The latest of Netflix's true crime stories, The Girl in the Picture, has proven to be another huge hit with viewers. Since its release in July, the true story has become one of the most talked about releases on Netflix.
Director Skye Borgman also made the chilling documentary Abducted in Plain Sight and her follow-up, about the mystery of a dying women found at the side of the road, is another unusual true crime story with twists and turns galore.
Before you start reading, just be warned there are spoilers in this piece - you have been warned!
The story follows the case of Suzanne Marie Sevakis (who's name viewers don't learn until the end of the film), who was found dying by the side of a road in 1990.
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Known at that time as Tonya Hughes, she was said to leave behind a man claiming to be her husband, and a son. However, when police told Tonya's mother about her death, she revealed that her daughter, in fact died in childhood.
Following Tonya's death, police placed her son Michael in foster care. Complications arose however, when Michael's foster parents applied to adopt him, only to discover Clarence, Tonya's ex-husband who claimed to be Michael's father, was going to fight them for custody of the child.
It was proven during the custody that Clarence was not the child's biological father. Following his unsuccessful custody bid, Clarence kidnapped Michael from school and vanished. We then learned that police discovered Tonya was actually called Sharon Marshall, a girl who was being abused by her stepfather, Franklin Floyd. However, Franklin's real name was in fact Clarence, who had kidnapped Michael.
Franklin was a convicted felon, who had been on the run since the 1970s for kidnapping and abusing a young child named Suzanne Marie Sevakis, who later became known as Tonya and Sharon. After giving birth to her son Michael, Suzanne worked as an exotic dancer to provide for her and Franklin. Franklin then married Suzanne on a trip to New Orleans, and soon after she gave birth to a baby girl, who she put up for adoption. Just a year after this, Suzanne was found on the side of a road, suffering from a head injury that police claim was unlikely to have been caused by a road traffic incident.
Towards the end of the film, we learned the tragic news of what happened to Suzanne's son Michael. While on death row for another murder (Cheryl Commesso) Franklin confessed to killing Michael by shooting him in the back of the head. He gave the FBI the location of Michael's body, but after three days of searching, no remains were found. Franklin is now on death row after confessing to killing Michael, and previously being convicted of the murder of Cheryl Commesso.
The Girl in The Picture is available to watch on Netflix now.
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