Natalia Grace’s Bio Mom: The Dark Reason She’s ERASED from Good American Family

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In episode 6 of ‘Good Witch’, titled ‘Not Today Satan’, we’re introduced to Natalia Grace’s second set of adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Mans. Unfortunately, her birth mother won’t be portrayed in this episode.

The narrative presented in the Hulu series has its roots traced back to ID’s documentary series titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.” In the year 2010, Natalia was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett, who subsequently altered her legal age from eight to 22 years old.

Through DNA testing revealed in the subsequent docu-series Natalia Speaks, we discovered that she was a minor at the time. Despite appearing prepared to proceed with her life, fresh allegations concerning her prospective adoptive parents surfaced and were delved into during Season 3, The Last Chapter.

Since that time, a significant number of events have transpired, and we are transported back to the year 2010 by Good American Family. The opening segment showcases her stay at the Barnetts, and the narrative has now progressed to the period following their relocation of Natalia to a solitary apartment, with Cynthia Mans entering the picture.

Natalia Grace’s biological mom isn’t in Good American Family

The Hulu series primarily concentrates on Natalia’s life in America, commencing from her adoption by the Barnetts, and as such, Anna Volodymyrivna Gava, her mother, won’t be featured in the show.

Initially, Natalia moved to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2008, at the age of five, as she was adopted by Gary and Dyan Ciccone. Unfortunately, much of her life before then, particularly her time in Ukraine and details about her early childhood, are not well-recorded.

This leads us to another point – we don’t know much about Anna except that she surrendered Natalia to an orphanage based on a doctor’s advice due to her physical condition. However, through DNA testing, it has been confirmed that she is Natalia’s biological mother.

This quickly debunked the Barnetts’ assertion that Natalia was born in 1989; instead, it was evident from Anna being born in 1979 that she would have been around 24 years old at the time of Natalia’s birth, not 10 as they suggested.

Natalia’s age has now been updated to match the year listed on her birth certificate from 2003. Her biological mother has only made notable appearances in interviews about Natalia’s case, specifically in “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.

In essence, Anna had minimal interaction with Natalia, limited solely to when Natalia was born. Given this sparse history and lack of extensive background details, it could have been challenging, superfluous, and possibly questionable from an ethical standpoint for Good American Family to include Anna in their series.

Who is Anna Volodymyrivna Gava?

Anna is not well-known about many things, but we do know she was born in Latvia, resides in Ukraine, has a sister and four children, and had Natalia when she was 24 years old.

Nevertheless, Natalia Grace conveyed remorse in the intriguing case and provided additional insights into the events that transpired.

She describes the labor as extremely challenging. After waking up from the anesthetic, the following day, the doctor visited and suggested it would be pointless to bring the newborn home.

They predicted that her ability to walk would be severely limited and she’d have a condition causing below-average height. They mentioned that the necessary surgery would amount to approximately $100,000.

The physician advised Anna to relinquish baby Natasha, who was originally named Natalia, because they lacked the financial resources and already had an elder child. Anna was asked to produce five duplicate copies of the consent form that they presented for her signature.

Anna recounts, ‘At first, I didn’t want to part ways with her, but the doctors told me there was no hope for her recovery. They emphasized that I was young, just 24 years old. They warned me not to jeopardize my future by staying, as I could have other children.’

When inquired about what makes her emotional, she admits, “Leaving her after following the doctors’ advice has always haunted me. For so many years, my mind has been filled with thoughts of her: wondering how she’s living, what activities she’s engaged in.

Upon learning about the Barnetts’ situation, where she was left at 13 years old, all by herself in an apartment, Anna expressed her astonishment, saying “I was absolutely stunned.

The interview is then cut off, as it was conducted in 2022, at the height of the war. 

Who are Natalia Grace’s second adoptive parents?

In essence, while legally speaking, the Barnetts are Natalia’s second adoptive parents in the U.S., due to the notoriety of the case from the docu-series, Cynthia and Antwon Mans are often seen as her secondary family by many.

In the series ‘Good American Family’, the character Cynthia is acted by Christina Hendricks, who is famously known for her role in Mad Men, and Antwon is played by Jerod Haynes, a well-known actor from Chicago Med.

Since the release of subsequent series like “Natalia Speaks” in 2024 and “The Final Chapter” in 2025, the Mans family has been under scrutiny due to accusations of mistreatment and misuse of power.

Nevertheless, neither of them were jailed due to the allegations. In The Final Chapter, Natalia is portrayed as fleeing their home and residing with the DePaul family in New York State now.

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2025-04-16 18:19