Netflix documentary delves into WILD tale of murderer and rapist Franklin Delano Floyd

A Netflix documentary is set to delve into the shocking and sensational crimes of murderer and rapist Franklin Delano Floyd, and the true identity of the little girl that he kidnapped and forced to pose as his daughter for decades – eventually making her marry him, before killing her in a fit of rage.

For more than 30 years, Floyd committed a series of monstrous crimes – including robbing a bank, sexually assaulting children, numerous kidnappings, and multiple murders.

The criminal was a pro at fleeing from the law – constantly moving from state to state, changing his name and persona, and even escaping from prison on one occasion.

One of his most abominable transgressions took place over the course of more than 20 years, beginning in 1975 when he stole four children from a woman whom he had married using a fake alias.

Floyd let three of the kids go but kept one – a little girl named Suzanne – who he raised as his daughter – as he continued to commit more heinous offenses. He eventually forced her to marry him, before ultimately killing Suzanne when she tried to escape.  

He was finally arrested in 1994 and sentenced to the death penalty, but it wasn’t until he was behind bars on death row that police uncovered the true identity of the woman that was thought to be his daughter – and later his wife.

A Netflix documentary is set to delve into the wild tale of Franklin Delano Floyd, and the true identity of the little girl that he kidnapped and forced to pose as his daughter for decade

For more than 30 years, Floyd committed a series of monstrous crimes – including robbing a bank, sexually assaulting children, numerous kidnappings, and multiple murders

Floyd took a little girl from her home in 1975, and raised her as his daughter for more 10 years – as he continued to commit heinous offenses – before he eventually forced her to marry him

He was arrested in 1994, but it wasn’t until he was behind bars that police uncovered the true identity of the woman that was thought to be his daughter – and later his wife (pictured)

Now, Netflix is lifting a lid on the Floyd’s horrifying crimes and the tragic story of the girl who even believed herself she was Floyd’s child in a documentary, entitled Girl in the Picture

Now, Netflix is lifting a lid on the Floyd’s horrifying crimes and the tragic story of the girl who even believed herself that she was Floyd’s child, in an upcoming documentary – entitled Girl in the Picture – which is set to come out July 6.

Floyd was born in Barnesville, Georgia, on June 17, 1943. He spent most of his childhood at Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, where he was allegedly sexually assaulted and abused

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‘The jaw-dropping true crime story of a search to solve a 30-year old mystery: Who was Sharon Marshall, and why was her real identity unknown to everyone – even her?’ a description of the new doc reads. 

Floyd was born in Barnesville, Georgia, on June 17, 1943. His father passed away from liver failure when he was just one years old, and his mother then decided to send him and his siblings to Georgia Baptist Children’s Home after she struggled to make ends meet – where he lived for most of his childhood.

According to a book written about the case, called A Beautiful Child, Floyd was sexually assaulted by the other kids at Georgia Baptist Children’s Home when he was just six years old, and faced years of abuse by the staff.

After leaving the home when he was 16, Floyd tried to enter the Army and lied about his age – but was discharged after only six months when his superiors found out that he had faked his paperwork. 

That same year, Floyd committed his first crime when he broke into a Sears department store and attempted to steal a gun. He was ultimately shot in the stomach by police, and rushed into emergency surgery.

Miraculously, Floyd fully recovered from the injury, and was sent to a youth institution – where he stayed for one year. 

In June of 1962, Floyd sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl and was convicted of kidnapping and child molestation. However, he escaped from prison after serving one year

The criminal was a pro at fleeing from the law – using fake aliases, constantly moving from state to state, and changing his name and persona. Some of his aliases are seen

He kidnapped a little girl named Suzanne from a woman named Sandi Chapman. He kept Suzanne (pictured) and raised her as his own daughter, changing her name to Sharon Marshall

In June of 1962, Floyd sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl after taking her from an Atlanta, Georgia, bowling alley. He was then convicted of kidnapping and child molestation – and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years of prison.

However, one year later, he escaped from jail while being taken out for a ‘medical errand’ and fled to Macon, Georgia, where he eventually got arrested once again, this time for robbery, after he stole $6,000 from a local bank.

In November 1972, the criminal was released from prison and sent to live in a halfway house. 

One week after his release, he forced a woman at a gas station to get into his car, where he attempted to sexually assault her. She was able to escape and he was arrested once again, however, after posting bail, he went on the run.

‘Franklin Floyd had been a fugitive for almost two decades. He robbed a bank, he had a history of violence,’ said one person, whose identity is unknown, during the preview for the upcoming documentary. ‘He was an expert of at concealing his identity.’

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Suzanne graduated from high school in Forest Park, Georgia, in 1986. She earned a full scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology, but she never attended the school

Instead, Floyd forced her to move to Tampa, Florida, with him, where she began working as an exotic dancer. After the pair relocated, the two got married

Floyd then created a fake alias – Brandon Williams – and moved to North Carolina, where he met a woman named Sandi Chapman at a truck stop. They dated for a month before getting married and moving to Dallas, Texas, together.

Floyd then became the suspect in a disappearance case of an 18-year-old woman named Cheryl Ann Commesso (pictured) – a coworker of Suzanne’s who was seen arguing with Floyd before she went missing

Chapman, who had four children from previous relationships, got arrested in 1975 for using bad checks, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

While serving her time, she left her kids in Floyd’s care – but when she was released a month later and returned home, her house was empty and her family was nowhere to be found. 

She was later able to find two of her daughters at a local church group. Her son ended up getting privately adopted, and only learned of his true identity in 2019 – but Sandi’s oldest daughter, Suzanne, wasn’t found.

It turns out, Floyd kept Suzanne and raised her as his own daughter, changing her name to Sharon Marshall and spending years pretending that he was her father.

Suzanne graduated from high school in Forest Park, Georgia, in 1986. She earned a full scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology and dreamed of becoming an aerospace engineer, but she never ended up attending the school.

Instead, Floyd forced her to move to Tampa, Florida, with him after she got pregnant, where she began working as an exotic dancer.

‘She wanted to go to Georgia Tech, be an aerospace engineer,’ a friend of Suzanne’s recalled in the trailer for the new Netflix doc. 

In April 1990, Suzanne was found beaten on the side of the highway outside of Oklahoma City. She was rushed to the hospital where she later passed away

It was later reported that Suzanne had tried to leave Floyd and run away with a college student she was having a secret relationship with, named Kevin Brown

Suzanne’s son, Michael (pictured), was put into foster care and later adopted. But in September 1994 Floyd walked into his elementary school with a gun and took Michael

‘I remember the phone call, she said she was pregnant and, “Daddy won’t let me go to college now.”‘ 

Another person said, ‘This beautiful young woman was trapped in evil. She was stuck and didn’t know how to get out.’ 

After the pair relocated to Florida, Floyd made Suzanne change her name once again, this time to Tonya Dawn Hughes, and the two got married.

She welcomed a son, named Michael, soon after their wedding, but it was later revealed that Floyd was not the little boy’s biological father.

After the birth of her son, the family moved once again, this time to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Floyd became the suspect in a disappearance case of an 18-year-old woman named Cheryl Ann Commesso – a coworker of Suzanne’s who was seen arguing with Floyd before she went missing.

Police searched for Floyd and Michael for weeks, and he was eventually arrested in Kentucky, after he tried to get a new license and the DMV realized who he was and alerted the FBI

He was found guilty of kidnapping Michael (pictured) and sentenced to 55 years in prison. He was later also charged with first-degree murder for killing Commesso

For years, it was unknown was happened to Michael, but in a 2015 interview with the FBI, Floyd admitted to shooting and killing the little boy on the day that he kidnapped him

 Commesso’s remains were found years later – in 1995 – and it was determined that she had died from two gunshot wounds in her head. 

Floyd was given the death pentalty. He is now 78 years old and is currently on death row in a prison in Florida

In April 1990, Suzanne was found unconscious on the side of the highway outside of Oklahoma City. She was rushed to the hospital where she later passed away, with investigators claiming that she had been hit from behind with a car. 

It was later reported that Suzanne had tried to leave Floyd to run away with a college student she was having a secret relationship with, named Kevin Brown. Police believe that Floyd killed her, but never had enough evidence to try him for the murder.

Suzanne’s son, Michael, was put into foster care and later adopted. But in September 1994, when he was in first grade, Floyd walked into his elementary school with a gun and took Michael.

Police searched for Floyd and Michael for weeks, and he was eventually arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, after he tried to get a new license and the DMV realized who he was and alerted the FBI. 

He was found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to 55 years in prison.  He was later also charged with first-degree murder for killing Commesso, and was given the death penalty. Floyd, now 78, is currently on death row in a prison in Florida. 

For years, it was unknown was happened to Michael, but in a 2015 interview with the FBI, Floyd admitted to shooting and killing the little boy on the day that he kidnapped him, according to The Oklahoman.