This has to be one of the craziest news stories of all time…
As we reported back in September, a Ukrainian girl and her Indiana foster parents made international news for an incident authorities and journalists are still trying to figure out in full. And judging by the fact that Dr. Phil McGraw has now picked up the story for his own show, things may be about to get a whole lot messier.
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The girl, Natalia Grace Barnett, claims she was abandoned by her foster parents Michael and Kristine Barnett in Lafayette, Indiana more than five years ago, after first being adopted from Ukraine back in 2010. But the family is claiming something entirely different: that Natalia is actually an adult, who may be as old as her mid-30s, and she was trying to harm her foster family while also conning them into thinking she was just a child.
WTF?!
It all started nearly a decade ago when the Barnetts adopted the girl thinking they were taking in a six-year-old child. But according to them, the girl is actually an adult woman who suffers from dwarfism, and allegedly worked as a “con artist” trying to take advantage of the family. This bizarre story took on a life of its own over the last few months, as things played out in the public eye as well as the justice system, where the Barnetts have been charged with neglecting a dependent.
And now, Natalia will take her story to Dr. Phil, where the child (or adult?) will apparently try to tell her side of things to the show’s powerful host and explain what was really going on in that Indiana home.
People has the exclusive teaser clip of the show’s upcoming interview, which will air on Thursday, November 7, and it looks WILD!!! (You can watch the whole thing HERE.)
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At one point, noting the Barnetts have claimed Natalia repeatedly tried to harm them while she lived in their home, Dr. Phil point-blank asked the girl:
“She’s painted you as an evil dwarf who would poison their coffee, or stab them in their sleep. They say you scammed them, lied about your age, and terrorized them. Why did they want to get rid of you so bad?”
For her part, she doesn’t say a whole lot in the teaser itself, only at one point breaking the silence to say (below):
“That’s not true at all. I just want people to hear my side.”
Uh-huh…
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But Dr. Phil quickly drowns that out in a way only the famed TV host can, when he comes right back over the top with this quip (below):
“A six- or seven-year-old child living alone in an apartment for a year? That’s just not believable. I guess it comes down to whether or not you are an evil psychopath demon child that’s come over here to murder anybody.”
Yeah… get ready for a s**t show, y’all!!!
As we mentioned, the full interview will air this Thursday, November 7, so check local listings for show times. Sure seems like you won’t want to miss this one!!!!
[Image via CBS/Dr. Phil Show]
