Couple Accused Of Ditching Adopted Girl, Moving To Canada

Associated Press

The Tippecanoe County Courthouse
*stock photo*

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana prosecutors have charged a couple with abandoning their adopted daughter in 2013 and moving to Canada, renting an apartment in Lafayette for the then-11-year-old girl but otherwise leaving her to fend for herself.

Prosecutors in Tippecanoe County filed neglect charges Wednesday against 45-year-old Kristine Elizabeth Barnett and 43-year-old Michael Barnett. They had not been booked or arraigned as of Friday and online court records don't list an attorney for them.

The Journal & Courier reports that the couple have an address in Indianapolis, but it wasn't immediately clear if they live there or if they still live in Canada.

According to court documents, the couple adopted the girl, who has dwarfism, in 2010 when she was 8 years old. She had come to the U.S. through an adoption program two years earlier from her native Ukraine.

Prosecutors say that before abandoning the girl, the couple legally changed her age to 22 and told her to tell anyone who asked that she was that old.

Tags:Lafayette Tippecanoe County adoption

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

Indiana GOP gubernatorial candidates spar with moderator, each other in final debate; Braun absent

Five of Indianas six Republican gubernatorial candidates showed up to the primarys final debate Tuesday, as U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) opted to stay in Washington, D.C. for a foreign aid vote.

Public Affairs / April 23, 2024

US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations

The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.