Michael Hughes was Suzanne Sevakis’s child, who disappeared in 1994. Franklin Delano Floyd kidnapped Sevakis and falsely claimed Hughes was his son; she was never found 25 years after her death in 1990.
The Netflix original film “Girl in the Picture” delves into a complicated case that involved a lengthy investigation. Tonya Hughes, who was discovered on the side of the road in 1990, is where it all starts. She later passed away in a hospital, leaving her son, Michael, and her husband, Clarence Hughes.
Tonya’s death’s circumstances remained a mystery, but new information about her past emerged. The kidnapping of Michael four years later prompted the detectives to learn more about Tonya and Clarence Hughes.
What Happened To Missing Michael Anthony Hughes?
The truth about Michael Hughes’s whereabouts remained a mystery for more than 20 years. When FBI agents Scott Lobb and Nate Furr met Florida’s Union Correctional Institution inmate and convicted murderer Franklin Delano Floyd in 2014, more information and some answers started to come to light.
He is 79 years old. Floyd claimed to have shot Hughes (the son of Sevakis) twice in the back of the head on the same day that he had taken him hostage in September 1994.
Floyd claimed to be Tonya Hughes/Suzanne Sevakis’ spouse and claimed Michael as his son after her 1990 death, which is still unexplained today. Floyd used the alias Clarence Hughes to make the claims.
Michael was, however, removed into the custody of the child protection agencies and sent to foster parents Merle and Ernest Bean, who is featured in the documentary.
When Michael was six years old and in the first grade at Indian Meridian Elementary School in Choctaw, Oklahoma, on September 12, 1994, Floyd attacked the building brandishing a gun and abducted both Michael and his principal, James Davis, before tying Davis to a tree in the adjacent woods.
Michael Hughes Body Never Found
Michael’s body was dumped close to the Oklahoma-Texas line, according to Floyd, who admitted this to FBI officials. His admission was supported by additional accounts in which witnesses said they saw Michael. A thorough search was done in a roughly 2000 square foot space.
But since Michael had been dead for about 20 years, they didn’t anticipate finding many of his remains. However, they were still looking for evidence that would support Micahel’s presence.
The task may have been accomplished with cartridge casings, the metal eyelets from Michael’s sneakers, or a belt buckle. But nothing of the sort was discovered there. The confession alone gave closure to Michael’s foster parents.
The Girl In The Picture Based On True Story
The true-crime documentary Girl in the Picture, available on Netflix, tells the true tale of Tonya Hughs, also known as Sharon Marshall, who was abducted by Franklin Delano Floyd when she was a young child, raised as his daughter, and ultimately became Floyd’s wife.
Tonya Hughes, a 20-year-old woman, was killed in Oklahoma City in 1990 after being hit by a hit-and-run vehicle. Her death serves as the narrative’s starting point. She left behind a little kid named Michael as well as her husband, Clarence Hughes, who was actually Franklin Delano Floyd at the time.
Authorities thought Floyd was a very peculiar man, and Tonya’s death was thought to have been a homicide, therefore Michael was placed in foster care. Floyd was apprehended in the ensuing manhunt two months later, but Michael was never located.
Floyd said he was alive despite the fact that the authorities thought he had died. The FBI discovered evidence that Floyd had murdered Cheryl Ann Comesso in 1989 during the investigation into the kidnapping. In 2002, he was found guilty of murder and given the death penalty in Florida.
