‘Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter’ Zeroes In on Allegations Around Natalia’s Adoptive Family

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In the third and concluding season of “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace“, events unfold six months after Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans took legal guardianship of Natalia, a 21-year-old with an unusual type of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. They’ve been caring for her since 2014, but now they express concerns about her behavior.

Cynthia tells Shannon and Eric Evangelista during a phone call that if Natalia is intent on self-destruction, she should do it alone; she doesn’t require assistance,” or more casually, “Cynthia tells the producers that if Natalia wants to ruin herself, let her do it on her own, she doesn’t need help.” In this conversation with her husband, they express their wish to discuss their family situation candidly on camera. “Natalia wishes to depart now.

The primary concern of the first half of the four-part sequel titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter” (20XX) revolves around why Natalia no longer wishes to reside with the Manses, a matter that has sparked controversy. This topic was also central in the first two seasons of the series, which delved into Natalia’s complex relationship with her previous adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett. In this installment, however, Natalia finds herself at odds with her current adoptive family. Remarkably, she finds support in Vincent and Nicole DePaul, a couple who share a form of dwarfism, have previously attempted to adopt her, and now assist her in leaving the Manses’ household.

The entirety is showcased in the latest season of the documentary series, wrapping up on Tuesday.

Jason Sarlanis, ID President, shared earlier with The Hollywood Reporter that they didn’t realize they were carrying on the narrative for ‘The Final Chapter’. They only knew, upon receiving a call from Eric and Shannon about a mysterious voicemail, that they had to honor their audience’s expectations.

After leaving the Mans household, it’s revealed that Natalia continues to generate income for them and there are suspicions of additional alleged abuses being concealed, a claim she refutes. In the documentary after her escape, Natalia asserts, “My parents and I are doing well.” She clarifies, “Living apart from my family doesn’t mean they aren’t still my family.

Here are five key insights unveiled in both Part One and Two of the captivating novel, “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter“.

In this way, the sentence is rephrased to maintain the original meaning but sounds more natural and easy to read.

Natalia’s Boyfriend Was the Source of Contention in the Mans Home

Upon reaching Nashville, Tennessee, where the Mans family has moved, Antwon expresses that he, his wife, and Natalia have reached a mutual agreement. Later, Antwon and Cynthia share how they discovered Facebook conversations between Natalia and her UK-based boyfriend Neil. In these messages, Neil claimed the Manses were spiritually influencing Natalia and exploiting her financially, while Natalia expressed her desire to depart from their household.

In a conversation with Cynthia, Natalia reveals that she was influenced and acted out of character when she decided to distance herself from her family, all thanks to [Neil]. She confesses, “I wasn’t myself during that time, and my mom expressed her concerns saying, ‘this isn’t you; this isn’t my child.’ It never crossed my mind before our conversations to consider moving out or anything similar.” Later on, Natalia acknowledges her mistakes, admitting, “I was under the impression I was in love, but it turned out to be wrong. My judgement wasn’t clear at the time.” During their previous interview with THR, The Evangelistas shared that they were restricted from having private conversations with Natalia by the Manses, as Eric put it, “The Manses strictly forbade us from speaking to her alone during that visit.

Neil Facilitates Natalia’s Escape, With the New DePaul Family

Although Natalia appeared to have changed her feelings towards Antwon and Cynthia, she still kept in touch with her boyfriend Neil. He shared their text messages with Nicole, revealing that Natalia expressed a wish to depart from the Manses. “I said I want to leave and they called me crazy,” one of the messages read. Later on, Nicole reached out to Natalia via Duo Lingo, offering assistance. “I want to see you and Neil!”, Natalia replied, to which Nicole responded, “We can come pick you up.

Initially, Vincent, Nicole’s spouse, voiced reservations about Nicole’s proposed action. He openly stated, “I’m officially against this, as far as I’m concerned,” according to Nicole in the documentary. The DePauls initially met Natalia in 2009, contemplating her adoption. However, the adoption didn’t go through, and Natalia was subsequently adopted by the Barnett family who later made a controversial claim that she was an adult disguised as a child, leading to a lengthy legal battle for Natalia, who was initially adopted from Ukraine, to prove her true age (her birth date has since been confirmed as September 4, 2003). Despite these concerns, Vincent expressed, “She was a charming child when she visited us 14 years ago, but I’m worried because she’s essentially a stranger, and of course we want to ensure our safety.” However, feeling guilty about not being able to adopt Natalia initially, Nicole decided to proceed with her plan to help Natalia leave the Mans household at the end of episode one.

Natalia and Nicole DePaul Plot Her Escape During a Church Service

In the second episode, Nicole was informed by Natalia that she could make an escape during a church service by pretending to go to the restroom. This allowed them to travel to Nashville three days before Christmas 2023 to bring Natalia back to live with them in upstate New York. Nicole organized a driver and shared their plan with producers, who were eager to document this rescue mission. As explained by Shannon Evangelista in an earlier interview, they had very little time to prepare, with only 24 hours’ notice at most. The entire incident was captured on camera, from Natalia leaving the church and getting into the DePauls’ car, to her emotional outburst as they drove to the airport. In the car, she confided in Nicole, “I can’t believe I did this. My dad is going to be furious. My mom must be having a panic attack right now.” Following this, Natalia called Neil to express her gratitude, saying, “I am so thankful you found me. I love you so much.

A short while later, Natalia messages Cynthia: “Mom, I’m truly sorry but I left. I’m with the DePauls now and I can’t stand being isolated like that. I don’t intend to hurt you, but I must do this. I love you immensely. I’m really sorry.” After this, Cynthia phones Natalia and subsequently sends texts requesting a call back when she doesn’t respond. As Nicole reports, the discussion then takes on a worrying tone. “Cynthia inquires about Natalia’s safety,” she states, “and she asks, ‘well, what about your social security benefits, am I still going to be your representative?'” she claims the texts said.

Fostering Children Appears to be Antwon and Cynthia Mans’ Sole Source of Income

Terrance Kinnard, an attorney from Indianapolis, Indiana who represented Michael Barnett, initially claimed in episode one that his investigation into Natalia’s new adoptive family revealed they were deceitful individuals. In the documentary, he describes them as con artists, swindlers, and charlatans. According to Kinnard, Antwon Mans specifically targets vulnerable people due to their disabilities, gaining control of their finances by becoming a payee. This leaves their financial stability reliant on government aid.

In episode two, legal analyst Beth Karas, set to head ID’s series derived from Natalia’s tale, discloses that for the last ten years, Natalia has been transferring all her funds to the Manses. A 2014 FBI Child Crimes interview with Natalia reveals her telling an agent that her monthly $700 benefits are spent on rent, church contributions, clothing, and food, with nothing remaining in her account as she doesn’t have a savings account. Karas explains, given the current investigation, there seems to be no other income source for Cynthia and Antwon Mans besides the money they receive from fostering children, many of whom they’ve cared for over the years. She also mentions that since 2014, disability benefits have grown, and the Manses have looked after between eight and ten children at different times.

In the DePaul family, emotions start escalating when Nicole informs Natalia that she’ll be sending her $100 via CashApp, only to find out later that the account she provided belongs to Cynthia instead. Nicole expresses her feelings by saying, “It seems like Cynthia and Antwon are taking from Natalia, and now I feel like they’re taking from me.” In a heated conversation with Cynthia, Nicole questions why Natalia has never been listed as the beneficiary of her own funds, to which Cynthia responds it’s none of her concern. As the episode progresses, producers share interviews they conducted with other parents whose children were under Antwon and Cynthia’s care, including Robert Madewell from Crawfordville, Indiana. During the time Manses was in their care from 2019-2022, Madewell claims that on three separate occasions, Cynthia asked him to transfer guardianship to her. In the documentary, he states, “I believe Cynthia wanted my kid so she could collect benefits off of him.

The Manses May Have Physically Abused Natalia and Other Children

Concerning the Manses, Madewell’s apprehensions extend beyond possible financial abuse. The unnamed son depicted in the documentary alleges that Cynthia subjected him to humiliating treatment by denying him access to the bathroom when he requested and physically abused him, as well as other children under her care, including Natalia. In the documentary, he recalls, “Miss Cynthia would spank me; she would hit me on the bottom, and they were extremely violent.” He adds that she used a belt to discipline them and sometimes struck Natalia in the face.

In a documentary, Anna Lewin, who had given custody of her kids to Cynthia and Antwon Mans during her marital troubles, portrays a contrasting narrative. She praises the Mans family, stating, “Cynthia and Antwon Mans provided Natalia with the finest living conditions possible, and the Mans family was the best thing that ever happened to her.” She adds that their parenting was excellent and there were no concerns about their strict discipline, implying it was not abusive. However, in an earlier phone interview, she expressed a different opinion, alleging that Natalia was frequently physically abused by both Cynthia and Antwon Mans. Matthew Newlin, her ex-husband, claims to have witnessed Antwon beating Natalia, and Anna is reportedly reluctant to reveal the truth about the Manses due to their current custody of her children. When asked if she or any other children in the Manses’ home were abused, Natalia declines to discuss the matter further.

The THR team contacted the Lafayette, Indiana Police Department concerning the accusations and received this email statement from Sergeant Shawn Verma: “We currently don’t have any ongoing cases related to abuse involving Antwon and Cynthia Mans. However, there was a case in 2020 that we passed on to the Crawfordsville PD, which involved the residence of Antwon and Cynthia Mans.” The Crawfordsville Police Department did not respond to our requests for comment when we reached out; similarly, neither Antwon nor Cynthia responded to THR’s interview requests or our producers’ inquiries regarding the fresh allegations of abuse.>

The THR contacted the Lafayette, Indiana Police Department about the accusations and received an email statement from Sergeant Shawn Verma stating: “We do not have any ongoing cases with Antwon and Cynthia Mans regarding abuse in our department. There was a case in 2020 that we transferred to the Crawfordsville PD concerning their residence.” The Crawfordsville Police Department did not respond to our requests for comment, and neither Antwon nor Cynthia responded to THR’s interview requests or the producers’ queries about the recent abuse allegations.>

Or:

In response to the accusations, the THR reached out to the Lafayette, Indiana Police Department, who in turn provided this statement from Sergeant Shawn Verma via email: “Our department does not have any active cases involving Antwon and Cynthia Mans concerning abuse. However, there was a case in 2020 that we handed over to the Crawfordsville PD regarding their residence.” Despite our attempts to contact the Crawfordsville Police Department for comment, they did not respond at the time of this article. Similarly, neither Antwon nor Cynthia responded to THR’s interview requests or our producers’ inquiries about the new abuse allegations.>

In a previous interview with THR, Shannon stated, “We’ve always been transparent about every accusation levied against us. We provided them with comprehensive details. However, they opted not to address these allegations.

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The intriguing tale of Natalia Grace, the last chapter, is set to premiere on January 6 and 7 from 9-11 PM (Eastern/Pacific Time) and can be streamed on Max. Check out THR’s interview with producers Shannon and Eric Evangelista for more insights.

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2025-01-07 07:25