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

[claudianunes]

They didn’t just drop her off. In my opinion, they went above and beyond.
She’s an adult - You think keeping her & endangering their children would be a better idea?

They left a kid alone in a apartment. That's not going above and beyond.

 

[cherrymeg]

It seems there’s serious concerns that she was NOT originally adopted from the Ukraine.

Did I miss this? And is she isn't what does that mean? Is this the "parents" shifting blame to the state? I thought they did an emergency adoption.

 

[claudianunes]

Can someone please remind me what year the left to Canada? Thanks in advance, I'm following too many cases, I can't even keep up anymore.

 

[cherrymeg]

"A picture is worth a thousand words"
Age Progression pics

Thank you for this.

 

[cherrymeg]

They didn’t just drop her off. In my opinion, they went above and beyond.
She’s an adult - You think keeping her & endangering their children would be a better idea?

If you take responsibility for a child or a dependant adult, you need to be responsible. Leaving a person that they thought was a danger to others in an apartment alone who may not have had the skills to live on their own, is mind blowing. The Barnetts wrote about parenting, they surely would have known how to get this child help. Changing her age is questionable at best.

 

[cherrymeg]

Can someone please remind me what year the left to Canada? Thanks in advance, I'm following too many cases, I can't even keep up anymore.

2013 I think.

 

[cherrymeg]

Can someone please remind me what year the left to Canada? Thanks in advance, I'm following too many cases, I can't even keep up anymore.

What’s Going on With This Possible Real-Life Orphan Story?

 

[cherrymeg]

Maybe it’s just me, but if these two really believed she was a serious danger, how do they just drop her off in an apartment house like that? Oh, are they just going to let her kill other people who have no clue that she is a psychopathic killer straight out of “Orphan”?

One article has Kristine saying she was concerned that Natalia was scamming someone else. It's more likely she dumped a kid in an apt. If the adoption was real why not bring her with them to Canada and seek help there? If a child is hurting others or themselves has physical and maybe mental disabilities there are programs that can help. Signing her up for welfare but not making sure she was receiving the right treatment shows they knew resources existed but they ignored them. moo
What’s Going on With This Possible Real-Life Orphan Story?

 

[Keine Engel]

'Girl' dwarf whose adopted mum claims is 'adult who tried to kill her' has new family​

A Ukrainian girl with dwarfism who was allegedly abandoned by her foster parents is now living with a devout Christian family who treat her as a teenage daughter.

Natalia bottom right with Cynthia Mans and her children
​

Bizarre claims have emerged surrounding the adoption of N.G.B as well as questions about her real age.

She was initially adopted by Kristine Barnett, 45, and Michael Barnett, 43, who have been charged with neglect after they allegedly dumped her in a flat and moved away.

​

It has now emerged that Natalia was taken in by Antwon Mans, a 36-year-old pastor, his wife Cynthia, 39, and their five children in Lafayette, Indiana.

Natalia was taken in by the Mans after she was allegedly abandoned
​

Photos posted on Facebook show Natalia smiling in portraits with her new family, playing with the other children at a playground and wearing children's clothes, including a pink Minnie Mouse outfit.

​

A friend of the Mans family told DailyMail.com they are "Good Samaritans" who came across an abandoned child in need of help.

The Mans tried to become Natalia's legal guardians in 2016 but they later withdrew their petition after the court upheld an earlier ruling that she was born in 1989 and not 2003, it was reported.

The Mans have tried to speak to the Barnetts and go through the courts to adopt Natalia but they didn't get anywhere in either approach, the family friend said.

Mirror U.K.

 

[Keine Engel]

EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian dwarf adopted by American couple who claim she was 'an adult sociopath masquerading as a child' is now living in Indiana with a new devout Christian family of five who believe she was abandoned by them​

Depending on whom you believe, N.G.Barnett is either a vulnerable 16-year-old girl - or a 30-year-old 'sociopath' masquerading as a child

​

Kristine Barnett, 45, claimed Natalia, who she was told was six when she adopted her in 2010, is actually an adult 'sociopath' masquerading as a child

​

Court records show the Mans applied for legal guardianship of Natalia in 2016 describing her as an 'alleged incapacitated person' who was 13 or 14 years old

​

The Mans even tried to invalidate the 2012 court decision that declared Natalia was an adult born in 1989

Daily Mail

 

[Linda7NJ]

Can I ask if you have come across people that have rehomed there adoptive kids? Is it hard to find resources to help kids adjust. I was trying to figure out why people that rehomed adoptive kids were able to do that even when it put children in danger and they didn't seem to face any consequences. If you adopt a child they are yours the same as if you gave birth to them. Legally it wouldn't be different

Deleted ..

 

[Keine Engel]

I wonder if the family the girl lives with now will come out and make a statement.

Looks like they weren't left much choice.

 

[Medstudies]

They didn’t just drop her off. In my opinion, they went above and beyond.
She’s an adult - You think keeping her & endangering their children would be a better idea?

I think it’s a 100% better idea than leaving her to harm unsuspecting innocent people. But that’s just me.

But since dad already told LE they knew she was a child I’m not buying this narrative they’re trying to sell, but I’ll be glad to reconsider if there are reports on file to support these allegations

 

[Keine Engel]

Ms Barnett told the MailOnline: ‘The media is painting me to be a child abuser but there is no child here. Natalia was a woman. She had periods. She had adult teeth.
- That IS A CHILD! -

‘She never grew a single inch, which would happen even with a child with dwarfism. The doctors all confirmed she was suffering a severe psychological illness only diagnosed in adults.

Maybe not so much height wise (for obvious reasons) but...
she's certainly 'grown'

 

[jiminy]

If there was something not-quite-right with the adoption, then wouldn't it have been difficult to get the correct paperwork to enable her to live in Canada? Thus maybe giving an explanation as to why they left her right when their son got a place at a Canadian university. That said, if the aoption paperwork wasn't all in order, how'd they get her an SS number and change her age and stuff? Whole thing makes my head hurt. I do, however, believe she is currently a teenager.

 

[Keine Engel]

Sorry forgot links for ^ pics

Metro
Mirror U.K.
Daily Mail

 

[Keine Engel]

A lawyer for the Ukrainian orphan accused of being an adult posing as a child says her ex-mom is wrong about her age​

A lawyer who once represented the Ukrainian orphan at the center of an adoption scandal in Indiana says the girl was still a child when he represented her, despite her mother claiming she was a mentally disturbed woman posing as a minor.

Attorney Ladona Sorenson represented Natalia in 2013, a year after Michael and Kristine Barnett changed the girl's age in her birth records...

"I do not believe her to be an adult at the time I represented her," Sorenson told the Journal and Courier.

A lawyer for the Ukrainian orphan accused of being an adult posing as a child says her ex-mom is wrong about her age

 

[cherrymeg]

If there was something not-quite-right with the adoption, then wouldn't it have been difficult to get the correct paperwork to enable her to live in Canada? Thus maybe giving an explanation as to why they left her right when their son got a place at a Canadian university. That said, if the aoption paperwork wasn't all in order, how'd they get her an SS number and change her age and stuff? Whole thing makes my head hurt. I do, however, believe she is currently a teenager.

If she was adopted by them and it was finalized wouldn't she be able to get a passport? She had a SS# and when her age was changed wouldn't that make her able to apply for a passport if she didn't have one. Was there a reason they couldn't legally travel with her? This is all so crazy. I don't understand how this happened.

 

[kaen]

Can I ask if you have come across people that have rehomed there adoptive kids? Is it hard to find resources to help kids adjust. I was trying to figure out why people that rehomed adoptive kids were able to do that even when it put children in danger and they didn't seem to face any consequences. If you adopt a child they are yours the same as if you gave birth to them. Legally it wouldn't be different. I feel like giving your kid to strangers is usually a crime.

Although I was not the original poster that you were asking, I will give this a shot. I have known people who rehomed their children (met them online and in person but not my good friends) through a variety of means. It has undone me each time I became aware. In the cases that I know of personally, the kids were indeed difficult and had thrown their families into a tail spin. Adoption, in particular international adoption, can be very traumatic for children because of the first line issues of "am I not wanted" to having to break bonds again and again with those who cared for you. Many kids adopted internationally did not have continual physical contact in terms of love and soothing, struggled with food scarcity, and have learned incredibly unhealthy habits for self-soothing. Placing these fragile kids with families who don't have resources can be devastating all around. Many families who adopt internationally become stretched financially, especially if they paid for the adoption through methods like fundraisers.

So, to your question, what kind of support is out there? I think it depends on where you are located and what your frame of reference for therapy is. Therapy for kids who are traumatized is more effective if the family is engaged rather than just the child-- which means the adults must be much more vulnerable. The work needs to be done with not only the child but the family system. All kinds of situations can cause setbacks-- a parent on a business trip, a change in routine, strangers (either highly engaged with them or terrified of them), birthdays, adoption anniversary, triggers that you don't know (limiting foods, requiring a child to eat certain foods, setting limits, control, physical discipline, language barriers). Some families don't have a strong enough structure to withstand the work while others have one over-commiting parent and the other unable or children who were in the family prior resisting.

The experience of the therapist is crucial. These are not situations for novices or for people who are not willing to get supervised. Proven therapies are not always used--- there are many who think that these kids can just be sat upon and controlled. When we see cases here at WS where kids have been killed or severely abused, it is often that the prevailing thought or advice was to make the kids comply. So, there is help out there but parents have to be willing to get it, participate in it and give it the time required with professionals who are capable. It is a large financial commitment as well because the amount of mental health interventions in most health plans is too modest or restricted. This is why hospitalizations often happen with these kids because it is covered where sessions are not.

Social Workers who do home studies should be talking to potential parents about these issues (both of my SWs did with us) and push the conversation b/c many adopting parents are never thinking that this will be their child, their adoption. Parents also need to be cautioned about the potential ongoing costs. Therapies are expensive and often children who have issues need more than one type of therapy-- physical therapy, OT, speech therapy, and mental health counseling. Secondary issues often arise for the other siblings in a home whether birth or adopted.

 

[kaen]

My thing is...why did they pick 22 and not just go with 18? Must be a reason. IMO

The child is then beyond the age of IDEA and the public system is no longer responsible for education and monitoring of the person. ADA comes into play which means that educational services are no longer provided and disability/ss can be readjusted to meet the vocational options that the person qualifies for. My guess is that it has to do primarily with oversight by government agencies. An adult with disabilities (depending on the level of disability) can make decisions on a greater scale.