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

[Ksprincess2]

And why not seek to undo the adoption?

Excellent point. They are quite easy to undo. When I was a social worker I saw it done and sometimes it was the best thing for everyone.

But no more adopted child=no more adopted child's SSI disability checks.

 

[ioethe]

Excellent point. They are quite easy to undo. When I was a social worker I saw it done and sometimes it was the best thing for everyone.

I’m sorry if you’ve already been asked this - can you comment on the whole “emergency 24 hour adoption” thing?

 

[gitana1]

Excellent point. They are quite easy to undo. When I was a social worker I saw it done and sometimes it was the best thing for everyone.

But no more adopted child=no more adopted child's SSI disability checks.

So they were taking her SSI checks for a while after they left her? What was she living on? Food stamps? So they rented her some place by a drug rehab (which typically isn't in the nicest place in town) and magnanimously paid her rent - with her own money?

 

[MsArk]

Was her apartment actually equipped for a little person? Counter height, etc? Seems to me she would have had a very hard time in a place without the necessary modification, especially a child.

 

[forthelost]

Bone density measurements as applied to children as opposed to adults. But, are dwarfs the same? Do they follow the same rules?

Yes, they do. Even ones with her condition.

 

[Ksprincess2]

I’m sorry if you’ve already been asked this - can you comment on the whole “emergency 24 hour adoption” thing?

I did address this at some point but it was a while back. There is no such thing as an emergency adoption. Emergency foster placements yes but not an adoption. Adoptions take time, it is a legal process. There has to be a home study completed and approved and there is a waiting period where the child lives with the family (typically atleast 6 months) to make sure everything goes well prior to an adoption being finalized.

However I only have experience with adoptions though foster care which I don't believe Natalia's was. I think she was privately adopted, possibly though a private adoption agency that does "second chance" adoptions, one of these has a Facebook page that posts pictures and descriptions of children needing another adoptive home,definitely worth a look for anyone interested in this subject. A private adoption would still have to have homestudy done and waiting period as far as I know and I would imagine a second adoption would be more closely scrutinized to make sure it was a better fit than the first adoption.

Since Kristine has stated it was an emergency adoption I don't want to say she lied but maybe didn't understand or exaggerated and what really happened is the Barnett's took Natalia as an emergency placement and the adoption was finalized at a later time when proper paperwork, evaluations and waiting period was met.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Excellent point. They are quite easy to undo. When I was a social worker I saw it done and sometimes it was the best thing for everyone.

But no more adopted child=no more adopted child's SSI disability checks.

In my experience it’s not easy to undo unless you have another party lined up to adopt.

 

[renah]

So just wondering: Did Mr. Barnett witness any of these supposed sociopathic behaviors of Natalia? Death threats, poisoning attempts, etc? Hidden bloody menstrual evidence? He states he was called by his alarmed wife into the bathroom when she was bathing Natalia but does not state that HE actually witnessed anything concerning.

So far all I've seen is him confirming the stories his (ex) wife has told him. Maybe I missed something, I dunno.

One thing I didn't miss was the mother's FB video; I watched it all as it was happening live. The thing that stood out to me as the hinkiest was that she repeatedly claimed the only reason she was speaking out was because people online and in the media were demonizing her daughter Natalia. I haven't seen that anywhere and I've been following this closely.

 

[kaen]

I did address this at some point but it was a while back. There is no such thing as an emergency adoption. Emergency foster placements yes but not an adoption. Adoptions take time, it is a legal process. There has to be a home study completed and approved and there is a waiting period where the child lives with the family (typically atleast 6 months) to make sure everything goes well prior to an adoption being finalized.

However I only have experience with adoptions though foster care which I don't believe Natalia's was. I think she was privately adopted, possibly though a private adoption agency that does "second chance" adoptions, one of these has a Facebook page that posts pictures and descriptions of children needing another adoptive home,definitely worth a look for anyone interested in this subject. A private adoption would still have to have homestudy done and waiting period as far as I know and I would imagine a second adoption would be more closely scrutinized to make sure it was a better fit than the first adoption.

Since Kristine has stated it was an emergency adoption I don't want to say she lied but maybe didn't understand or exaggerated and what really happened is the Barnett's took Natalia as an emergency placement and the adoption was finalized at a later time when proper paperwork, evaluations and waiting period was met.

^^^^^^If I could like this post a thousand times I would.
I totally agree with you. I have considerable experience with adoption and with friends who have adopted---I have never, ever seen an emergency adoption. You didn't bring up another thing which is the interstate compact aspect of this adoption and the home study and agencies involved would make sure the interstate compact issues were addressed before placement.

I don't think she was confused about the difference between an emergency placement and adoption as two separate processes. I think she is stating that it was an emergency adoption to play into the narrative that she was duped by whomever she feels she can blame because most people would not know that this is impossible. She, then appears victimized by the agency and the child. With an older child adoption it is unheard of that an adoption would take place sight unseen or a small relationship built through meetings and small outings especially in the US but even in most foreign countries (not for the adoptive parent only, as the child needs to have a sense of comfort and agreement for the placement) because to give children to a person with no homestudy, that the child doesn't know, hasn't built any relationship with is commonly referred to as trafficking a child.

 

[kaen]

So they were taking her SSI checks for a while after they left her? What was she living on? Food stamps? So they rented her some place by a drug rehab (which typically isn't in the nicest place in town) and magnanimously paid her rent - with her own money?

If she was 22 and unless they had guardianship, the checks should have been written in her name and sent to her. This would be social security fraud if they continued to collect checks in her name---a big no-no in my neck of the woods. I have worked with young adults with disabilities in the school system and we are forever talking to parents about the importance of guardianship if they feel that their child can not make great decisions. Without guardianship, the checks are written specifically to the adult with the disability and can be deposited automatically into an account they own. These people can't have it both ways-- if she is an adult, she gets her checks unless someone has awarded them guardianship and they are on the hook for making sure she has a home, food, clothing and other needs met.

 

[kaen]

In my experience it’s not easy to undo unless you have another party lined up to adopt.

"If a child has been adopted legally, then it's like giving up a birth child," Freeman says. "The parents who adopted the child have to find a home for the child. Or find some resources."

Those resources might include the adoption agency or the state, which would most likely put the child in foster care. If the parents decide to end the process before the child has been legally adopted, the child would then likely go into foster care, she says.

International adoptions follow the same rules, except the adoption agency usually notifies the country that the adoption has failed." It takes more than love: What happens when adoption fails

I have known people who dissolved their adoptions without finding a placement by using the state resources and placing the child in foster care.

ETA link because I forgot to add it the first time I posted.

 

[kaen]

Terminating their parental rights would have allowed this child to be in the care of the foster system and get what she needed. It seems a little vindictive to make her an adult and punish her by living on her own with little to no services. Why not just terminate?

In Indiana, this is what is needed to terminate your parental rights, according to https://www.in.gov/dcs/files/cwmanual7.pdf:

703.14 How to Petition for Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights IC 31-35-1 specifies the requirements for petitioning for a voluntary termination of parental rights. The petition may be filed either in probate or juvenile court by the COFC or a licensed child placing agency (LCPA) and must allege that: (1) the parents are the biological or adoptive parents; (2) the parents, including the alleged or adjudicated father, knowingly and voluntarily consent to the termination; (3) termination is in the child's best interests; and (4) the petitioner has a satisfactory plan for the care and treatment of the child. A copy of State Form 12587/FPP 1331A, "Voluntary Relinquishment of Parental Rights", may be found in Appendix B of this section. The court of jurisdiction has responsibility to notify the parents of the hearing to terminate their rights. The court may direct the COFC legal staff to assume this responsibility. Such notification should be by personal service as specified by IC 31-32-9. In actions to terminate parental rights, if the parent cannot be notified by personal service, service must be by *publication. Publication can be done only by order of the court. The parents must consent to termination of parental rights in open court unless the court, finds that the parents: (1) gave consent in writing before a person authorized by law to take acknowledgments (COFC family case managers (FCMs) can take consents. However, the signing of the consents must be witnessed by a notary public.); (2) were notified of their rights and the consequences of their action as specified by IC-31-35-1-12; and (3) failed to appear. However, according to IC 31-35-1-7, before entering an order of termination, the court must inquire about the reason for the parents' absence. The court may require an investigation by a probation officer to determine if there is any evidence of fraud or duress and to establish that the parents were competent to give their consent. The person responsible for conducting such investigation must enter it on the record under oath.

 

[Gussified]

New to this thread, but not to WS.
I’ve seen a few references in this thread to the Barnett’s taking her SS checks. Haven’t seen that anywhere else. Only that they were notified that Mr Barnett was no longer beneficiary, which I took to mean the person to whom the death benefit would be paid in the event of the SS recipients death.

Is there a source that says the parents were taking her SS checks?

 

[kaen]

New to this thread, but not to WS.
I’ve seen a few references in this thread to the Barnett’s taking her SS checks. Haven’t seen that anywhere else. Only that they were notified that Mr Barnett was no longer beneficiary, which I took to mean the person to whom the death benefit would be paid in the event of the SS recipients death.

Is there a source that says the parents were taking her SS checks?

Here it is from Kristine Barnett's account.
The Case's Current Status
It's not known where Natalia currently is — Kristine told Daily Mail she's worried Natalia is posing as a child to fool another family.

"I had found a little pink dress in her closet and a little pink bicycle parked beside her house," she said. "She discontinued communication with me. What I did get was a letter in the mail stating that she had changed Michael from the beneficiary of her social security income to someone else." That Viral Story of the Orphan Girl Who Might Actually Be an Adult, Explained

 

[Gussified]

Here it is from Kristine Barnett's account.
The Case's Current Status
It's not known where Natalia currently is — Kristine told Daily Mail she's worried Natalia is posing as a child to fool another family.

"I had found a little pink dress in her closet and a little pink bicycle parked beside her house," she said. "She discontinued communication with me. What I did get was a letter in the mail stating that she had changed Michael from the beneficiary of her social security income to someone else." That Viral Story of the Orphan Girl Who Might Actually Be an Adult, Explained

Thanks, yes, that’s what I’m referring to. I used to work in life insurance, and to me, the beneficiary is the one who gets a death benefit. So that’s how I read it.

I guess I can see why some may interpret that as he was getting her checks, but has he been charged with SS fraud? The quote doesn’t say who sent the letter. If it was from the SS administration, then wouldn’t SS have known he was getting her checks?

It just does not seem clear to me that they were taking her checks, so don’t want to see it become internet fact.

 

[Ksprincess2]

So they were taking her SSI checks for a while after they left her? What was she living on? Food stamps? So they rented her some place by a drug rehab (which typically isn't in the nicest place in town) and magnanimously paid her rent - with her own money?

I didn't state for a fact that they were taking her SSI checks. I just used it as an example of a possible reason they may have chosen not to dissolve her adoption if they no longer wanted her living with them.

 

[Linda7NJ]

So just wondering: Did Mr. Barnett witness any of these supposed sociopathic behaviors of Natalia? Death threats, poisoning attempts, etc? Hidden bloody menstrual evidence? He states he was called by his alarmed wife into the bathroom when she was bathing Natalia but does not state that HE actually witnessed anything concerning.

So far all I've seen is him confirming the stories his (ex) wife has told him. Maybe I missed something, I dunno.

One thing I didn't miss was the mother's FB video; I watched it all as it was happening live. The thing that stood out to me as the hinkiest was that she repeatedly claimed the only reason she was speaking out was because people online and in the media were demonizing her daughter Natalia. I haven't seen that anywhere and I've been following this closely.

I actually starting googling looking for what she was talking about, then I searched Facebook- I couldn’t find ANYTHING except comparisons to the movie Orphan....
She certainly begged to be seen as a martyr

She has many narcissistic qualities - I watched lots of her videos. Still....I found her video testimony believable

 

[gitana1]

I didn't state for a fact that they were taking her SSI checks. I just used it as an example of a possible reason they may have chosen not to dissolve her adoption if they no longer wanted her living with them.

Oh. But it looks like the mom discussed receiving her checks after they left her and the man suddenly finding out that the checks were being sent to someone else. I need to reread to be sure. But that sounds like they were receiving her checks after they left her, no?

 

[Medstudies]

Dad accused of abandoning girl in Lafayette goes on 'Dr. Oz,' mom wants to go home to Fla.


“KB’s attorney filed a motion Monday requesting that she be allowed to return to her home in Bradenton, Florida, so she can work. The motion notes that the New Palestine, Indiana, address on KB’s court documents belongs to her mother, with whom she's been residing since she turned herself in and posting bond on Sept. 19.”

This is such a convoluted mess. When did she move to Florida?

(I guess the child prodigy is okay on his own in Canada. In the meantime the siblings are where?)

Fearing threats, dad accused of abandoning daughter asks court to keep address private


“KB’s addresses, however, are inconsistent on court documents in her docket.

Her charging information has an Indianapolis address, but her acknowledgement of her rights form, which she signed on Friday, indicates a New Palestine address, and she signed it Kristine Pearson. When she turned herself in at the Tippecanoe County Jail on Sept. 19, she gave officers a Bradenton, Florida, address.”


Interesting.

BTW- the addresses are still visible on public access

 

[Gussified]

Oh. But it looks like the mom discussed receiving her checks after they left her and the man suddenly finding out that the checks were being sent to someone else. I need to reread to be sure. But that sounds like they were receiving her checks after they left her, no?

See post #573-575 above.