IN - Couple charged with abandonment of adopted child after legally changing her age, Sept 2019

[Medstudies]

That last photo!!! 2 Bio sons are wearing freaking NorthFace jackets while Natalia doesn’t even have a coat that fits!! That’s “a labor of love” right there, NOT. Did Super Mom never hear of alterations?

Right? And here’s another capture from the same video, before it zoomed in. The girl looks so happy, I don’t know a teen that would be happy dragged out in public being dressed like that

 

[kaen]

If the statements made in the physician's letter don't make any sense medically and the letterhead doesn't jibe, I'm going out on a limb and saying KB forged said letter.

SBM. Or, the doctor said this is what I can ethically write. Beyond that I can't say X or Y for you.

 

[Meloni88]

If the statements made in the physician's letter don't make any sense medically and the letterhead doesn't jibe, I'm going out on a limb and saying KB forged said letter.

My decision is circumstantial, I grant; but let's not forget, KB is a person who attempted to carve a whole career out of the persona of a mother who, basically, refused to accept what the medical profession told her about her genius son.

Is it really then surprising that someone with her other obvious personality flaws (grandiose behavior, etc.), now adds to it "thinks she knows more than doctors and thus, is overstating her abilities to forge a credible doctor's letter"?

I can also see her thinking she "knows better than everyone else" about the onset of puberty, because in her mind, "growing pubic hair = the time at which I, myself, began to grow pubic hair". Whereas the most cursory research I performed on the concept of "precocious puberty", said that the overwhelming majority of instances of childhood PP had no known etiology.

I got the impression that it was the same doctor who showed up for them during the guardianship contention in 2016. I think one of the lawyers representing the Mans/Natalia mentioned a doctor being with the Barnetts so I'm going to assume it was McLaren. Although the letter is very sketchy and unprofessional I'm not totally sure it was a forgery. Quite telling that he doesn't reference any specifics in the letter. I mean, physician names, locations, dates etc. "it was observed", "her [whatever] was described as...", stuff like that. By whom? Where? And we can see from the Barnetts' own photos of the girl that she still had her milk teeth in 2010 so any "adult dentition" would be from some time after they adopted her. Seems like he was doing them a favour for some reason and didn't think it would ever come back to haunt him. The Barnetts being "the true victims" etc. so beyond his remit and sounds straight out of Kristine's mouth.

 

[Dawn Day]

SBM. Or, the doctor said this is what I can ethically write. Beyond that I can't say X or Y for you.

I initially thought it was a forgery, but now I’m leaning towards this Dr is an ignorant, unethical jackwad and should be publically censured for writing this (if he did). Seems like a violation of Natalia’s rights (unless a court ordered it or a release of rights was signed by Natalia) as the Dr said that he treated Natalia as a physician previously.

 

[Laughing]

I initially thought it was a forgery, but now I’m leaning towards this Dr is an ignorant, unethical jackwad and should be publically censured for writing this (if he did). Seems like a violation of Natalia’s rights (unless a court ordered it or a release of rights was signed by Natalia) as the Dr said that he treated Natalia as a physician previously.

BBM

Yes! If the victim is indeed a child, the legal parent can release medical information.

If this victim is an adult, releasing information without express permission is a crime.

Will the State of Indiana actually let Kristine Pearson Barnett have it both ways???

(This sort of thing has emerged in the Jennifer Farber Dulos case as well.)

N, hope you're enjoying the fall weather with people who care about you!

 

[ioethe]

That last photo!!! 2 Bio sons are wearing freaking NorthFace jackets while Natalia doesn’t even have a coat that fits!! That’s “a labor of love” right there, NOT. Did Super Mom never hear of alterations?

I’d noticed the coat when I first saw the picture, but the skirt and the blouse don’t fit her either. She looks like a pile of clothes, bless her.

 

[gitana1]

This is one of the worst parts for me - using her early onset menstruation against her. Scary enough as is without an adult freaking out and telling you you're not who you say you are because of it. Carrie mom vibes. If they'd even done the most cursory research they would have found that precocious puberty is 15-20 times more common in internationally adopted girls. Why is no one in the media pointing this out? This supposed smoking gun evidence that the girl was so much older than claimed is very easily explained. I'd bet Dr Riggs informed her of that when she took her to him but it went in one ear and out the other. I also think they are likely massively exaggerating how much hair she had that first day. It was probably Tanner II or III at most but Kristine is dramatic AF.

This kid is old enough now to follow the news. To be called a freak, have her body and menstrual cycle discussed, be labelled a psychopath,
compared to a horror movie- I mean for me it's clear she wasn't some adult scammer involved with some corrupt adoption agency and orchestrating her own placement as a six year old into an unwitting American family. So she could be bathed and not work.

That really makes no sense.

I mean she could be older than her listed age and I'm pretty positive she exhibited behavioral issues when she came here. But the rest is nonsense.

And now she has to read all this horrible stuff about herself. That's got to be awful. I hope her family tries to keep her protected from the news.

 

[ioethe]

This kid is old enough now to follow the news. To be called a freak, have her body and menstrual cycle discussed, be labelled a psychopath,
compared to a horror movie- I mean for me it's clear she wasn't some adult scammer involved with some corrupt adoption agency and orchestrating her own placement as a six year old into an unwitting American family. So she could be bathed and not work.

That really makes no sense.

I mean she could be older than her listed age and I'm pretty positive she exhibited behavioral issues when she came here. But the rest is nonsense.

And now she has to read all this horrible stuff about herself. That's got to be awful. I hope her family tries to keep her protected from the news.

I hope she didn’t have to find out the identity of her birth mother on the news.

 

[gitana1]

JMHO, I'd still like to see Dr. Jen Arnold's professional opinion of those bone scans:

A small amount of Google-fu indicates this pediatrician has the the same form of dwarfism. Unusual, but far from unknown to pediatricians.

JMHO YMMV

Yes and if you watch the show they display photos of her and her husband who has a similar form, and they show people who age normally - kid photos look like kids, teens look like teens, young adults and adults look normal. The condition doesn't make them look like babies. Not even their bodies. They're just small statured.

 

[gitana1]

I would like to hear her opinion, too. She is very intelligent. She does not have the same condition as Natalia, however. Dr Jen does have osteochrondrodysplasia (aka Skeletal Dysplasia), while Natalia has Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita, a much rarer form of dwarfism.

Hmm. Their website shows they both have the same kind as Natalia although with slight variation:

Bill & Jen aren’t your typical couple. He is a serial entrepreneur and she is a board certified neonatologist. He received his bachelor degree from NYU and has consulted and generated millions in incremental revenue for companies like GE Healthcare, Siemens and Tyco Healthcare. She received her bachelor degree from University of Miami, a Masters of Education from University of Pittsburgh and her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is now the Medical Director of a state-of-the-art simulation center at Texas Children’s Hospital and is a practicing physician at the largest NICU in the country. But that’s not what makes them unique.

He stands at 4 feet and has a rare variation of a skeletal dysplasia called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia (or SED) and has had more than 20 surgeries. She stands at just 3 foot 2 has a similar, and also rare type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Type Strudwick, has had more than 30 surgeries – and yet this too is not what makes this couple unique!
https://www.thelittlecouple.com/

Which makes me wonder. This type usually results in a ton of surgeries. Not fun but it allows them to walk normally and not be in constant pain. Has Natalia had the benefit of such surgeries while in the states?

 

[Medstudies]

SBM. Or, the doctor said this is what I can ethically write. Beyond that I can't say X or Y for you.

And writing the dates as single digits (3/6/3) (example)?! That wouldn't fly for a healthcare audit, which is another reason why I question the validity of it.

dates are always annotated as Mar 06 2013 (example) or 06 March 2013 (example) in medical correspondence because otherwise there is too much room for error. (Because typos happen, such as it was really Jun 03 2003...)

That letter is just a hot mess and not at all the byproduct of medical correspondence I have ever encountered.

And maybe it was legit, which in itself is shocking.

And this is just MOO

 

[gitana1]

If the statements made in the physician's letter don't make any sense medically and the letterhead doesn't jibe, I'm going out on a limb and saying KB forged said letter.

My decision is circumstantial, I grant; but let's not forget, KB is a person who attempted to carve a whole career out of the persona of a mother who, basically, refused to accept what the medical profession told her about her genius son.

Is it really then surprising that someone with her other obvious personality flaws (grandiose behavior, etc.), now adds to it "thinks she knows more than doctors and thus, is overstating her abilities to forge a credible doctor's letter"?

I can also see her thinking she "knows better than everyone else" about the onset of puberty, because in her mind, "growing pubic hair = the time at which I, myself, began to grow pubic hair". Whereas the most cursory research I performed on the concept of "precocious puberty", said that the overwhelming majority of instances of childhood PP had no known etiology.

I think he wrote the letter. Otherwise he would quickly come out and denounce it. I think he also testified at the guardianship hearing.

I believe he was a friend of theirs and did them a favor. I also think KB is super persuasive (remember, she got thousands of people to believe she could do 60 hours of work in a 24 hour period each day and never sleep and they bought it hook line and sinker) and affected how the doctor viewed Natalia.

His letter is not a medical report. He fails to use DSM diagnostic categories which a true professional would always do in dealings with the court. He refers to hearsay and doesn't attach any medical reports as evidence. He doesn't mention his own examination and assessment of her age. He refers to others' assessment or to certain qualities without mentioning that he himself examined her and noted those qualities.

I.e. "Patient exhibited Tanner scale BLANK development in the appearance of breast tissue and pubic hair [or however they would phrase that]. An examination of her dentition showed no deciduous teeth or spaces indicating adult teeth yet to erupt. All her adult teeth were present including her third molars (wisdom teeth). An examination of bone scans conducted by Dr. Blank indicated an approximate age of no less than 14. She had evidence of a regular, monthly menstrual cycle since May 2010.

When examining and interacting with the patient it was noted that her vocabulary and manner of speech indicated a greater developmental level than her stated age. I thus applied a developmental screening test to the patient and determined she was in the 14-19 age range mentally.

I reviewed psychiatric reports from the psychiatric team at Stafford Medical Center. Those reports indicated that...Further, the patient was noted to have made spontaneous statements indicating she was actually over 18 and not a minor. The reports are attached."

That would be closer to the kind of thing I'm used to seeing. I have never seen such a casual note. Except notes written to the patient or patient's parent about minor things like "Patient was seen on...and parent advised to have child seen by a genetic specialist." Or whatever.

That letter is garbage.

 

[gitana1]

I got the impression that it was the same doctor who showed up for them during the guardianship contention in 2016. I think one of the lawyers representing the Mans/Natalia mentioned a doctor being with the Barnetts so I'm going to assume it was McLaren. Although the letter is very sketchy and unprofessional I'm not totally sure it was a forgery. Quite telling that he doesn't reference any specifics in the letter. I mean, physician names, locations, dates etc. "it was observed", "her [whatever] was described as...", stuff like that. By whom? Where? And we can see from the Barnetts' own photos of the girl that she still had her milk teeth in 2010 so any "adult dentition" would be from some time after they adopted her. Seems like he was doing them a favour for some reason and didn't think it would ever come back to haunt him. The Barnetts being "the true victims" etc. so beyond his remit and sounds straight out of Kristine's mouth.

I'm with you.

 

[gitana1]

Oh lord. Haven't seen this horror film they based their story on but I did read that that was one of the elements... "Esther" seducing the husband.

Oh God. I would believe it. (That they made up a scenario to match the movie). That poor kid.

 

[ioethe]

I think he wrote the letter. Otherwise he would quickly come out and denounce it. I think he also testified at the guardianship hearing.

I believe he was a friend of theirs and did them a favor. I also think KB is super persuasive (remember, she got thousands of people to believe she could do 60 hours of work in a 24 hour period each day and never sleep and they bought it hook line and sinker) and affected how the doctor viewed Natalia.

His letter is not a medical report. He fails to use DSM diagnostic categories which a true professional would always do in dealings with the court. He refers to hearsay and doesn't attach any medical reports as evidence. He doesn't mention his own examination and assessment of her age. He refers to others' assessment or to certain qualities without mentioning that he himself examined her and noted those qualities.

I.e. "Patient exhibited Tanner scale BLANK development in the appearance of breast tissue and pubic hair [or however they would phrase that]. An examination of her dentition showed no deciduous teeth or spaces indicating adult teeth yet to erupt. All her adult teeth were present including her third molars (wisdom teeth). An examination of bone scans conducted by Dr. Blank indicated an approximate age of no less than 14. She had evidence of a regular, monthly menstrual cycle since May 2010.

When examining and interacting with the patient it was noted that her vocabulary and manner of speech indicated a greater developmental level than her stated age. I thus applied a developmental screening test to the patient and determined she was in the 14-19 age range mentally.

I reviewed psychiatric reports from the psychiatric team at Stafford Medical Center. Those reports indicated that...Further, the patient was noted to have made spontaneous statements indicating she was actually over 18 and not a minor. The reports are attached."

That would be closer to the kind of thing I'm used to seeing. I have never seen such a casual note. Except notes written to the patient or patient's parent about minor things like "Patient was seen on...and parent advised to have child seen by a genetic specialist." Or whatever.

That letter is garbage.

I think you are dead on with your interpretation. I think we have to be a bit cautious of assuming that that letter is all the evidence they had to change her age. It may just have been the bit which Kristine has to hand. Also it’s dated 2016 so presumably wasn’t part of the original change of DOB.

 

[gitana1]

I think you are dead on with your interpretation. I think we have to be a bit cautious of assuming that that letter is all the evidence they had to change her age. It may just have been the bit which Kristine has to hand. Also it’s dated 2016 so presumably wasn’t part of the original change of DOB.

You know I have a feeling the evidence she had wasn't that compelling. This post describes what KB handed over. It's her petition for the age change. It's unsigned because likely signed copies are in the court file or with her former attorney.

https://www.wishtv.com/news/crime-watch-8/warrants-issued-for-indianapolis-pahttps

Kristine gave News 8 an undated and unsigned copy of the “Verified Emergency Petition for Change of Birth Date of Foreign Born Adopted Child.”

Attorney Michele Jackson confirmed with News 8 by phone that she helped the Barnetts submit the petition and is one of the only experts in the country who deals with age change requests of this nature. She said requests to change an adopted child’s age are rare but do happen.

In the petition, the Barnetts said they began to notice unusual behaviors and physical characteristics that didn’t match the girl’s documented age. They believed her to be an adult, viewed her behaviors as dangerous and thought she posed a threat to their family and to society.

The petition argues that changing the girl’s birth date would help her receive appropriate adult assistance, including for her diagnosed case of schizophrenia. It claims mental health clinics that had previously treated her would no longer admit her because they did not believe she was a child.

The petition cited the girl’s doctor and her licensed clinical social worker, who both said they believed she was at least 22 years old. News 8 reached out to both professionals last week for interviews, but those requests were ignored or denied.

I get the sense that she had letters or declarations to go with the petition but probably not much else. Maybe reports but the petition doesn't indicate so.

Interesting to note that the petition is an emergency petition. What was the sudden rush? She claims that she started to believe early on that Natalia was a teenager. Suddenly she has to rush to get the age change?

Oh I'm sure she pretended Natalia needed immediate access to certain services. But in reality her golden child got accepted to a college in Canada and she didn't want to take her disabled kid with behavioral problems, along.

Also, note that here NB is supposedly diagnosed with schizophrenia. What happened to being diagnosed as a "psychopath"? And where are her schizophrenia symptoms now? She's been with the Manns for almost 6 years. What's up?

 

[Linda7NJ]

That last photo!!! 2 Bio sons are wearing freaking NorthFace jackets while Natalia doesn’t even have a coat that fits!! That’s “a labor of love” right there, NOT. Did Super Mom never hear of alterations?

To be fair, Natalia has the jacket open and it’s dropping off her shoulders ...making it appear Ill fitting

 

[Gussified]

There have been some compelling arguments here re: N being a child. Still, I’m not ready to vilify any of the parties in this case. My question is, if they were just trying to get rid of N, why would the Barnetts go to all the trouble of going to court to get her age changed vs just undoing the adoption. They obviously knew it could be undone, since the first family had done so. Seems like going thru the court process is a much more time consuming and expensive process. No? What was their motivation? What did they stand to gain?

Which makes me wonder. This type usually results in a ton of surgeries. Not fun but it allows them to walk normally and not be in constant pain. Has Natalia had the benefit of such surgeries while in the states?

No, I don’t believe that she has, based on the photos with her new family. Where you can see them, her feet look deformed. (But I gotta admit, I roll my eyes when I see others aging her based on photos, so what do I know.)

 

[renah]

In her FB video, the mother stated that the 2 bone scans were done in preparation for surgery. I don't believe she said whether those surgeries were actually ever done, though.

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

There have been some compelling arguments here re: N being a child. Still, I’m not ready to vilify any of the parties in this case. My question is, if they were just trying to get rid of N, why would the Barnetts go to all the trouble of going to court to get her age changed vs just undoing the adoption. They obviously knew it could be undone, since the first family had done so. Seems like going thru the court process is a much more time consuming and expensive process. No? What was their motivation? What did they stand to gain?



No, I don’t believe that she has, based on the photos with her new family. Where you can see them, her feet look deformed. (But I gotta admit, I roll my eyes when I see others aging her based on photos, so what do I know.)

The most obvious explanation to me is that it would devastate her career as a best selling author and speaker on parenting children with special needs. To undo the adoption would be admitting failure and the inability to work miracles in any and all situations. So KB started creating an alternate reality to excuse her shortcomings, place the blame on the child herself, and found some ( not all) medical professionals to go along with it. She can be very convincing. I unfortunately have first hand experience with a mentally ill narcissist/sociopath who can turn an innocent child into the dangerous enemy in order to get him removed from her presence, and make people feel sorry for her in the process. Pure evil. Moo.