In a chilling tale of abduction, deception, and murder, the dark legacy of Franklin Delano Floyd has captivated the public’s attention. Floyd, who kidnapped a young girl and later forced her into marriage, is a figure whose crimes reveal a disturbing pattern of violence and manipulation that spanned decades.
The story begins in 1974 when Floyd, then known as Brandon Williams, married a woman with four children. Shortly after, he kidnapped her oldest daughter, a five-year-old named Suzanne Svakus, and raised her as his own. Changing her name to Sharon Marshall, Floyd evaded authorities while bouncing from state to state under a series of false identities. Despite being a convicted felon, Floyd’s ability to hide in plain sight for years raises questions about the effectiveness of the systems designed to protect vulnerable children.
As Sharon Marshall, Suzanne thrived academically and was accepted into Georgia Tech on a full scholarship, with aspirations of becoming an aerospace engineer. However, her dreams were shattered when she became pregnant at 18, and Floyd, her so-called father, forced her to leave school. Soon after, she relocated to Tampa, Florida, where she worked as a dancer to support herself and her baby. It was there that she met Cheryl Anne Kso, a fellow dancer who noticed the troubling dynamics between Suzanne and Floyd. Despite her attempts to help, Cheryl’s intervention ultimately led to her tragic fate.
In a horrifying act of revenge for Cheryl’s attempt to report Suzanne for welfare fraud, Floyd kidnapped Cheryl, tortured her, and murdered her. He kept photographs of the gruesome act as trophies, a decision that would later lead to his downfall. The discovery of these photographs in 1995, tucked away in a gas tank during a routine mechanic inspection in Kansas, would draw the attention of law enforcement, igniting a larger investigation into Floyd’s crimes.
The investigation revealed that Floyd had married Suzanne, now known as Tanya Hughes, in a sham marriage after moving to New Orleans. The couple had a child named Michael, further entrenching Floyd’s control over Suzanne. Tragically, Suzanne died in a hit-and-run incident in Oklahoma in 1990, an event shrouded in suspicion but never leading to charges against Floyd. Shortly after her death, he abandoned their son, Michael, who was later abducted from school by Floyd in a brazen act of violence. In a horrifying turn, Floyd murdered Michael and buried him near a highway, leaving no trace of the child behind.
Floyd was eventually apprehended in 1995, and the gruesome evidence linking him to Cheryl Kso’s murder emerged. Over the years, investigators pieced together the grim details of his life, revealing a man driven by obsession and control, who had stolen not only lives but futures.
In 2014, a small piece of justice was served when Suzanne’s true identity was finally restored after years of lies, thanks to her daughter’s adoptive family recognizing her through a book about the case. Meanwhile, Floyd, who was sentenced to death for his crimes, confessed to murdering Michael Hughes shortly before his death in 2023, taking many secrets to the grave.
Franklin Delano Floyd’s story serves as a haunting reminder of the vulnerabilities that exist within our society, and the lengths to which some will go to control and destroy the lives of others. As the public continues to grapple with the gruesome details of his life, the case remains a significant chapter in the ongoing conversation about child protection and justice for victims of abduction and abuse.
