The in the final episode, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter delivers an exciting twist: Natalia Grace’s cover shoot with PEOPLE magazine . “This feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she says, her voice brimming with excitement on camera, as a photographer asks her to pose for the camera.
“I’m really just trying to take control of my life and stop letting other people control it. I feel like I’m becoming this new person,” Natalia adds. “This new version feels amazing—feels free.”
Allison Michael Orenstein
The freedom she speaks of is the result of a years-long battle to regain control of her narrative, a story that has been shaped by others at nearly every turn for over two decades.
She’s referring, in part, to her adoptive parents, Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who began questioning her behavior just six months after becoming legal guardians of the 21-year-old with a rare form of dwarfism. The Manses had taken Natalia into their care in 2013, but tensions escalated after they adopted her in 2023.
Much like the earlier seasons of the series, which centered on Natalia’s complex relationship with her previous adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, this chapter sees her in conflict with her third adoptive family.
But this time, she turns to Vincent and Nicole DePaul, a husband and wife with dwarfism who had previously tried to adopt her in 2009. Now, they offer her a way out, helping her escape what the show claims is ongoing abuse at the hands of the Manses. (Multiple attempts by People to reach the Manses and their attorney for comment went unanswered.)
Three days before Christmas in 2023, Nicole and her daughter Mackenzie drove from their home in upstate New York to pick Natalia up in the middle of the night at a church in Nashville, TN, where the Manses relocated. Since then, Natalia has been living with the DePauls in New York.
What wasn’t shown in the series is the emotional toll Natalia faced while on set for the finale. Halfway through the day, her anxiety gave way to panic. Her eyes welled with tears, fogging her black-rimmed glasses. Moments later, she locked herself in a bathroom at the rented warehouse in New York, shouting, “Everyone get out,” as she grappled with a panic attack. After a few tense minutes, she emerged, her breathing steady, her composure regained.
Allison Michael Orenstein
In her first interview since the show’s debut in 2023, Natalia sat down with PEOPLE to share her side of the story—one of survival after years of trauma. She was at times cryptic, nervous, and avoidant, but also cheerful and bubbly when speaking about her hopes for the future.
“Now I want to take control of my life, grab a hold of my life and steer it where I want to go,” she says on camera. She acknowledges the labels that have haunted her for years, including the portrayal of her as a “murder massacre” or “sociopath,” and seeks to clear the air.
“I’m just a normal girl with dreams, like being on the cover of PEOPLE,” she says. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I just feel like people being able to see the story and encourage them to know that they can do whatever they want when they put their minds to it.”
For years, Natalia has been the subject of intense scrutiny, leaving both investigators and viewers in a state of confusion. As legal expert Beth Karas wonders in The Final Chapter, “Was Natalia a child or an adult? Was she a sociopathic villain, or was she a misunderstood, abused victim?”
Allison Michael Orenstein
“Throughout this whole saga, we tried to separate the truth from the lies,” Beth Karas reflects in the final episode. “It wasn’t always easy to figure out who we could trust. It’s like everyone tried to turn Natalia into something she’s not, instead of trying to figure out who she really is. But Natalia fought to speak her truth.”
Now, with her truth laid bare, Natalia says she is contented. “It’s been an amazing feeling to know that my story — it inspired people,” she says on camera.
“Just seeing what I went through and even someone with my disability — you can do anything you put your mind to. You can get through anything that life throws at you,” she says. “At the end of the day, something good happened from it. It’s time to re-write my story.”
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter premiered January 6 and January 7 on Investigation Discovery and streams on Max.
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