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

[Dawn Day]

Yeah I think that's an important point. As far as the judge can see these were caring, intelligent, middle class respectable people and Kristine can really put on a show of being a devoted mother. I doubt the judge was unaware she was a parenting author and had been featured on 60 minutes. They were saying the just want her to have access to better services etc. etc. Not that they want shot of her. Judges have biases. I'm sure if the Bs were less WASPish and privileged the judge would have been a bit more skeptical.

I think you are correct that the judge was likely influenced by their WASPyness and socio economic background. Kristine was NOT yet an author at this time, but their son had already been garnering attention and accolades.
This reminded me of something from my previous position in pharmaceutical sales (years ago). I sold a psychotropic medication primarily marketed towards children. I had a very large territory and directly called upon (visited) a large number of physicians. I remember one dr from a disadvantaged area expressing skepticism about parent’s reports of their child’s behavior. He said many of them only wanted their child diagnosed in order to get the child classified as disabled in order to collect more government money. Meanwhile out in the wealthier suburbs they were handing out scripts like candy and the parents word was gospel.

 

[Meloni88]

I think you are correct that the judge was likely influenced by their WASPyness and socio economic background. Kristine was NOT yet an author at this time, but their son had already been garnering attention and accolades.
This reminded me of something from my previous position in pharmaceutical sales (years ago). I sold a psychotropic medication primarily marketed towards children. I had a very large territory and directly called upon (visited) a large number of physicians. I remember one dr from a disadvantaged area expressing skepticism about parent’s reports of their child’s behavior. He said many of them only wanted their child diagnosed in order to get the child classified as disabled in order to collect more government money. Meanwhile out in the wealthier suburbs they were handing out scripts like candy and the parents word was gospel.

Oh they were on 60 minutes in 2012, assumed she'd already written the book by then. yeah... cant say I'm surprised about the medicine thing. Poor, less educated people are often assumed to be up to no good. Privileged people are always less scrutinized. I'm not that well off but I have an English RP accent and I'm articulate. One of my babies was born very small for gestational age and took a while to gain weight. His paediatrician was nothing but supportive and kind to me the whole time but a lady from my church who lives in a trailer house had CPS called on her for the same issues and the same doctor suggested she was a drug taker and wasnt feeding her baby. She has no history of anything like that. It made me so sad because around that time she was asking our facebook group where to get special high calorie formula. She was sad breastfeeding wasnt working but wanted to do what was best.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I think you are correct that the judge was likely influenced by their WASPyness and socio economic background. Kristine was NOT yet an author at this time, but their son had already been garnering attention and accolades.
This reminded me of something from my previous position in pharmaceutical sales (years ago). I sold a psychotropic medication primarily marketed towards children. I had a very large territory and directly called upon (visited) a large number of physicians. I remember one dr from a disadvantaged area expressing skepticism about parent’s reports of their child’s behavior. He said many of them only wanted their child diagnosed in order to get the child classified as disabled in order to collect more government money. Meanwhile out in the wealthier suburbs they were handing out scripts like candy and the parents word was gospel.

Where I live, wealthier suburbs, mothers were getting their children diagnosed with ADHD to get scripts for adderal - the MOTHERS WERE TAKING IT and bragging about it! Worst kept secret EVER!

 

[claudianunes]

Where I live, wealthier suburbs, mothers were getting their children diagnosed with ADHD to get scripts for adderal - the MOTHERS WERE TAKING IT and bragging about it! Worst kept secret EVER!

Yep, that is absolutely correct. Happened around here too.

 

[Meloni88]

It would be almost expected for Natalia to have RAD considering her time at the orphanage. But the wild accusations leveled by the Barnett’s don’t seem to fit the bill of common symptoms. When Michael described her immeadiatly calling them mommy And daddy that seemed like disinhibited RAD. But attempted murders? No

This just kills me. Michael just sits there on Dr Oz saying that Natalia's enthusiasm, running up to them and calling them mommy and daddy and over the top friendliness was "red flag number one" that she wasnt really a child. And Dr Oz just nods along like a chump.
Symptoms of disihibited social engagement disorder;

1. Reduced or absent reticence in approaching and interacting with unfamiliar adults.
2. Overly familiar verbal or physical behavior (that is not consistent with culturally sanctioned and with age-appropriate social boundaries).
3. Diminished or absent checking back with an adult caregiver after venturing away, even in unfamiliar settings.
4. Willingness to go off with an unfamiliar adult with little or no hesitation.

It's only diagnosed in children and the risk factors for it are being institutionalized, neglect, inconsistent care and repeated change of primary caregiver. I mean...

 

[Amonet]

I suggested earlier that if a child enjoys being around adults they can pick up adult language and ways of saying things.

Thinking back to the orphanage, it might be possible that the adult caregivers particularly enjoyed spending time with N. I've been watching documentaries about a form of dwarfism called Primordial Dwarfism, the MOPD type II, and adults seem so endeared to these tiny tiny children and the small-statured adults that they grow into. N being of average intelligence and physical ability but just being an extra small child, possibly in a room of children who had both physical and mental challenges, might get quite a lot of positive attention in the orphanage, and the adults might have been the ones she enjoyed being around most. I could easily imagine this translating into precocious language and talking with adults as if she's one of them and empathises with their issues.

 

[Meloni88]

I suggested earlier that if a child enjoys being around adults they can pick up adult language and ways of saying things.

Thinking back to the orphanage, it might be possible that the adult caregivers particularly enjoyed spending time with N. I've been watching documentaries about a form of dwarfism called Primordial Dwarfism, the MOPD type II, and adults seem so endeared to these tiny tiny children and the small-statured adults that they grow into. N being of average intelligence and physical ability but just being an extra small child, possibly in a room of children who had both physical and mental challenges, might get quite a lot of positive attention in the orphanage, and the adults might have been the ones she enjoyed being around most. I could easily imagine this translating into precocious language and talking with adults as if she's one of them and empathises with their issues.

There are simple explanations for pretty much all of Natalia's behaviours and characteristics. The Barnetts are garbage. Never once thought to even just google "adopted children friendliness" or "adopted children familiarity" or "children smearing on walls" and do even a tiny bit of research into why she might be behaving the way she was. It took me less than a minute to find out about the link between international adoption and precocious puberty. For people who are big proponents of education they are remarkably incurious.

 

[squareandrabbet]

I suggested earlier that if a child enjoys being around adults they can pick up adult language and ways of saying things.

Thinking back to the orphanage, it might be possible that the adult caregivers particularly enjoyed spending time with N. I've been watching documentaries about a form of dwarfism called Primordial Dwarfism, the MOPD type II, and adults seem so endeared to these tiny tiny children and the small-statured adults that they grow into. N being of average intelligence and physical ability but just being an extra small child, possibly in a room of children who had both physical and mental challenges, might get quite a lot of positive attention in the orphanage, and the adults might have been the ones she enjoyed being around most. I could easily imagine this translating into precocious language and talking with adults as if she's one of them and empathises with their issues.

Plus, kids are cruel and insensitive towards the "different". It's possible they shunned Natalia. Everyone also knows that only/oldest children grow up modeling and parroting their parents, who are their interactive role models much more than siblings.

The Barnetts' putative ignorance just astounds me, really. They're like walking examples of white privilege, smug and self-satisfied that they're perfect just the way they are.

 

[ioethe]

I also think it’s entirely possible that N’s speech was not that precocious. The one example Kristine gives (“these kids are exhausting”) is a perfect example of parroting and it’s developmentally bang on for N’s original date of birth.

Jacob’s speech was delayed, and it’s very common for the younger siblings of autistic kids to have mild speech delays, both as a result of mimicking their older sibling and getting a smaller slice of parental attention because of their sibling’s needs - it sorts itself out in the end. And one of the boys was supposedly gravely ill in infancy - another common marker for delayed speech.

On top of all of this, girls tend to be more verbal than boys even in neurotypical children. So I think it’s entirely plausible that N was a bright little chatterbox of a girl and Kristine and Michael blew it out of proportion to fit their victim narrative.

 

[Meloni88]

I also think it’s entirely possible that N’s speech was not that precocious. The one example Kristine gives (“these kids are exhausting”) is a perfect example of parroting and it’s developmentally bang on for N’s original date of birth.

Jacob’s speech was delayed, and it’s very common for the younger siblings of autistic kids to have mild speech delays, both as a result of mimicking their older sibling and getting a smaller slice of parental attention because of their sibling’s needs - it sorts itself out in the end. And one of the boys was supposedly gravely ill in infancy - another common marker for delayed speech.

On top of all of this, girls tend to be more verbal than boys even in neurotypical children. So I think it’s entirely plausible that N was a bright little chatterbox of a girl and Kristine and Michael blew it out of proportion to fit their victim narrative.

Yeah it's like she's not like their natural children therefore she's not really a child at all. Anything she does or says that their boys wouldn't is automatically suspicious. And both parents think this? Folie a deux?

 

[ioethe]

Yeah it's like she's not like their natural children therefore she's not really a child at all. Anything she does or says that their boys wouldn't is automatically suspicious. And both parents think this? Folie a deux?

This is pure speculation on my part, but having spent quite a bit of time reading the dad's FB, I don't think he's terribly bright, and I think he's panicky and quite emotionally easy to manipulate. I think he would probably follow anything Kristine said because she is the stronger personality. (I do not in any way absolve him of responsibility for what happened to Natalia). I also find the "we were cold called by the adoption agency" very interesting. I wonder if Kristine had signed them up to an agency and not told him.

I also found this;

Michael and Kristine Barnett's adopted daughter's mental records released to attorneys

interesting. Michael has asked for his address to be redacted as he was informed that Kristine had received a death threat which Indianapolis police department had considered credible. But the Tippecanoe Country Sheriff office claimed that the threat was reported to New Palestine police by Kristine and that they had not found it (a Facebook comment) credible. Michael also claims;

Michael Barnett's attorney accuses reporter from Spain of trespassing

that a Spanish reporter broke into his home - but the reporter states that he just knocked at the door and asked for an interview.

 

[Meloni88]

This is pure speculation on my part, but having spent quite a bit of time reading the dad's FB, I don't think he's terribly bright, and I think he's panicky and quite emotionally easy to manipulate. I think he would probably follow anything Kristine said because she is the stronger personality. (I do not in any way absolve him of responsibility for what happened to Natalia). I also find the "we were cold called by the adoption agency" very interesting. I wonder if Kristine had signed them up to an agency and not told him.

I also found this;

Michael and Kristine Barnett's adopted daughter's mental records released to attorneys

interesting. Michael has asked for his address to be redacted as he was informed that Kristine had received a death threat which Indianapolis police department had considered credible. But the Tippecanoe Country Sheriff office claimed that the threat was reported to New Palestine police by Kristine and that they had not found it (a Facebook comment) credible. Michael also claims;

Michael Barnett's attorney accuses reporter from Spain of trespassing

that a Spanish reporter broke into his home - but the reporter states that he just knocked at the door and asked for an interview.

I wonder what happens with those records. Like they are private but presumably evidence from them will be used in court so the public will eventually hear what she was diagnosed with if anything.

I can't see how the state can lose this case. Just found this picture on facebook.... girl had missing teeth. This is one of Cynthia's pictures so she obviously didn't have all her adult teeth when the B's left her!

 

[ioethe]

I wonder what happens with those records. Like they are private but presumably evidence from them will be used in court so the public will eventually hear what she was diagnosed with if anything.

I can't see how the state can lose this case. Just found this picture on facebook.... girl had missing teeth. This is one of Cynthia's pictures so she obviously didn't have all her adult teeth when the B's left her!

I think a lot of Michael Barnett's case hinges on her being diagnosed with mental health issues which she wouldn't have been diagnosed with had she been a child, therefore she must be an adult. But as far as I am aware, there's no single set of symptoms which occur only in adults and not in children - the diagnosis of those symptoms would merely vary depending on the age of the patient. If the Barnetts had placed N in psychiatric care and been able to convince the doctors that they believed N to be an adult, the doctors would treat her as such and thus her diagnosis would be an adult one. It's a classic Munchausen by Proxy move - get a diagnosis based upon a faulty parental history and from that diagnosis extrapolate evidence, coming back to prove the original diagnosis.

I imagine turning up in court with a box of the girl's baby teeth would be fairly compelling, but people have been acquitted with more concrete evidence than that against them. I hope the state have done their work thoroughly - because if the Barnetts *are* guilty, what's been done to this child is shameful.

 

[Dawn Day]

This is pure speculation on my part, but having spent quite a bit of time reading the dad's FB, I don't think he's terribly bright, and I think he's panicky and quite emotionally easy to manipulate. I think he would probably follow anything Kristine said because she is the stronger personality.

I agree with your assessment of Michael’s intelligence. This guy is a doorknob. I don’t find her much brighter, but definitely more intelligent than him.
I also gather from his FB that he is estranged from his sons. Not surprising since He baled on them and left Canada to return to Indiana.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

This just kills me. Michael just sits there on Dr Oz saying that Natalia's enthusiasm, running up to them and calling them mommy and daddy and over the top friendliness was "red flag number one" that she wasnt really a child. And Dr Oz just nods along like a chump.
Symptoms of disihibited social engagement disorder;

1. Reduced or absent reticence in approaching and interacting with unfamiliar adults.
2. Overly familiar verbal or physical behavior (that is not consistent with culturally sanctioned and with age-appropriate social boundaries).
3. Diminished or absent checking back with an adult caregiver after venturing away, even in unfamiliar settings.
4. Willingness to go off with an unfamiliar adult with little or no hesitation.

It's only diagnosed in children and the risk factors for it are being institutionalized, neglect, inconsistent care and repeated change of primary caregiver. I mean...

I used to liked Dr.OZ but realized he's sellout. More a quack than a Dr.
MOO

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

hmmmmm ... I think the 'girl' may actually be an adult

News 8 reached out to Kristine on Facebook. She claimed to not know about the charges, said the situation with the girl was “complicated” and claimed the girl was diagnosed as both a psychopath and sociopath.

She said the adoption was a “scam” and the girl is actually an adult and has been an adult the entire time she’s known her, but refused to provide additional details.

Parents accused of abandoning adopted child in apartment; mom says it’s a ‘scam’

Riiiiiiiiiight. Didn't know about about the charges.

hmmmmm ... I think the 'girl' may actually be an adult

News 8 reached out to Kristine on Facebook. She claimed to not know about the charges, said the situation with the girl was “complicated” and claimed the girl was diagnosed as both a psychopath and sociopath.

She said the adoption was a “scam” and the girl is actually an adult and has been an adult the entire time she’s known her, but refused to provide additional details.

Parents accused of abandoning adopted child in apartment; mom says it’s a ‘scam’

Riiiiiiiiiight,and she's so believable, because she says so.
MOO

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

IKR.
Where did they get a copy of the petition? I want to see it in full. It really looks like they had nothing substantial to cite as evidence of her being older. It's all smoke and mirrors and these "facts" are just hearsay from the parents. If there were other doctors who were certain she was an adult from their own observations they would have listed their names, locations and when they examined her and then highlighted and underscored it in their petition. But it's just.. absent. If you have that evidence why would you leave it out?! Their whole contention rests on her having her period and hiding it . But her having a period doesn't in any way make her an adult (seriously wtf?) and is unlikely to have been substantiated anyway - I mean doctors don't check for bleeding they just take your word for it in my experience. The rest of the stuff is just about her behaving oddly and being intelligent. That's it?!?

It's like they have that old enough to bleed attitude. So disgusting,and damaging. SMH.
MOO

 

[Linda7NJ]

I just spent the better part of my morning scouring Michael Barnett’s FB

Save yourselves...don’t.

YAWN

 

[Meloni88]

Love how he was acting as if he was an actual witness to the pine sol coffee incident but obviously he never saw it happen himself. He says Kristine left the room, Natalia grabs the pine sol from under the sink, carries it to the kitchen table, pours "a bunch" into the coffee and when Kristine comes back she's nonchalantly putting the cap back on. He couldn't have been in the room watching because he wouldnt just stand there and let her do all that! So this is clearly just something Kristine told him she did. But she couldn't even remember what cleaning fluid it was in her own interview. 1000% fabrication.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Love how he was acting as if he was an actual witness to the pine sol coffee incident but obviously he never saw it happen himself. He says Kristine left the room, Natalia grabs the pine sol from under the sink, carries it to the kitchen table, pours "a bunch" into the coffee and when Kristine comes back she's nonchalantly putting the cap back on. He couldn't have been in the room watching because he wouldnt just stand there and let her do all that! So this is clearly just something Kristine told him she did. But she couldn't even remember what cleaning fluid it was in her own interview. 1000% fabrication.

Exactly was it
A. Bleach
B. Windex
C. Pine Sol
It keeps changing.