A couple from Indiana has been accused of abandoning their adopted 10-year-old daughter and moving to Canada. However, they have since suggested that isn’t exactly what happened.
Kristine Barnett and her ex-husband Michael Barnett claimed they adopted Natalia in 2010 at which time, they were told Natalia, who has dwarfism, was an 8-year-old child, according to Complex.
However, the two also claimed Natalia was a diagnosed psychopath and sociopath who is running a scam.
New York Post reported in 2012 that Kristine realized the adoption was a scam and got the girl’s age legally changed to 22 in an Indiana probate court.
In July 2013, the couple set the girl up in an apartment in Tippecanoe County and then moved to Canada with their two sons. Kristine told Natalia to tell people she “looks young” if anyone asked about her age, however, police discovered Natalia in 2014, and she said she ”had not seen the Barnetts since they moved to Canada.”
This then led to a five-year investigation, which ended last week when the couple was charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent.
The articles reported Michael allegedly admitted he knew the girl was a minor when he and Kristine skipped town in an interview with detectives.
They left town knowing the girl didn’t have any connections in the city, continuing to pay her rent but providing no financial support beyond that, according to court documents.
Court documents also stated that due to Natalia’s condition, it has been difficult for doctors to determine her true age. In June 2010, a doctor estimated her to be 8-years-old, but an evaluation in June 2012 showed that she was about 11-years-old.
Kristine and Michael have since been released on a $5,500 bond.
Sunday, September 15, Kristine posted to Facebook stating, “I am sick and devastated from the idea of any of these charges and maintain that they are false charges,” according to NBC News. The publication reached out to her multiple times but have yet to succeed.
