The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks Is The Follow-Up We Deserve

In May 2023, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, which aired on Investigation Discovery (ID), captured audiences with a family drama the likes of which are usually just reserved for movies. An Indiana couple adopted a little girl only to allege later on that she was, in reality, a mentally disturbed, homicidal adult. But now, their adopted daughter, Natalia Grace Barnett, will share her side of the story in a follow-up series. Here’s what you need to know about how to watch The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks.

How to watch The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks.

Picking up where the original series left off, Natalia Speaks will air across three consecutive nights on ID beginning Monday, Jan. 1, airing nightly from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

In addition to airing on cable, you can stream Natalia Speaks on Hulu + Live TV; YouTube TV; Philo; Sling; and fuboTV. You can also try a 7-day trial for ID on Amazon Prime. The documentary will also be available to stream on Max.

While The Curious Case of Natalia Grace was mainly focused on the testimony of her adopted father, Michael Barnett, Natalia Speaks gives Natalia the opportunity to tell this wild story from her point of view. It will also include an emotional confrontation between Natalia and Michael — their first face-to-face discussion about the various accusations made over the course of this twisting, turning story. Natalia’s adopted mother, Kristine Barnett, whom both Natalia and Michael allege beat and abused Natalia, did not participate in either docuseries.

Who is Natalia Grace?

Natalia was born in Ukraine on Sept. 4, 2003 and was immediately diagnosed with a form of dwarfism later identified as spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder that results in short stature (Natalia is about 3 feet tall), and can affect vision and hearing. She came to America in 2008 through a special program for orphaned children. (Though it is relevant to point out that Natalia’s biological mother, Anna Gava, is still alive and confirms that Natalia was born in 2003.) For two years, she was moved throughout the country, from adoptive family to adoptive family, ultimately winding up in Florida in 2010. From there she was formally adopted by the Barnett family — Michael, Kristine, and their three sons — who lived in Indiana.

The Barnetts have claimed Natalia was actually a violent adult.

Kristine claimed, in an interview with The Daily Mail in 2019, that she began to suspect that Natalia was older than her Ukrainian birth records claimed. She and Michael have also claimed that Natalia made multiple threats and even attempts to harm and kill members of the Barnett family by poisoning, stabbing, and electrocution.

Kristine and Michael claim to have taken Natalia to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis for testing that proved she was at least 14 years old. In 2012, the Barnetts went through Marion County courts to legally change Natalia’s birth year from 2003 to 1989. They set her up in an apartment in Indiana and they left the country in 2013.

The claim about Natalia’s age confirmation through testing, however, was later debunked by an investigation by BuzzFeed News which found not only that those tests determined Natalia to be approximately 8 years old at the time, but that a 2012 skeletal survey done at the same hospital found similar results.

While the Barnetts were charged with child endangerment, because Natalia was legally considered an adult during the case and the jury did not hear any evidence stating she was or could have been a child at the time of her abandonment, Michael was found not guilty and Kristine’s case was dropped. In the original Curious Case of Natalia Grace series, at least one juror came forward to say that knowing all the facts of the case now, she believes the jury would have ruled differently.

Natalia Speaks will feature new evidence and expert testimony.

In addition to unseen evidence and footage, an array of voices, from the retired FBI agents who initially investigated Natalia’s case to genetic experts to the Tippecanoe County prosecutor’s office, offer new theories and insight into this dramatic case. The series will also give viewers a look at Natalia’s life now with her new adoptive family, including parents Antwon and Christina Manns.

This is not the first time Natalia has attempted to set the record straight. In 2019, Natalia appeared on an episode of Dr. Phil and denied all of the Barnett’s allegations, including that she had violent tendencies and that she was secretly an adult.

Check out the trailer for Natalia Speaks.

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks will premiere across three-nights on ID beginning Jan. 1 at 9/8c on ID.