Netflix’s Girl in the Picture (2022) remains one of the platform’s most haunting and unforgettable true-crime documentaries — a 101-minute deep dive into one of America’s most disturbing unsolved cases that continues to grip audiences with its layers of deception, tragedy, and lingering questions. Directed by Skye Borgman and executive produced by Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim, the film has quietly maintained a strong presence on Netflix’s true-crime charts, with fans still rewatching it and posting fresh reactions in 2025, calling it “the most unsettling thing they’ve ever seen on the service.”
The story begins with a shocking discovery: in 1990, a young woman’s body was found dumped on the side of an Oklahoma highway, wrapped in a blanket. She had been beaten, strangled, and left with no identification. Police nicknamed her “Tonya Hughes” based on forged documents, but her real identity remained a mystery for years. The film traces how investigators, journalists, and eventually a determined cold-case team uncovered that the victim was actually Sharon Marshall — a woman whose entire life had been built on lies created by her captor and abuser, Franklin Delano Floyd.
The documentary’s power lies in its methodical unraveling of Floyd’s decades-long reign of terror. Floyd — a convicted child molester and career criminal — abducted Sharon as a young girl (originally named Suzanne Davis), raised her as his “daughter,” sexually abused her, forced her into marriage under the fake name Tonya Hughes, and later murdered her after she tried to escape with their son Michael. Even more horrifying: after Sharon’s death, Floyd abducted Michael (then 6 years old), renamed him Brandon Williams, and kept him hidden for years. The boy was eventually found living under Floyd’s control — but the trail of destruction didn’t end there.
Borgman masterfully interweaves archival footage, police interviews, survivor testimonies, and haunting photos to build a timeline that feels like a slow-motion nightmare. The most chilling revelation comes late in the film: Floyd is believed to have killed multiple women and children over decades, including Sharon’s biological mother and possibly others whose bodies have never been found. He remains on death row in Florida for Michael’s abduction and is suspected in several unsolved murders, yet he has never confessed to killing Sharon.
The film’s emotional core is the survivors and investigators who refused to let the case die. Sharon’s childhood friend Karen Parsley, who knew her as Suzanne, provides heartbreaking testimony about the bright, artistic girl who vanished. Detective Jim Carden, who reopened the case years later, speaks with quiet fury about the system’s failures. And the adoption records, forged documents, and witness statements build a portrait of a predator who manipulated everyone around him for nearly 30 years.
Critics praised the documentary for its restraint and respect for the victims. The New York Times called it “a meticulous and devastating piece of true-crime filmmaking.” The Guardian gave it five stars: “A story so dark it feels almost unreal — yet every detail is painfully true.” On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100% critics score and 88% audience score, with viewers saying “I couldn’t sleep after watching” and “This is the most disturbing true-crime doc Netflix has ever put out.”
The film ends on a haunting note: Franklin Floyd, now in his 80s, still refuses to reveal where Sharon’s son Michael (Brandon) might be buried or what really happened to Sharon. The case remains officially unsolved in many respects, leaving viewers with a lingering sense of injustice and unease.
Girl in the Picture isn’t just a documentary — it’s a warning. It shows how predators can hide in plain sight for decades, how systems can fail victims, and how one determined group of people can still fight for truth even when hope seems gone.
Stream Girl in the Picture now on Netflix. It’s not easy viewing — but it’s essential.
