Netflix's Girl in the Picture: Who abducted Sharon Marshall and what is his relationship with her?

Netflix's upcoming documentary, Girl in the Picture, is ready to dive deep into the psychotic world of Franklin Floyd, who abducted Sharon Marshall as a kid.

The new documentary will cover Sharon's real-life story, which is stranger than fiction. The exact chronology of the events that transpired, though a little blurry, is one of the most heart-wrenching incidents to occur in the United States.

Franklin Floyd had committed many crimes over three decades, effectively evading the law in most instances and even getting away with murder and assault. His most infamous crime was what he did to Sharon Marshall, who believed he was her father.

Floyd allegedly kidnapped the girl when she was four, raised her for over 10 years and married her when she was older. He later killed her when she allegedly tried to escape the prison he had created.

Through Girl in the Picture, Skye Borgman will look to decipher the mysteries behind this heinous crime.

Read on to find out who Franklin Floyd was and what he did to Sharon Marshall.

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Who was Franklin Floyd and what did he do?

A serial offender of the highest order, Franklin Floyd was born on June 17, 1943, in Barnesville, Georgia. His father died when he was an infant. After struggling financially for years, his mother sent him to the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, where he spent the majority of his childhood.

According to the book that the upcoming Netflix documentary is based on, he was routinely abused and assaulted by other children in the home. He was also allegedly abused by staff.

Franklin left the home at the age of 16 in hopes of joining the army, but his dream did not come to fruition. He was let go by the army six months later when they discovered that he had faked his paperwork and lied about his age.

That year, Franklin began his decades-long run of criminal offenses. He broke into a grocery store and tried to rob it. He was shot by the police in the act.

Franklin went on to commit multiple crimes, including assaults on children and women, multiple murders and robberies. He was reportedly an expert in concealing his identity, giving him the edge over the authorities. Most of his crimes were covered up or never linked to him.

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What did Franklin do to Sharon Marshall?

Franklin Floyd married a woman named Sandi under a fake identity. When she went to prison for a brief period, he kidnapped all four of her children, including Suzanne, whom he later renamed Sharon Marshall. The first two girls were found, but the boy was never found.

Franklin personally took Sharon with him through a variety of places and identities, raising her as his own child.

Sharon even got a scholarship, but Franklin did not let her go to college. Instead, he took her to another city and made her work as an exotic dancer. He married her at some point during this time. She even got pregnant with a baby, but the child was not Franklin's.

The two were married for four years. One night, while Sharon was on her way to a local store to get baby supplies, she was killed in a suspicious hit-and-run case.

Authorities have alleged that Franklin did this after discovering Sharon's plan to escape. Later, authorities found photographic proof that Franklin assaulted Sharon from the time she was a young kid.

Franklin was caught after he kidnapped and murdered Sharon's child. He is currently on death row.

Find out more about Sharon Marshall's case in Netflix's Girl in the Picture on July 6, 2022.