In the dark corners of true crime, there are individuals whose lives bear the mark of inexplicable darkness. Franklin Delano Floyd, a name that sends shivers down the spines of true crime enthusiasts, is undoubtedly one such figure. With a chilling repertoire of murder, kidnapping, and a trail of shattered lives, Floyd’s story is as haunting as it is perplexing.
From the very beginning, Franklin Delano Floyd’s life seemed destined to unfold in the shadows. Born on June 17, 1943, in the small town of Barnesville, Georgia, he was the youngest of five children born to Thomas and Della Floyd. But tragedy struck early in Floyd’s life when his father, a struggling cotton mill worker and alcoholic, succumbed to kidney and liver failure when Franklin was just a year old. Left widowed at the tender age of 29, Floyd’s mother faced immense challenges in providing for her children.
In the face of mounting difficulties, Della and her five children found themselves seeking refuge in a small apartment with her parents. However, the strain of caring for such a large family became too much for Floyd’s grandparents to bear, and by 1946, they made a heart-wrenching decision. They asked Della and her children, including young Franklin, to leave their home. Faced with limited options, Della turned to the advice of Lamar County Children Services and placed her children under the care of Georgia Baptist Children’s Home in Hapeville.
But it was within the walls of this seemingly safe haven that Floyd’s early life took a dark turn. Allegations of bullying and torment by other children plagued his time at the children’s home. More disturbingly, he later recounted a harrowing incident of sexual abuse, claiming that he was sodomized with a broomstick by fellow boys when he was just six years old. The emotional scars from these traumatic experiences would haunt him for the rest of his life.
As Floyd transitioned into adolescence, his rebellious nature manifested in acts of theft, fights, and delinquency. The staff at the children’s home often resorted to harsh punishments, subjecting him to brutal disciplinary measures. One particularly disturbing incident involved his hand being dipped into scalding water as punishment for masturbating. With a turbulent childhood marked by abuse, hardship, and social isolation, it is no wonder that Floyd’s path seemed destined for darkness.
The Criminal History of a Madman in Training
As Franklin Delano Floyd grew older, the troubled seeds sown in his early life took root, propelling him down a treacherous path of criminality. With a penchant for lawlessness and a disregard for societal norms, Floyd’s criminal history is a chilling testament to the depths of human depravity.
Floyd’s first notable encounter with the law occurred in 1960 when, at the age of sixteen, he broke into a Sears department store in Inglewood, California, with the intent of stealing a gun. However, his plans were thwarted when the police responded to a burglar alarm, leading to a violent shootout. In the midst of the chaos, Floyd sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach but miraculously survived after undergoing emergency surgery. This incident served as an ominous foreshadowing of the violence that would come to define his criminal trajectory.
Despite his brush with the law, Floyd’s criminal tendencies persisted. In 1961, he found himself in trouble once again after violating his parole by embarking on a fishing trip to Canada with a friend. This violation led to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment. However, it was only the beginning of a long and harrowing journey through the criminal justice system.
In May 1962, Floyd returned to Hapeville, Georgia, and secured employment at the Atlanta International Airport. But the veneer of normalcy quickly faded as he succumbed to his predatory instincts. The following month, he committed a heinous act that would forever stain his name: the abduction and sexual assault of a four-year-old girl. Floyd’s callous disregard for innocence resulted in his conviction for kidnapping and child molestation. He was sentenced to serve ten to twenty years at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville.
While incarcerated, Floyd’s dark impulses continued to fester. In 1963, he seized an opportunity to escape during a medical errand and fled to Macon, Georgia. There, he orchestrated a brazen bank robbery, making off with over $6,000. His criminal exploits caught up with him, and he was eventually apprehended. Floyd’s dangerous propensity for escape attempts led to his transfer to various federal penitentiaries, where he endured further hardships and violence at the hands of his fellow inmates.
It was during his time behind bars that Floyd formed a fateful connection. In the late 1960s, he befriended a fellow inmate named David Dial while serving his sentence at the Georgia State Prison. This friendship would prove consequential in the years to come.
The Tragic Fate of Sandra Brandenburg
In the twisted web of Franklin Delano Floyd’s life, one woman would become entangled in his malevolent grasp—Sandra Brandenburg. Her story is a tragic tale of manipulation, deceit, and the devastating consequences that awaited her and her children.
By 1974, Floyd had assumed the alias Brandon Williams and was on the move, searching for new prey in his dark game of manipulation. It was during a chance encounter at a North Carolina truck stop that he crossed paths with Sandra Francis Brandenburg (later known as Sandra Willett). Brandenburg was a vulnerable young woman, the mother of four children from two different fathers. Floyd, ever the predator, seized the opportunity to exploit her vulnerability and offer her a glimmer of hope in her desperate situation.
According to Brandenburg’s accounts, she met Floyd in a church while she was visibly distressed. When Floyd approached her and inquired about her troubles, she revealed her fear of losing her beloved children. In a sinister twist, Floyd offered a solution that would forever alter the course of her life. He proposed marriage, pledging to be the children’s father and protect them from the imminent threat of separation. Desperate and hopeful, Brandenburg accepted his proposition.
However, little did she know that this seemingly benevolent act would lead her down a dark and perilous path. Floyd’s manipulation and control over Brandenburg quickly took hold, transforming her life into a nightmarish existence. In 1975, while Brandenburg served a jail sentence for passing bad checks, she entrusted her children to Floyd’s care. But when she was released, she returned home to a horrifying discovery—her husband and children had vanished.
Brandenburg’s frantic search for her children was met with heart-wrenching obstacles. Authorities informed her that, as their stepfather, Floyd had the legal right to take the children. Her oldest child, Suzanne Sevakis, and her youngest, Philip, were nowhere to be found. Only her two middle daughters, Allison and Amy, were located, placed under the care of a church-operated social services group. The agony of losing her children was compounded by the knowledge that they were under Floyd’s control, their fate uncertain.
The Death of Suzanne Sevakis
Suzanne Sevakis, born with the potential for a bright future, found herself under the sway of Franklin Delano Floyd at a young age. The circumstances surrounding her connection to Floyd remain shrouded in ambiguity and conflicting accounts. According to Floyd, he had “rescued” Suzanne after her biological parents allegedly abandoned her. However, the truth behind her presence in Floyd’s care would forever remain clouded.
Despite the uncertain origins of their relationship, Suzanne Sevakis grew up under Floyd’s influence, assuming an alias and hiding in plain sight. She registered under the name “Sharon Marshall” and successfully graduated from high school in Forest Park, Georgia, in 1986. Suzanne’s potential shone brightly when she earned a full scholarship to study aerospace engineering at the esteemed Georgia Institute of Technology.
However, this promising future was abruptly extinguished under Floyd’s controlling grip. Suzanne’s dreams were shattered as she shared with a friend that she was pregnant, a revelation met with Floyd’s unwavering opposition. He denied her the opportunity to pursue higher education, denying her agency over her own life.
Sometime during the next couple of years, Floyd and Sharon moved to Tampa, FL where she gave birth to a baby boy on March 21, 1988 using the alias “Tonya Dawn Tadlock”. She subsequently named the baby Michael Anthony Hughes, and it is thought she used the last name Hughes because at the time, Floyd was using the aliases Charles Hughes and Clarence Marcus Hughes, although he also used many other aliases over the span of his criminal career.
During that specific period, Sharon started working as a performer in a unique and provocative dancing profession, abandoning her previous aspirations of studying aerospace engineering. At this time, she became acquainted with Cheryl Ann Commesso, a 19-year-old exotic dancer who also worked at the same club. Tragically, Cheryl disappeared after an argument with Floyd over the allegation that Cheryl had told on Suzanne for misreporting income to the government. Shortly after these events, Sharon and Floyd departed from Florida, and their mobile home was subsequently destroyed by fire.
Adding another layer of complexity to this already incredible narrative, Sharon and Floyd secretly tied the knot in New Orleans in 1989 using the aliases Clarence Marcus Hughes and Tonya Dawn Tadlock. Following their marriage, Floyd, Sharon, and their son Michael relocated to Oklahoma.
In April 1990, Sharon tragically lost her life in a suspicious hit-and-run incident. During this time, both Sharon and Floyd were being sought in connection with the ongoing missing persons investigation of Cheryl Ann Commesso. Floyd remained the primary suspect in the hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of his daughter and wife.
Following his mother’s untimely demise, DNA testing conclusively proved that Floyd was not Michael’s biological father. As a result, Floyd’s visitation rights were terminated, and Michael was placed in foster care. The foster parents, who were in the process of formally adopting Michael, reported that when he first arrived, he had difficulty speaking, limited motor control, and frequently exhibited extreme emotional distress. However, while under their care, Michael showed significant improvement.
In a final, tragic turn of events in this bizarre and heartbreaking tale, Floyd abducted Michael from Indian Meridian Elementary School in Choctaw, Oklahoma, on September 12, 1994. Using a gun, he coerced school officials and the school principal into the principal’s pickup truck. Eventually, Floyd released the principal, leaving him physically unharmed but traumatized, tied to a tree. Unfortunately, Michael has never been seen since that day.
Two months later, Floyd was apprehended in Kentucky, where he adamantly refused to provide any information regarding Michael’s whereabouts. Floyd claimed that Michael was either out of the country or possibly located in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Nevertheless, several witnesses have come forward, attesting that Floyd confessed to them about drowning Michael in a bathtub, supposedly in the Atlanta vicinity. Additionally, other witnesses claim to have seen Floyd burying Michael’s body in a grave. Floyd stood trial and received a prison sentence of 55 years for the kidnapping of Michael.
The Grisly Discovery
In 1995, a landscaper stumbled upon skeletal remains in Pinellas County, Florida, and the subsequent forensic examination would reveal a chilling truth—these remains belonged to Cheryl Ann Commesso. The cause of death was determined to be a beating followed by two gunshots to the head. The investigation took a crucial turn when a mechanic in Kansas discovered a cache of photographs hidden in a truck purchased at an auction—a truck previously stolen by Floyd. Among these photographs were images of a woman bound and severely beaten, with clothing and belongings matching those identified as Floyd’s.
Authorities meticulously compared the evidence found with Commesso’s remains to the photographs, and the connections were chillingly undeniable. The photographs depicted scenes of sexual abuse, suggesting a disturbing history of exploitation inflicted upon Suzanne from a young age. The correlation between Floyd’s possessions, the images found, and the injuries sustained by Commesso left little doubt about his involvement in her murder.
Convictions, Sentencing, and the End of the Reign of Terror
Following an extensive investigation into the crimes committed by Floyd, the weight of evidence against him became undeniable. The trial for the murder of Cheryl Ann Commesso, based on the damning photographic evidence found in the stolen truck, cast a damning light on his involvement in her brutal demise. With each piece of evidence presented, the jury’s understanding of Floyd’s malevolence deepened.
The legal proceedings exposed a man who thrived in the shadows, weaving intricate webs of manipulation and deceit. However, justice ultimately prevailed, and Floyd was found guilty of the murder of Cheryl Ann Commesso. The conviction served as a long-awaited reckoning for the victim and her loved ones, as well as a symbolic victory against Floyd’s reign of terror.
In addition to the murder conviction, Floyd’s sinister acts of kidnapping and abuse could not go unpunished. His abduction of 6-year-old Michael Anthony Hughes, and the subsequent admission of killing the young boy, weighed heavily on the court. Floyd’s actions not only shattered the lives of Michael and his loved ones but also left a community mourning the loss of innocence. The legal system demanded accountability for this heinous act, and the charges against Floyd reflected the magnitude of his crimes.
As the verdicts were handed down, Floyd’s fate was sealed. The court sentenced him to death for his crimes, recognizing the depravity and malevolence that had defined his existence. The imposition of the ultimate penalty sought to bring solace to the victims’ families and ensure that Floyd would never again pose a threat to society.
For years, Floyd resided on death row, awaiting his execution. However, the inevitable conclusion of his life would not come at the hands of the state. On January 23, 2023, Franklin Delano Floyd passed away from natural causes while incarcerated. The man who had instilled fear and left a trail of devastation had finally met his end, leaving behind a legacy of darkness and a myriad of unanswered questions.
However, one piece of silver lining emerged in the end. The whereabouts of Philip, Sandra Brandenburg’s youngest child, remained a mystery for decades. It was not until 2019 that a man came forward, believing himself to be Philip. DNA tests confirmed his identity, shedding light on the torment endured by Sandra and her missing son. The truth that emerged painted a picture of deception, with Sandra initially informed that Philip had died. Unbeknownst to her, he had been privately adopted in North Carolina shortly after birth, casting a shadow of doubt and despair on her already shattered life.
At least now, she has that answer to hold on to. As for the whereabouts of Suzanne Sevakis? We’ll likely never know.
Deep Lore 