'Girl In The Picture's Suzanne Sevakis Had A Secret Daughter
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Netflix’s newest doc, Girl in the Picture, tells the disturbing story of Franklin Delano Floyd, who was put on death row for murder and kidnapping. But Floyd committed other crimes, too, including abducting a young girl named Suzanne Marie Sevakis that he passed off as his daughter—and then later married.
There’s a lot that going on in this true-crime story, but here’s a brief breakdown: In 1975, Floyd married a woman named Sandi Chipman, a mother of four. Floyd kidnapped her children, eventually releasing all but one daughter, Suzanne. Floyd renamed Suzanne “Sharon Marshall” and raised her as his own daughter.
As a teenager, Sharon got pregnant with her boyfriend and fled to Alabama with him, according to the Tampa Bay Times. However, Sharon later left him a note that said her “father” (Floyd) had taken her back home with him.
Floyd forced Sharon to marry him, changed her name to Tonya Hughes while he became Clarence Hughes. Sharon was later the victim of a suspicious hit-and-run accident when she was 20 and died.
It’s understandable to have questions—a lot of questions—after watching the documentary, including about Suzanne Marie Sevakis’ (a.k.a. Sharon's) children. Here’s what you need to know:
How many children did Suzanne Sevakis have?
Suzanne was pregnant three times in her life, according to the Independent, and the world now knows about two of her children: Michael Anthony Hughes and Megan Dufresne.
Who was Michael Hughes’ father?
Michael Hughes’ was not related to Floyd. In fact, his father was Suzanne’s boyfriend.
The boyfriend isn’t named in the documentary, but legal documents from the government’s case against Floyd suggest that a man named Gregory Higgs could be Michael's father.
The documents explains that Suzanne was in a relationship with Higgs when she became pregnant. But she didn’t tell Higgs at the time. She then moved to Tampa with Floyd and gave birth to Michael in April 1988.
According to the court documents, Floyd contacted Higgs after Suzanne died and asked if he wanted to raise Michael. Higgs said yes and Floyd promised to bring Michael to him within a month, but never did.
What happened to Michael Anthony Hughes?
After Suzanne's death, Michael was put into foster care and placed with the family of Ernest and Merle Bean, according to InspiringCouples.com. The family were in the process of adopting Michael when Floyd abducted him from his elementary school.
Decades later, Floyd admitted to killing Michael after abducting him.
“Floyd felt the pressure and he just ran out of patience,” FBI agent Scott Lobb said. “He turned and looked at me and said, ‘I shot him twice in the back of the head to make it real quick.’”
Who is Megan Dufresne?
Suzanne also apparently had a daughter named Megan Dufresne, who was her last child. Megan was put up for adoption in 1989 and adopted by Mary and Dean Dufresne, per The Cinemaholic.
Megan learned about her mother after a book was published about the mystery of "Sharon Marshall," per the outlet, and Megan ended up taking part in the documentary.
She also named one of her two kids Michael, after her brother, per The Cinemaholic.
Who is Megan Dufresne's father?
Suzanne gave birth to Megan and put her up for adoption in 1989, per The Independent. At the time, Suzanne was living with Floyd in New Orleans. But at that point, they had changed their names Tonya and Clarence Hughes.
Where is Megan today?
Dufresne currently lives in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, and she works as a research coordinator at Covington Ortho and Sports Med Clinic, according to LinkedIn and The Cinemaholic. She says in the documentary that she’s still trying to process what her mom went through.
“No girl should have to go through that,” she says. “From a stranger, much less somebody’s that’s supposed to be her father, father figure, whatever the hell he was.”
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