Girl in the Picture

[bilgistic]

Via Netflix,

Quote

In this documentary, a woman found dying by a road leaves behind a son, a man claiming to be her husband—and a mystery that unfolds like a nightmare.

Edited July 17, 2022 by bilgistic

[bilgistic]

This documentary had me enraged. The director of this also directed Abducted in Plain Sight, which has a similar feel and subject matter.

[Bastet]

I didn't watch Skye Borgman's other film, but I know someone who worked on this, so I watched; I found it far less exploitative, sensationalist, and simplistic than most "true crime" documentaries (a genre I generally hate, especially with female victims), something I've also seen said of her Abducted in Plain Sight, so it seems good to have her on the scene (and it's surely no coincidence a woman is doing it better).  This properly centers the victim.

I'm glad Suzanne was finally identified; it doesn't change the lifetime of horrors she endured, of course, but of all the things stolen from her, her real name is the one thing that can be restored, and maybe it helps her loved ones a little to have it all pulled together.

What incredible potential she had in spite of it all; if she'd been able to use that scholarship and go off to college, imagine who she could have become, but of course her abuser, later killer, would never let that happen.

That poor biological daughter, whose DNA renewed the case -- they didn't say, but presumably her biological father is the murderer, and that has to be hard to process.

[bilgistic]

I came away from this incredibly angry at the incompetence of the law enforcement and "legal system" involved in all aspects of the situation. I have a bias against LEOs because my deadbeat father was a cop.

I'm forever going to be incensed that if the kidnapper had been locked away for life after raping a FOUR YEAR OLD, none of the rest of the story would've happened. Three people would be alive. This country doesn't protect children, and I won't say more because it's "too political."

All the LEOs and then that author were falling all over themselves to talk about how they did such a great job solving the case and telling Suzanne's story. I'm just so angry about all of it.

[Maisiesmom]

Watched this last night. How sad. That poor girl was literally robbed of her own life-she never had a chance to be herself.And what about Michael? What happened to him? Poor little boy-I guess we will never know. Hopefully he is with his mom now in a better place with no more torture and suffering. I hope that man burns in hell (I mean animal, not man). So sad and disturbing-makes me wonder how much abuse still goes on now.

[Blakeston]

On 7/18/2022 at 6:58 PM, bilgistic said:

I'm forever going to be incensed that if the kidnapper had been locked away for life after raping a FOUR YEAR OLD, none of the rest of the story would've happened. Three people would be alive. This country doesn't protect children, and I won't say more because it's "too political."

You hear about all of these people who get huge prison sentences for drug crimes, and meanwhile this guy kept getting released over and over again, despite sexually assaulting a four-year-old, then escaping prison twice? It's outrageous.

I was surprised that the documentary didn't go into detail about what happened to Suzanne's half-brother, Phillip. When Suzanne's mother was in jail, and Franklin Floyd skipped town with her four kids - Suzanne, her two younger half-sisters, and Phillip, who was a baby.

They mentioned in the documentary that her half-sisters were found in a church group. What happened to Phillip was a mystery, though, until 2019, when a man came out of the woodwork and said that he was adopted as a young child, and he believed he was Phillip. DNA testing proved that he was right.

[MaggieG]

I went into this with no knowledge of the story and my jaw dropped several times. First, when they said that Michael wasn't the biological son of Franklin ( who was his father??) and then when the high school friend saw the pictures and said "that's her dad." Also the story she recounted about him coming in with a gun and raping Sharon/Suzanne while the friend was in the room. 

On 7/31/2022 at 5:34 PM, Blakeston said:

I was surprised that the documentary didn't go into detail about what happened to Suzanne's half-brother, Phillip. When Suzanne's mother was in jail, and Franklin Floyd skipped town with her four kids - Suzanne, her two younger half-sisters, and Phillip, who was a baby.

They mentioned in the documentary that her half-sisters were found in a church group. What happened to Phillip was a mystery, though, until 2019, when a man came out of the woodwork and said that he was adopted as a young child, and he believed he was Phillip. DNA testing proved that he was right.

I read about that after watching and was thinking maybe they didn't have time to go into it. But I'm also curious what he did to Phillip. Where did he leave him? I imagine being on the run with four kids was difficult which is why he left the 2 girls at an orphanage and Phillip somewhere. I'm also curious if the mom ever got custody back of the two girls. It seemed to me after she went to the police and they told her "it's a civil matter" she just gave up.

I used to live in Tampa but I'd never heard the story of Cheryl and her body being found. I have heard of Mons Venus though. I drove past it on my way to work. I also wanted to know more about Heather Lane and she was abducted too?? She mentioned for five years how her mother never gave up looking for her. 

Poor Suzanne. What a sad, tragic story.