[raw noodles crunching]
[Detective Drysdale] I went by your previous address
Did someone leave you there?
Abandon you?
I want to help, Natalia.
I'm trying to understand.
[♪ Tense, suspenseful music playing]
You don't wanna know.
[Drysdale] Previously on Good American Family...
[Cynthia Mans] Hon, you good?
Um, yeah, I-I'm just resting.
Can I at least call someone for you?
- Your mom, maybe? - No, I'm fine.
I'm 22, I just look young for my age.
There's a legal process to correct someone's birth date.
It's a simple process.
Maybe a letter from a doctor reviewing her records.
♪♪
Because of her disability, you can stay on as her guardian.
- I don't know. - No, I'm just not the kind of person
- who gives up on things they love. - Oh, friend.
I promise it'll all be okay.
[Michael Barnett] We got you an apartment. So, even though you'll live on your own,
we'll make sure rent and bills get paid,
and we'll check up on you.
- What the hell are you doing here? - I was looking for my mom and dad.
I assume Kris and Mike are halfway to Canada by now.
[Natalia Grace] What do you want from me?
I wanna take you to the grocery store.
Since I'm gonna cook for you,
I might ask you to put these groceries on your EBT card.
She's in pain every day.
- So, could we just... - I'm sorry, ma'am,
- what exactly is your relationship? - I'm her mother.
This person you're trying to say is an adult is, in fact, a child.
[Kristine Barnett] Natalia!
[Natalia] Stop hitting me!
Is she right that I'm bad?
That no one can ever love me?
I've only known you a couple weeks, and I already love you.
[Drysdale] If you ever want to talk, whenever you're ready,
I want you to give me a call.
I wanna testify. Let's do this.
[insects chirring]
[Natalia] It was 2012.
It was starting to get warm, I remember,
but they didn't let us go outside that much at Larue.
Okay, are you ready for a creepy one?
- Yeah. - Okay.
So, once upon a time, there was a girl named Oksana.
She was very happy.
But then one day, her mommy died.
How did she die?
Uh, I don't know, she got hit by a train. Anyway.
Oksana's father then married a new lady
who had a daughter of her own, but they were both very mean.
And one day, the wicked stepmother said,
"We don't need two daughters. Send this ugly one away."
So, they moved Oksana into a cottage
deep in the woods all by herself.
And the cottage was said to be haunted!
So, sure enough, that first night...
[banging mattress] there was a rapping at the door.
Oksana was frightened.
She tried to ignore it, but the sound continued.
[banging mattress]
So finally, Oksana crept over to the door.
When she opened it...
[whispering] there was no one there.
When she went to close it, there was a voice.
"Feed me. Feed me."
Well, she looked all around, but there... there was no one there.
But then she realized, down at her feet,
talking to her was...
a cow head!
- [door opens] - [Skye and Natalia screaming]
What's going on, ladies?
You know you can't be in each other's beds.
Oh, but please. Can't we play a little longer?
I'm afraid not. I'm here to move Natalia.
Oh, uh, a-am I going home?
[nurse] No. Actually, we got some paperwork
saying you're older than we thought.
A lot older.
You're being moved to the adult wing.
- The adult wing? - Wait, you're a grown-up?
[stammers] I-I don't understand. Who said I was?
- I'll tell them they're wrong. - [nurse] That won't work.
No, please, I wanna stay with Skye. We're friends.
[♪ Dramatic music playing]
Please, tell me what's going on.
[nurse] Don't make this harder than it needs to be, let's go.
No, please. I don't... I don't wanna go.
[sobbing] I don't wanna go. Please...
Please, please let me come back!
[♪ Curious theme music playing]
[flag flapping in breeze]
♪♪
[bridge cracking]
[engine humming]
[TV static buzzing]
[paper cutting]
[♪ Theme music fades out]
[door opens]
[patient screaming in distance]
[♪ Tense music playing]
[distant banging]
[patient screaming]
Please, please, why can't I just stay where I was?
[♪ Tense music continues]
[door closes]
[keys jingling]
[patient groaning]
No, no, no, wait, wait, wait. I forgot my bunny, Hercules.
- She's my best friend. - Natalia, you have to behave,
or they will restrain you.
This is not like the kids' wing.
They're not gonna give you a warning.
Do you understand?
[whispering] But I can't sleep without her.
[sobbing] No, no.
[Natalia groaning]
Mm-mm. No, no!
[Natalia] I never saw Hercules again.
- [door locking] - [sobbing] No!
Sorry. [sniffling]
I-It's stupid to get upset over a dumb toy.
The heck it is.
That was your bunny and they took it from you.
I don't want you to have to keep on rehashing all this.
Do you have kids, Detective?
- I do not. - [Cynthia] Okay.
So, let me explain something to you.
As a parent, you try real hard to keep your kids from hurting.
Every day that we don't fix what those people did to her,
Tally is hurting.
She can't get surgery, go to school.
Her x-rays literally prove she's a kid.
So, how is this so hard for you to fix?
- [sighs] - [camera beeps]
Natalia, I'm sorry to ask you all those questions
about your time at the hospital.
But I'm glad I did, because I think you just found our strategy.
I did?
Whatever it was the Barnetts were up to,
they covered their tracks.
The files for Natalia's re-aging are sealed in probate court.
And since we can't see them, we can't argue
that the re-aging decision was wrong.
But we can argue that it was made in the wrong way.
I don't get it.
When you were re-aged, you didn't have a lawyer, didn't see a judge.
The Barnetts went out of their way to keep you from being involved.
They literally locked you in a psychiatric hospital.
She wasn't given due process.
And...?
And, I'll need to subpoena Natalia's records,
but when they confirm that she was in the hospital the whole time,
that she went in a kid and came out an adult...
we should be able to get the ruling thrown out.
And I get to be a kid again?
We just have to show they didn't give you a voice.
[laughing] Whoo!
[giggles]
[♪ "Only Wanna Be with You" by Hootie & the Blowfish playing]
[Michael] It was 2014. We'd been in Canada almost a year.
I remember because it was Valentine's Day,
and I wanted to make a big show for it.
We'd been through so much, and it felt like a chance
to kinda celebrate our rock-solid Barnett bond.
Paging all Barnett boys! All Barnetts to the breakfast table!
[♪ "Only Wanna Be with You" continues playing on speakers]
Oh, happy Valentine's Day, my dudes.
I made... pancakes!
- [can hissing] - [Michael coughing]
[Michael] My younger two were cruising, you know, killing it at school,
and-and we'd been getting into all kinds of father-son games,
archery, bowling,
foosball. I mean, we're fools for foos.
My oldest, Jake, had sailed through his first semester of grad school.
Oh, hey, bud. I made pancakes.
Sorry, Dad, too busy.
Wait, too busy for whipped cream? Come on.
Fine. I'll just eat the bacon though, or I'll sugar crash.
Gotcha, gotcha.
[drums counter]
Saddle up. How's the paper coming?
"Fermillion" doubling, right?
- Um... - Although,
do you really need a PhD to double "fermillion"?
I mean, two times "fermillion," 8 billion, am I right?
It's fermion doubling, Dad.
What? That's what I said.
And my wife, Kristine and I were in kind of a second honeymoon phase,
though she was mostly out on the honeymoon without me,
touring all over, and giving speeches about autism.
Well, I'd love to do the podcast, but I have clients all day Thursday,
and I'm speaking at the Waterloo Science Association that night.
[Michael] Her book was a bestseller, and they just announced that
they were gonna make a movie of it starring Rosamund Pike as Kristine.
And let me tell you, that casting... spot-on.
Kristine had been looking fine. [smacking]
[sing-songy] ♪ Happy love day, my love ♪
I can do it in Vancouver,
as long as we carve out some time for the teacher training.
[Michael] She was super busy, but, you know, I got it.
I had an awesome new job too.
So, yeah, short and long, we were great,
and we had finally put Natalia behind us in the rear view mirror.
We could breathe that clean Canadian air.
[sighs deeply]
Or... so we thought.
[car horn honking]
[birds chirping]
[paper rustling]
[♪ Tense music playing]
[Michael] I'm not totally sure, but I... I think it says
they want to turn her into a kid again.
Wait. But they can't do that, can they?
Wait, j... hold on, let me... let me see, okay?
- Okay, okay. - Alright, okay.
Okay, look. Here, right here.
Because we're the guardians, I think we can file notice with the court
and-and-and... and just...
just get rid of the en... the entire request.
- I mean, just say no, you know? - Okay.
[sighs deeply]
- Yeah, it's okay. - Whew, okay.
Michael, for a second there,
- I was right back in that dark place. - I know, I know.
But hey, look at me.
- Yeah. - We're good.
- Are you sure? - We're fine, we're fine.
- Okay. - Come here.
Mm.
So, you'll take care of it while I'm in Vancouver?
Wh-When are you going to Vancouver?
This afternoon. Babe, I told you.
Wait, wait, it's Valentine's Day. You...
You just got back, and well, Papa misses Mama.
It's been way too long.
I know, but it's only two days.
- And then it's you plus me. - Mm.
- [phone ringing] - That's my agent.
Thanks for taking care of that.
- Mm-hmm. - You are...
This is Kristine Barnett.
Oh, great! I think absolutely, I can make that work.
Uh-huh.
[Michael sighs]
[♪ "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World playing]
[Michael] When I said I could handle it, I figured that would be it.
The one letter, done and doner.
♪♪
♪ Hey... ♪
But they just kept filing the same petition
to re-age over and over.
♪ ...feel left out, or looked down on ♪
It became this never-ending nightmare of legal paperwork
that went on for three flippin' years.
♪ And don't you worry what they tell themselves ♪
♪ When you're away ♪
♪ It just takes some time ♪
♪ Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride ♪
[Michael] I thought it would never end.
♪ Everything will be just fine ♪
♪ Everything, everything will be alright, alright ♪
Ow!
[♪ Rock music playing]
Until finally, in August 2017, it did.
♪ It just takes some time ♪
♪ Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride ♪
♪ Everything, everything will be just fine ♪
♪ Everything, everything will be alright ♪
- [water running] - [Kristine laughing]
- [Kristine] Temperature's great. - [Daryl] Mm.
Can I borrow my wife for a minute, please?
Michael, Daryl came all the way here to do me a favor,
because I've been so busy,
I haven't been able to get to the salon.
It's about her.
Oh.
Alright, Daryl, give us a second.
But I still have to blow you out.
[Kristine] Okay, just... I'll be quick.
- I don't want you to get too dry. - Okay.
We'll make sure to keep her wet, Daryl, thank you.
[footsteps receding]
Okay, well, spill it,
seeing how I'm standing here air-drying.
Well, excuse me, okay? But there's gonna be a hearing,
and apparently, the... the family that Natalia has been staying with,
they want to be her legal guardians now.
They want to adopt her?
Yeah, it's basically like adoption, but for a disabled adult.
- Can I see? - Uh, yeah.
I mean, the more I think about it, I think this could be good.
You know? I mean, if they wanna take care of her,
I say we let 'em, you know, just... [clapping]
Finally wash our hands of this, right?
Do you seriously not see what this is about?
The only reason we've been able to deny these petitions
is because we're her legal guardians.
The second that goes away, they can make her a kid again.
[♪ Tense, curious music playing]
Do you know what happens if they do that?
Then, they can say we abandoned a child.
And do you see why that would be really bad?
Why that would ruin our lives?
Uh... I mean, when you say it like that.
[Kristine] Whatever.
I'll call Val. She'll have a good attorney.
But you need to get down there so you can be at the hearing too.
This Natalia thing cannot keep rearing its head.
Now? I thought we were gonna have a date night.
Until you fix this, the shop is closed.
[Michael] So, long story, not so short,
Val says you're the best lawyer in Indianapolis.
And you know, at first, yeah, I was pissed
to have to call in sick and make the long trip. But then...
- Yes! - [honking horn, revving engine]
as soon as I crossed the border into Indiana,
I was like, "Oh my God, I can frickin' breathe again!"
I already got my Culver's custard, you know?
And then, I'm meeting up with some buddies from my Circuit City days.
And I don't think I realized
how lonely I've been in-in Canada, you know?
And, and just being back here, I just...
I just feel like myself again. It's like I'm on vacation!
Yeah, not a lot of people feel that way about a court order.
- Well, just lucky, I guess. - [chuckles]
Okay. Uh, have a donut.
Oh, yeah, thank you.
- Let's, uh, let's talk about this hearing. - [mouthful] Yeah.
We gotta get into this, because I am in the doghouse with the wife
- until I get this solved. - Mm.
She's got it in her head that Natalia is just using
this whole change of guardianship to reverse her age back.
No, absolutely, absolutely. Your wife is right.
And you know, it's not a bad strategy,
since you two denied all her past petitions.
Wait, but you... you can, uh, fight that, right?
Well, tell me this. Um, back in the day,
what evidence did you guys use to change her age?
Because they're saying the whole thing wasn't exactly... copacetic.
Yeah, that... Well, that's a bunch of bulldink,
because we had a doctor analyze all of her records,
and I'm sure he would speak on our behalf.
Ah, well, that's a start. What else?
Uh, well, we have this file at our house, we call it, uh, "The Natalia Papers."
Um, I could probably get my wife
to, uh, take some photos and just send those over.
- That would be swell. - Okay, great.
This might take a second 'cause she's not the most tech-savvy.
- [chuckles] - [phone whooshes]
[clicking tongue] Okay.
- [♪ "Don't Cha" ringtone plays] - Oh. There she is.
Gotta change that ringtone, I keep forgetting.
- [Terrance chuckles] - Hold on one second.
Hey, babe.
[Kristine] [on phone] So, I text the pictures?
No, no, it's super easy. You... you take the photos,
you open the photo app,
you select all, and then you create a shared album,
and you just send that to me.
Yep, that'll do it. Thank you so much.
Okay.
Be here in a few moments.
These donuts are really good, by the way.
Mm.
If you had to be a donut, what kind of donut would you be?
- I think I'd be a cronut... - We can just wait.
Okay.
[phone dings]
Oh, and here we are.
We've got some doctor letters.
- We got immigration papers. - Excellent.
- All kinds of stuff. - Okay.
That's it?
I mean, yeah, more or less. Why?
Uh, wow, okay, well...
Suppose less can be more sometimes.
Uh, you know what would be helpful though,
is, uh, if you wrote a statement for me to read on your behalf,
about why you wanted to retain...
- I'm sorry, man. [chuckles] - What?
[clearing throat] I think I might have, uh, scrolled too far.
But hey, looks like you're out of the doghouse.
[Terrance laughing]
[♪ Tense music playing]
Um, I don't, uh...
Oh.
I don't think these are... are for... for me.
We haven't been, um...
Oh, my... Oh, my God. Oh... oh, my God.
[belching, vomiting]
[gasps]
Uh, it's alright. It's okay, it's okay.
It's okay. Lena!
- Sorry. - Yeah, it's okay. You're okay.
[♪ "I'd Do Anything For Love" by Meat Loaf playing]
♪ And I would do anything for love ♪
Call her, Michael.
- ♪ Oh, I would do anything for love ♪ - Fucking do it.
♪ Oh, I would do anything... ♪
You're just gonna fuckin' do it. You're gonna call her
and you're just gonna fuckin' do it.
That's what you're gonna do, you're gonna call her right now.
Tell her how you feel.
♪ Will you raise me up? ♪
- ♪ Will you help me down? ♪ - [Michael exhales sharply]
♪ Will you get me right out of this godforsaken town? ♪
♪ Will you make it all a little less cold? ♪
- ♪ I can do that ♪ - Fuck that.
[ding]
♪ Oh, I can do that ♪
♪ Will you hold me sacred, will you hold me... ♪
[♪ "Don't Cha" ringtone plays]
♪ Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? ♪
♪ Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? ♪
Oh, shit.
♪ Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? ♪
Uh... okay.
♪ ...was a freak like me? ♪
♪ Don't you wish your girlfriend ♪
- ♪ Was hot like me ♪ - Okay.
[Kristine] [on phone] Hello, Michael?
[Michael breathing heavily]
[Kristine] You know I can hear you breathing.
I mean, what the heck, Mike? Did you hack my phone?
I don't have time for this. What is going on down there?
What's going on?
Uh, I guess I was a little thrown
by the evidence you sent over. Um...
The doctor letter and the immigration papers were great.
But I wasn't totally sure
what you wanted me to do with the pictures of your crotch!
[over phone] The titty pics!
Beautiful. Very helpful.
Though, I do have to wonder if those were meant for me,
seeing as how you haven't let me anywhere near the ladies
in God knows how long!
Are you trying to imply something, Michael?
[Michael] Yes, I think I am.
Who were those pictures for? 'Cause I don't think they were for me.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
Are you sleeping with the fucking hairdresser?
- [over phone] Jesus! - Have you lost your mind?
- Daryl is gay. - [Michael] No.
- No, they always say that. - [Kristine] Listen to yourself.
You sound like a crazy person.
Of course, those photos were meant for you.
Just a little thank you for handling things.
[scoffs] Really? Really?
Okay, so let me get this straight.
You wanted me to open them up in front of Val's lawyer, right?
Why, you want... you wanted to thank him too? Is that it?
Oh, for Pete's sake.
Why are you picking a fight with me right now?
I've been a nervous wreck worrying about what's going on down there.
I could barely eat. I can't sleep.
- And this is what you're worried about?! - This is our marriage! [scoffs]
Oh, don't be so dramatic.
I don't... I can't even...
Oh, my God. I can't... I can't do this anymore.
[Kristine] What? What can't you do?
Be treated like this.
Like... I... I don't matter.
- Like I'm invisible. - Okay, so what's your plan?
You're gonna leave and do what?
You can barely make a living on your own, Michael.
You can't survive without me. You can barely get out of bed.
Oh, wow.
So, okay.
Um, if that's how you feel, then...
Kris, why... why are you even with me?
[inhales sharply]
Yeah, you can't answer that, 'cause...
the writing's been on the wall for a long time, hasn't it?
Shit, Kris, I gotta go. I...
The Circuit City crew's waiting for me.
- [Kristine] No, don't you dare hang... - [beep]
[sighs]
[sharp exhales]
Holy shit.
[♪ Italian music playing in restaurant]
[scoffs]
Wow.
Yeah, this is great.
[Jennifer] Michael Barnett.
H... uh, hi, stranger. Oh my gosh!
[Jennifer] Hi.
- [chuckles] - [exclaiming]
- How long has it been? - Um, years?
Yeah, my... uh, Wyatt is six.
- Six? - Six.
- Wow. - Yeah. [chuckles]
I do not understand time.
[Jennifer chuckles]
Are you okay? You seem unwell.
Thank you.
That is so nice of you to... see that and say it. It's...
- Let's get some drinks, yeah? - Yeah.
- We're gonna need some drinks. - Yeah.
[Jennifer laughing]
Why?
Why did you like the crotch?
[both laughing]
- [Michael groaning] - I mean, what is going on up there?
- Oh, in here? - Yeah.
It's, uh, chaos and self-loathing, and all that.
Oh. Oh, really? I got that too.
- You... - I do.
- [laughing] - Oh.
I don't... look, I don't... What was I supposed to do, you know?
You get this picture, and I'm like, okay, I want to confront her.
But I didn't, like, really want to confront her.
- Yeah. - You know? 'Cause, like...
Ugh, this is so embarrassing.
[sputtering] I think I really was hoping...
I wanted the pictures, like, to maybe be for me, you know?
So, I was like, "Well, maybe they are.
So, maybe I shouldn't say anything."
But then I realized, well, that doesn't matter,
'cause the fact that... like, the fact that I'm already thinking
that she's cheating on me.
So, it's that whole thing of like, if your wife
is fucking around in a forest and no one's there to hear it.
[laughing]
Sorry, I'm just...
[sighs] Sorry.
I have a confession to make.
What?
Never really a big Kristine fan.
Uh... uh, go on.
When you talk about her, you're so sad.
Like, your whole vibe is sad and small.
And...
I don't know, like, she...
Remember how scared you were to tell her about the store closing?
Like, you were terrified.
You were so nice to me.
- I... - I really wanted to tell you that.
You were very nice to me, I appreciate it.
You know who's not nice?
- Kristine. - [laughing]
She's kind of a bitch, right?
- I mean, isn't she? - [laughing]
- Sorry. - It's okay.
- No. No, that's too much. - No, don't feel bad.
- Not at all. - Ooh, Jennifer.
- [chuckles] - Not at all.
Plus, there's, um, you know,
there's another reason why I'm primed not to like Kristine.
But unless it's really over with her, I can't tell you.
Um... [clicking tongue]
Shit, it's, um, it's really over.
I'm sorry to hear about that.
Oh.
Mm. Mm.
Mm.
Oh my gosh.
- [laughing] Oh, no. - I'm kissing out of wedlock
- at Villa Tronco's. - [laughing, shushing]
Who am I right now? Who am I?
This is my favorite Michael.
- I like him too. - He's great.
- He is. He's okay. - He's always so great.
Right? He's so... oh, shit.
Shit.
I have to write this statement for my... my lawyer...
- Yes. - 'cause of the court thing tomorrow.
- It's the whole reason I came down here. - Yeah, go.
I have to go.
So, I'm gonna go.
I have to.
- You could maybe just... - I have to.
- go in one minute? - Yeah, I mean, I have to go right now.
- Sixty seconds? - I gotta go, yeah.
Mm.
[Natalia] "For people who don't know me,
"my name is Natalia Grace Barnett.
"I was born September 4th, 2003, and I am 13 years old.
"But for the past five years, I've had to lie about that
"and say I'm a grown-up.
That's been hard for me."
[gasps]
[sighs, laughs]
Well, you just about scared the pee right out of me.
What you doing up?
Um, I'm working on my statement.
I was maybe gonna add a joke,
'cause Dad says you can always win over the congregation
- with a good laugh. - Ooh.
Can I get a sneak peek?
Uh-huh.
Um... [clearing throat]
[milk pouring]
"Being here today is kind of like being on a roller coaster.
It's scary, and I feel like I'm gonna lose my lunch."
[Cynthia laughing]
See? Now, you're gonna do great.
You just be yourself and let the people come to you.
I'm just worried about reading this stuff
- in front of Kristine and Michael. - No.
Stop that.
First of all, you know they did this to themselves.
Second, Detective Drysdale said those fools
aren't even coming tomorrow.
They're gonna have a lawyer speak on their behalf.
What if they change their minds?
Well, then you got a secret weapon, baby.
Because if they show their faces,
you got Mama C there ready to rip 'em one, okay?
Come on, knock back that Nestle's and let's get you to bed,
so you'll be ready to read that statement tomorrow.
[Natalia] When the Barnetts had my age changed, I wasn't there.
I didn't get to speak for myself,
so they got to decide how people see me.
- They decided who I am. - [Antwon praying]
I'm excited to be here today to set the record straight,
so people can see me the way my siblings do,
a regular 13-year-old,
and so I can be adopted by a family who really loves me.
- Alright, here we go. - Amen.
[♪ Solemn music playing]
[bailiff] All rise.
[chamber door opens]
Well, while I've got everyone standing already,
please raise your right hands to be sworn in.
[whispering] Is this normal to do it all at once like this?
It's a probate hearing, not a trial. Judge can do it however he wants.
It's not run like a regular court.
today is the truth.
[all] I do.
They didn't come.
[lawyer] Uh, I'm Ken Mabry, counsel for Natalia Barnett.
May it please the court if we first proceed
by establishing a basis for our motion, of which there are two motions?
Yep.
Well, uh, first, is a motion to appoint Antwon and Cynthia Mans
the legal guardians of Natalia Barnett.
Uh, Natalia is a minor who was abandoned by Kristine and Michael Barnett.
No, it says here Ms. Barnett is 27 years old.
I know these millennials can't take care of themselves,
but that doesn't make them all minors.
[laughing]
Well, so that brings me to our second motion,
to vacate the June 2012 court order regarding Natalia's age.
In a horrible miscarriage of due process,
the Barnetts had Natalia's age changed from eight to 22
without her knowledge or even a hearing on the issue.
On what basis was she re-aged?
Your guess is as good as mine, Your Honor.
The files have been sealed.
Not even Natalia herself knows how or why she was re-aged.
Uh, Your Honor, there's no big mystery here.
Uh, Ms. Barnett was re-aged
because of the simple medical fact that she's not a child.
- [scoffs] "Not a child," my hiney. - Just give the Lord his time. Okay?
[Terrance Kinnard] The Marion County Superior Court reviewed the evidence
and agreed.
I'm not inclined to overturn another court's ruling
without significant evidence the verdict should have been different.
To that end, Your Honor, I'd like to invite Dr. Stephen Lawrence,
he analyzed Ms. Barnett's records during the original case, to speak.
[Judge Faber] Great, I'd love to hear what he has to say.
- You know this guy? - Y-Yeah, I think so.
They took me to a lot of doctors.
Thank you. My name is Dr. Stephen Lawrence,
and I was the Barnetts' family doctor
and Natalia's primary physician while she was with them.
Uh, during this time, it became apparent that Ms. Barnett
was substantially older than she claimed.
She didn't grow the way a young...
I'm pretty sure I only saw him once.
[Stephen Lawrence] She displayed a number of secondary sex characteristics,
and by the time she was committed to, um,
Larue Psychiatric Hospital in 2012,
she'd been having a regular menstrual cycle for years.
[whispering] She still hasn't had her period.
[Stephen] Also, while at Larue, Ms. Barnett was diagnosed
with sociopathy, uh, a diagnosis only given to adults.
Ms. Barnett has made a career
of, um, "perpetuating an age facade."
But despite being victims of her fraud,
the Barnetts, uh, they see her as a sick individual,
and they remain committed to their roles as guardians.
- Thank you. - [Judge Faber] Thank you, Dr. Lawrence.
- Can I go now? Can I read mine? - [Drysdale] Uh...
Excuse me, Your Honor, but we have opinions from several doctors
who recently ran a battery of tests
that prove, uh, Ms. Barnett's biological age
to be in line with her original birth certificate.
[Terrance] Uh, Your Honor, Dr. Lawrence's opinion
was based on analyzing Ms. Barnett's medical records
at the time of her re-aging, so I don't see how new records,
now that she's even older, would even be relevant here.
Well, but that's the due process stuff.
The, um, the previous re-aging petition, it was very...
i-it only showed one side.
Uh, Ms. Barnett wasn't included, which is why she'd like to speak today.
[♪ Dramatic music playing]
[door bangs open]
[muffled rumbling]
[echoing] Hi.
Oh, hey. Thank you so much.
- Hey, Mike. - Hey. Is this okay?
[Michael and Terrance speaking indistinctly]
- [Michael] Can I talk? Is that okay? - [Terrance] Yes.
- No. You cannot talk. - Just relax.
- Natalia's about to speak right now. - You look great.
- Do I just go? - Yeah, of course.
Your Honor, this is Michael Barnett, Natalia's guardian.
[Ken Mabry] Excuse me, Natalia was about to speak.
[Judge Faber] This is my court, I'd like to hear what Mr. Barnett has to say.
Excellent, thank you.
[Michael] [clears throat, exhales sharply] So, my lawyer told me
I didn't actually need to be here today.
I could just write a statement and be on my way.
And that's exactly what the old Michael planned to do.
But lately, I've been learning to speak up,
to be my own man.
It takes courage to find one's true self.
That's why I'm here.
Let me tell you, Kristine and I, we haven't been on the same page lately.
But on this, we agree.
We intend to stay on as Natalia's legal guardians,
not just to save other families from falling victim...
but to encourage what's best for her...
a life of honesty.
[Judge Faber] Thank you, Mr. Barnett.
I'd like to ask Natalia Barnett to please come forward.
- [Cynthia] Good luck, Natalia. - Go ahead, baby.
- [sibling] You can do it. - Go.
[family whispering encouragements]
[softly] Take your time.
[♪ light, tense music playing]
There's no need for the stand, Ms. Barnett.
I've heard everything I need to hear.
You're lucky to have parents who care about you...
who wanna help you turn your life around.
So, in your best interest,
I will not be adjusting your guardianship.
- [people murmuring] - And further, I will not be vacating
the 2012 re-aging decision, as I've seen nothing here today
to indicate the outcome would have been different,
had you been part of that process.
[gavel striking]
So, tell me, do you have anything to say for yourself, Ms. Barnett?
[Natalia] "For people who don't know me, my name is Natalia Barnett.
I was born September 4th, 2003, and I am thirtee..."
[paper crumpling]
[speaking softly] I...
have a joke about a roller coaster.
[sighs] Okay.
We'll take five till the next case.
[♪ Somber music playing]
[Antwon Mans] Go ahead. Come on.
Hey. We love you no matter what, Tally-boo.
This does not change that, okay?
[Antwon] Lord knows we're in need, okay?
[Drysdale] I'm so sorry. I-I've never seen anything like this.
It's infuriating. But we can still appeal.
- We'll find a way, okay? - What would we do?
Absolutely not. No appeal.
- But, she didn't even get to speak. - I'm her mother, I said no!
Okay, okay. Hands, hands, hands, hands.
It's okay.
Heavenly Father, we come to You 'cause we are in need.
We're asking for Your guidance here.
[Drysdale] The story could have ended there.
It was a blatant miscarriage of justice, and I was furious.
But I tried to do what they asked, leave it alone.
- [♪ Gentle music playing] - Until a few years later,
we started fostering my daughter Mel.
We'd been trying for so long, we wanted her so bad,
and I kept thinking back to Natalia.
How if she was mine, what would I do?
I'd want her to have what Mel has, to get to be a kid.
So, I went back to my files.
My wife works nights, and Mel isn't so much for sleeping.
So, she moonlighted as my deputy while I tried to figure out
if there was a crime I could put on the Barnetts.
I knew Michael Barnett lied that day.
He didn't come all the way down from Canada
because he cared about Natalia.
I mean, he wouldn't even look at her in that courtroom.
- [thunder rumbling] - How do you do that?
Not acknowledge your own daughter?
He'd come down there with an agenda,
to make sure her age didn't get changed back.
But why? What was he hiding?
I cross-referenced everything trying to find it.
And then, in her discharge paperwork from Larue Psychiatric Hospital
that I'd subpoenaed so long ago, I found something.
So, in the summer of 2019,
I decided to pay the family doctor a visit, Stephen Lawrence.
[Stephen] I'm sorry I don't have extra to share.
- My Susie makes a mean marinara. - [chuckles] I bet.
I just appreciate your time.
I got stuck with a bunch of old cases I'm trying to close out.
- Mm. - So, you're close to the Barnetts?
Oh, yeah. Saw the whole family for years.
They're such good people,
and it is criminal how much they've suffered.
And when did you first meet Natalia?
Hmm, '07, '08.
[lips smacking] You know, I thought she was a kid back then,
four or five years old.
Well, she moved in with the Barnetts in 2010.
So, maybe right around then.
[chuckles] Yeah.
You know, no matter how hard I try,
- I can't seem to travel back in time. - [both laughing]
So, if you thought she was as young as four or five,
how did you get all the way to 22?
That's a big jump.
Oh, well, no, I, I didn't have anything
to do with that whole re-aging business.
Didn't you testify at the Marion County Court hearing a couple years ago?
In your testimony, you mentioned Larue Psychiatric Hospital...
specifically, that Natalia had a menstrual while there
and was diagnosed with sociopathy?
That's Natalia's discharge paperwork there.
See there.
She left with a clean bill of health.
No psychiatric diagnosis.
No follow-up or medication needed.
You know, I do have patients that I have to see.
- So, I can't... I can't ans... - Now, what if I told you
that Natalia still hasn't had a menstrual cycle,
or that she has bone scans that confirmed that today,
seven years after you said she was 22,
she is still biologically a child?
[coughing]
I'm sorry. Wrong hatch.
[continues coughing]
Look, I really only saw Natalia the once.
I thought you testified that you were her primary physician
the whole time she was with the Barnetts.
I'm a... I'm a GP.
I... I meant that I sent her to specialists.
They're the ones who determined her age.
But you were the one who wrote a letter
offering your medical opinion that she was 22,
that she was "perpetuating an age facade."
Look, Michael and Kristine reviewed the specialist reports with me,
and I simply wrote it down on paper for them.
These are good people. I was just trying to help.
[stammering] I... [coughing]
Excuse me. Thank you.
[coughing]
Do I have some sort of liability here?
I'm not sure yet.
But I'm gonna need to know the names of those specialists you sent her to.
Now, if it were me, would I have shared the names
of a bunch of doctors who would completely undermine my story?
No, but it takes all kinds.
Sure, she had a couple of adult incisors,
but otherwise, it was all baby teeth,
which would have made her somewhere between six and eight.
The mother was obsessed with Natalia's age.
She kept repeating that Natalia was perpetuating an age facade.
The test results were clear Natalia was a child.
As I told the parents, dwarfism can sometimes affect puberty.
So, having some pubic hair at seven would be completely plausible.
But even still, her LH levels were pre-pubertal.
They said they had legal evidence she was an adult,
whatever that means, and wanted to confirm it medically.
So, we ran a battery of tests,
all of which conclusively determined she was a child.
- So, you think they made it all up? - Oh, I'm sure of it,
because a week after we presented them with all this,
they filed a court order to have her re-aged anyway.
They told you they were moving forward with the court order?
No. Natalia's GP is a doctor here.
He's who referred the parents to me.
His receptionist told me when she heard they were going through
with the re-aging.
Look, everybody who met this poor kid was worried about her.
So, you're saying when they filed to have her re-aged,
the parents knew Natalia was a child?
Oh, we were very explicit.
And I wrote to Dr. Lawrence, the GP, personally,
as soon as I heard they were disregarding our findings.
- You shared this with Lawrence? - Of course.
And I sent him all this, and wrote an emergency letter
to Marion County Court for good measure.
[sighs] To think what might have happened to that girl
if the receptionist hadn't told me.
Oh... you don't know, do you?
Sh-She was re-aged.
- Wait, what? - She's legally now an adult.
They had her re-aged, moved around,
had her living on her own...
You should have seen her face. But she left zero doubt.
These people had proof that Natalia was a kid.
They went out of their way to cover it up and get rid of her.
- You've got conspiracy, at least. - Maybe.
But can you prove they knew she was a kid?
Everyone knew she was a kid. They made the whole thing up.
- Not according to the family doctor. - He was lying for them.
[mouthful] I see that you're invested,
and it's a fascinating story.
But I just don't have the resources to take on cases
I don't know for sure I can win.
If everything I told you, if all this doesn't make you think
that you could win, what the hell would?
- Get the parents to admit they knew? - [laughing]
That's like saying in order to charge someone with murder,
they gotta admit they murdered someone.
- This isn't murder. - It almost was!
- Did you interview the Barnetts? - No!
They're in Canada now.
You're not the only one without resources.
Huh.
Well, lucky for you, I do some homework before meetings.
Dad's back in Indy, they're divorced,
and she did a number on his character.
If I were him, I'd probably hold a grudge.
[♪ Tense, curious music playing]
My wife and kids are inside, so it's a little quieter out here.
I hope this is okay.
- Oh, perfect. - Okay.
I will tell you this, Natalia is about 80,000 times
better off just being away from Kristine.
- But your boys are still with her, huh? - Yeah, that's the problem.
And man, they won't even get on the phone with me,
'cause Kristine told them that I beat her
and-and-and...
and that there's a warrant out for my arrest in Canada?
And, [scoffs] that's why I lost the custody,
'cause she's spewing all that same BS in the courts.
Everybody just believes her. It's...
If you tell a story well enough, truth doesn't always matter.
- I guess so. - That's quite a lie to tell.
Why do you think she does it?
Oh, she's totally pot-kettling me.
How do you mean?
- Look, I... - Listen, listen.
If you got something on your ex
that can really help with your custody troubles...
[♪ tense, curious music playing]
Kristine beat Natalia pretty bad.
It was so bad, uh, this one time,
that I... I took a video, just in case she'd, like...
You have this on video?
I mean, Kristine made me delete it.
Man, it was rough, it's...
I'm not talking about open-handed slapping.
Fists.
Kristine was just... wam!
Wam, bam, bam!
And then, she'd get tired, and it was elbow time.
[grunting] "Who are you?"
"Who?!"
She was...
I...
It's like she thought she could beat the truth out of her.
What truth was she trying to get?
It was the age thing, man. It was always, always the age.
She was obsessed.
She, you know, convinced that Natalia was an adult,
and this was the time when doctors
were already telling us she was probably eight or nine.
So...
you folks knew she was a kid?
[♪ Tense music playing]
- Uh, look, man, I'm... Hold... - I'm only asking, I'm only asking
because if she was a kid,
then your ex committed child abuse.
You were trying to help Natalia, you even recorded the video.
But if we can get Kristine on child abuse...
[exhales sharply]
no way any court here or in Canada
is gonna let her hold onto your boys.
So...
[♪ tense, dramatic music playing]
Yes.
Yes, we knew she was a kid.
- That's great. - Really?
That's great. We can really do something with that.
Yeah? Okay, good.
Hey, man, thank you.
Thank you.
It was friggin' incredible.
He gets it, what a monster she is.
He's on my side, he's... he's gonna help me get the boys back.
- He said that? - Mm-hmm.
- Babe, that's huge! - I know.
And get this, he thinks he can get Kristine on child abuse.
- With your boys? - No, with Natalia.
But... she was an adult.
Well, according to Kristine.
No, you told me she was an adult.
Well, we never really, like, knew, knew.
You know, I was just doing what Kristine said,
because she told me that she would take away my boys.
And look, that's exactly what she did.
Jen, why... you're not listening to what I'm saying.
- This is good. - No, it's not, Mike.
If... if you told the detective that you knew Natalia was a kid,
then you're probably guilty too.
No! No... no. [stammers]
That detective is on my side.
[♪ Tense music playing]
[mouthing]
♪♪
[noodle plunks]
[Kristine] This is the story of our entire marriage.
Mike makes a huge mess, and I have to come in and clean it up.
On these six charges of neglect
and two of conspiracy to commit neglect, how do you plead?
Not guilty.
I mean, I knew he was mad
- about the custody stuff. - [elevator dings]
- [gavel striking] - And he wanted to punish me.
But for Pete's sake, what kind of moron
admits to a crime he didn't commit?
[sighs] I know, but get it all out now, girl,
'cause remember, for the sake of your boys,
when we get in there, we're playing it nice.
Okay.
Well, trust me, I know how to play nice to get what I want.
- [office chatter] - [phones ringing]
[indistinct chatter]
[Terrance] Hello, Deidra.
- [Deidra Haynes] Terrance. - [Terrance] Mm.
This is a confidential meeting, just for family.
Mike and I are family.
[Kristine sighs]
This whole case has me in a tizzy, I'm sorry.
It's nice to see you, Jen.
Come. Please have a seat.
Okay, yeah.
Have a donut.
[sighs] Thank you for making the time, Terrance.
So, as I've been digging into this case, it feels real clear
the Barnetts need to approach this as a united front.
- The cases are separate. - Absolutely.
I'm not talking about the same strategy, necessarily,
but we both know anything one side says affects the case of the other.
Deidra thinks that our case is win-or-lose
based on how the public feels about us,
and that folks just love a good American family.
But you're not a family.
You're divorced.
Of course. But we don't have to advertise that.
I'm... I'm sorry.
I... I understand how this plan benefits Kristine.
But how on earth does it help Mike
to align himself with his abusive ex?
Is that what you've been saying?
Not exactly.
[Jennifer scoffs]
Mike and I, of course, have a complicated relationship.
But we know each other better than anyone,
and we still message each other all the time.
- Oh, really? - We have children.
- Hmm. - And I know I've hurt you
by not letting you see the boys, and you've hurt me by choosing Jen.
But we have to put all that behind us now.
If these charges hold, we could be gone for 75 years.
Is that what we want? For our boys to be alone?
We have to keep them safe.
It's about the boys.
Right.
- You're right. - [Terrance] Okay.
Good, now that we've taken care of that...
- [paper rustling] - let's talk about
what we're up against.
We have the prosecution's discovery.
And they have video recordings of Natalia
telling her own wild version of events.
Now, we have a natural advantage,
because the public will look at her, and they will see a fascination.
This will make them question her.
So, we need to make our own version louder, and truer.
[♪ Curious music playing]
[Drysdale] [on video] So, what should happen to them?
I... I don't know exactly.
I don't hate them,
but what they did to me was wrong.
People need to know what happened in that house.
[Kristine] You can't make this kind of thing up.
A con artist infiltrating your family.
A dangerous con artist, I mean,
- she tried to kill Kristine. - It would've been 2010.
I didn't want to admit it at that time
that my husband and I were struggling.
It was 2014. We'd been in Canada almost a year.
This was 2010.
I had just discovered Natalia's hair.
[Michael] It was 2012. She stole my son's toy car and...
[Kristine] 2012, she tried to pull me into an electric fence...
She poured bleach into my coffee...
[Michael] That must have been around 2012...
Around 2011 or so... 2012.
[Kristine] 2010. It was 2019.
- Monster. A sociopath. - Killer. Con artist.
[voices overlapping]
[Dr. Phil] Thanks so much for being here.
Now, you've stayed quiet these past few months,
even with all the press circulating
since the arrest of Kristine and Michael Barnett.
What made you decide to speak up?
Well... they've been doing all the talking,
so I figured it's my turn.
[Dr. Phil] Then, Natalia, there's just one question on everybody's mind.
Were you a 22-year-old scam artist,
or an 8-year-old child left for dead?
[♪ Somber music playing]
[♪ "I'd Do Anything for Love [But I Won't Do That]" by Meat Loaf playing]
♪ And I would do anything for love ♪
♪ I'd run right into hell and back ♪
♪ I would do anything for love ♪
♪ I'll never lie to you and that's a fact ♪
♪ But I'll never forget the way you feel right now ♪
♪ Oh no, no way ♪
♪ And I would do anything for love ♪
♪ Oh, I would do... ♪
[♪ Fanfare playing]