Many are asking: “What happened to Kristine Barnett?”
Kristine Barnett was once known as the bestselling author of “The Spark”, a memoir celebrating her unconventional parenting of her autistic son, Jacob, whom she claimed was a genius. However, today, her name is more infamously tied to the shocking case of Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian orphan with dwarfism whom the Barnetts adopted, then later accused of being a dangerous adult “sociopath” masquerading as a child.
The bizarre saga, documented in the explosive “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” docuseries, transformed Kristine from inspirational mom to a central figure in one of the most disturbing adoption scandals in recent memory.
Who is Kristine Barnett?
Kristine Barnett first gained public attention as the author of “The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius”, a 2013 memoir that chronicled her unconventional approach to raising her autistic son, Jacob Barnett.
The book claimed that Jacob, diagnosed with severe autism as a toddler, had an extraordinary IQ and began studying advanced astrophysics as a young child, allegations that earned widespread media coverage and positioned Kristine as an advocate for alternative autism therapies.
She ran a daycare center and later founded a community hub called “Jacob’s Place,” where she hosted events for children with special needs. Her story was initially framed as inspirational, with appearances on major talk shows and features in publications like The New York Times.
A Dark Turn: From Advocate to Defendant
Kristine Barnett’s fall from grace began when she and her then-husband Michael made shocking claims about their adopted daughter Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian orphan with dwarfism.
In a bizarre twist that captured international attention, the Barnetts alleged Natalia was actually an adult “sociopath” pretending to be a child, accusations that later collapsed under legal scrutiny. Their decision to legally re-age Natalia from 8 to 22 years old (later reversed by courts) and their abandonment of the disabled child in an Indiana apartment became the subject of criminal neglect charges.
The controversy deepened when Kristine was separately convicted of welfare fraud for exploiting another disabled child in her care, having fraudulently obtained over $300,000 in Social Security benefits while allegedly neglecting the child’s basic needs.
These legal battles exposed troubling contradictions between Kristine’s public image as a nurturing “autism mom” and the disturbing reality of her actions. The Natalia Grace case in particular, documented in the explosive ID series “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace”, raised alarming questions about motive, manipulation, and who was truly victimised in this complex saga.
What Happened to Kristine Barnett?
Financially ruined, Barnett filed for bankruptcy in 2020, court documents revealing she claimed to have no assets left. Her marriage to Michael dissolved under the weight of these scandals, marking the end of their once carefully cultivated public image as extraordinary parents.
Since the height of the controversy, Kristine has completely withdrawn from public life. She deleted her social media accounts and reportedly lives quietly in Indiana, though her exact circumstances remain unclear.
The 2023 docuseries “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” reignited public outrage against the Barnetts, particularly after DNA evidence conclusively proved Natalia was indeed a child when they abandoned her. Natalia herself has spoken out repeatedly about the alleged abuse and neglect she suffered at the Barnetts’ hands.
Perhaps most telling is the silence surrounding Jacob Barnett, the autistic child prodigy Kristine famously wrote about in “The Spark”.
Now in his twenties, Jacob appears to have stepped away from both physics and the public spotlight, with no recent updates about his once-promising academic career.
The Barnett family’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of crafting inspirational narratives at any cost, and the devastating consequences when those narratives unravel.
While Kristine avoided prison time, the court of public opinion delivered a far harsher verdict on her irrevocably tarnished legacy.
