Indiana abandonment case gag order now includes adopted girl
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A judge has expanded a gag order in the case of a couple accused of abandoning their adopted daughter in Indiana and moving to Canada.
The Tippecanoe County judge initially issued a gag order Oct. 28 that applied to prosecutors, defense attorneys and Michael Barnett and Kristine Barnett, who face neglect charges.
The Journal & Courier reports the judge amended that order Friday to also include the Barnetts’ adopted daughter.
Authorities say the now-divorced couple adopted the Ukrainian orphan with dwarfism in 2010, when a doctor estimated her to be 8 years old.
Before leaving for Canada in 2013, they legally changed her age to 22. Both Barnetts have been making the rounds in talk show appearances and media interviews, claiming the girl was an adult posing as a child.
