An Indiana couple was charged in September 2019 with neglect of a dependent after a years long investigation into what happened to their adopted daughter, Natalia.
According to court documents reported by outlets including Complex, the New York Post and NBC News, Kristine Barnett and her former husband Michael Barnett adopted Natalia from Ukraine in 2010. Doctors estimated her age at about 8 at the time, and a later evaluation in 2012 put her closer to 11. Court documents say her medical condition made it hard for doctors to pin down her real age.
The New York Post reported that in 2012 Kristine went to an Indiana probate court and had Natalia’s legal age changed to 22. The couple has said they came to believe Natalia was an adult, and Kristine has described her as someone who posed a danger to the family.
Court documents state that in July 2013 the Barnetts set Natalia up in an apartment in Tippecanoe County and then moved to Canada with their sons. Police found Natalia in 2014. Investigators say Michael told detectives in an interview that he knew she was a minor when the family left. The documents also say the couple kept paying her rent but offered no other financial support.
The couple was charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent and was released on a $5,500 bond.
Kristine responded on Facebook, writing that she was sick and devastated by the idea of the charges and that she maintains they are false, according to NBC News. NBC News reported that it reached out to her more than once without getting a response. The charges are allegations, and the case had not gone to trial at the time of this report.
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