The horror movie Orphan - in which a couple adopts an adult woman pretending to be a child - is pretty scary. Imagine how scary it is when it happens in reality.
In Ukraine, in 2010, an author named Kristine Barnet adopted a girl who suffers from a rare type of nanism and abandoned her a few years later. Kristine told local media that she and her husband, Michael, abandoned the girl because, in fact, she was an adult and was raised as a child.
It's really weird as a story, but the police don't believe it. Last week, Kristine and Michael were accused of abandoning their daughter. Here's what we know so far:
Michael and Kristine adopted the girl in 2010
The girl, named Natalia, was born in Ukraine, according to the Daily Mail. Authorities say Natalia has "a rare bone development disorder" that results in nanism. She was adopted by the Barnett family in 2010, when she was 8 years old and lived with them for the next three years.
During these years, the family became famous thanks to Jake, one of their children suffering from autism and being a genius. He was covered by a number of media outlets and in reports, Kristine noted near Natalia. You can see them below at 1:37.
Michael and Kristine admit they abandoned Natalia
A few years later, in the summer of 2013, Michael and Kristine's family moved to Canada to attend Jake's lectures at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. They did not take the girl with them, but left her in a rented apartment.
Here the story becomes even more bizarre. Kristine and Michael changed Natalia's official age from 11 to 22 and rented an apartment that Kristine paid for. They did not provide any other income to the girl. Kristine, Michael and the boys moved to Canada, while Natalia remained behind in Lafayette, Indiana.
Kristine says she abandoned her because she is an adult woman and not a child
The author told WISH-TV that the whole adoption was a big scam because she and Michael adopted an adult woman diagnosed with psychopathy and sociopathy.
Kristine gave television letters from the doctor saying that the date of birth on Natalia's certificate could not be accurate because the girl had adult teeth and an adult's sexual characteristics,
There is no evidence proving the letter's authenticity, but it is also said that Natalia admitted that she was over 18 years old when she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with sociopathic personality disorder in 2012. The letter suggests that Natalia had returned to career age fraud. .
After being indicted by the prosecution for abandonment, Kristine told the Daily Mail that Natalia attempted to kill her at any given moment.
"He made statements and painted pictures, saying he wanted to kill family members, gather them with blankets and put them in the back yard," Kristne said,
?He got up in the middle of the night and watched us. We couldn't sleep anymore. We had to hide all the sharp objects. I've seen her put chemicals, bleach, glass detergent, things in my coffee. I asked what she was doing? He said, 'I'm trying to poison you.' The media is bringing me out as a child abuser, but she's not a child, ?Kristina said.
?Natalia is a woman. There were periods. There were adult teeth. Not a single centimeter was extended, which happens even in children with nanism. Doctors confirmed that he suffers from severe psychological illnesses that are diagnosed only in adults. She was thrown from the moving car. Fluid mirrors with blood. Do things that no child does. ?
"I was taking a bath one day and noticed that there were full pubic hairs," Kristine alludes. ?I was shocked. I was told she was 6 years old, when she clearly wasn't. "
Michael tells another story
When police interviewed Michael, he said Natalia was really a kid when they left her in Indiana. According to him, Kristina learned to tell people she was 22 if asked.
Natalia was evicted from the apartment in May 2014
She was evicted for failing to pay the rent, and authorities had difficulty finding her whereabouts. during this time, Michael and Kristine sought divorce from each other.
The following is also confusing
In September 2014, a school principal raised concerns about Natalia. The age in medical records (12-13) did not correspond to the legal age (in the twenties), but we do not know what caused this data conflict.
Court documents say another couple sought to be Natalia's legal guardian, the Barnett family opr objected. The couple withdrew.
Five years after abandoning the girl, Michael and Kristine were charged by authorities. Kristine surrendered on September 19 and was released after paying $ 5500. Michael surrendered on September 18 and was released after paying $ 5,000.
We'll keep you updated on the unfolding of events.
