Christian pastor Antwon Mans and his wife Cynthia. They officially adopted her in 2023.
That year, the family began taking part in the docuseries about Natalia Grace's life — and tensions began to grow in the Mans family. In the docuseries, multiple witnesses claim allege that they witnessed the Manses physically abusing Natalia, per People. Natalia also revealed that they restricted her access to the internet after learning that she had been messaging Neil, her boyfriend from the UK.
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Natalia Grace's “escape” from the Mans house
Natalia continued messaging Paul expressing her desire to leave their home. The pair formed a plan that Natalia would “escape” to live with Vincent and Nicole DePaul, a husband and wife with a form of dwarfism. The couple had previously considered adopting Natalia in 2009. Natalia planned to run away from the Mans by fleeing a church service and escaping with the DePauls. She gave the film crew, who were working on season 3 of the docuseries, 24 hours notice about her plan.
“I can’t believe I did this. My dad is gonna flip. My mom is probably having a panic attack right now,” she says to Nicole as she leaves in the docuseries. She then called her boyfriend, Neil, to thank him for his help. “I am so, so thankful you found me. I love you so much,” she said. Next, she texted Cynthia to apologise: “Mom, I’m sorry but I left I am with the DePauls and I can’t handle being cut off from the world like that. I don’t want to hurt you, but I need to do this. I love you so much. I’m so sorry.”
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After Natalia fled the Mans house, it was revealed that the Mans had been pocketing her benefits. The Mans were also fostering multiple other children , allegedly for their own financial gain. “Based upon what we know right now in our investigation, there’s no other source of income for Cynthia and Antwon Mans than what they get from fostering children, and a lot of children over the years,” legal expert Beth Karas said at the time.
Where is Natalia Grace now?
Natalia Grace has ben living with the DePauls since leaving the Mans.
In January 2025, she appeared on the cover of People to discuss her new life with the couple.
“At first it was bumpy because the Mans were still involved. They were calling Natalia constantly and trying to wheel her back in,” Nicole explained of their living situation. "It was just this constant thing where we were walking a fine line of not doing too much. See, she just came from this house that basically was ruled by a dictator, so I didn't want to tell her what to do."
Nicole explained that she had no plans to adopt Natalia Grace and had helped her seek out therapy in the wake of her experiences with the Barnetts and the Mans.
Nicole also stated that Natalia had never shown any violent tendencies. Vince added, "We're trying to guide Natalia, not control her. She's super sweet. She wouldn't hurt a fly."
As for Natalia, things are looking up.
“I’m really just trying to take control of my life and stop letting other people control it. I feel like I’m becoming this new person," Natalia said.
"Just seeing what I went through and even someone with my disability — you can do anything you put your mind to. You can get through anything that life throws at you," she went on. "At the end of the day, something good happened from it. It's time to re-write my story."
Ruby Franke was arrested in 2023 on charges of child abuse.
