Warning: spoilers ahead.
All true crime documentaries have twists and turns, but Girl in the Picture stands out as an exceptionally chilling mystery: It’s a story about abuse, murder and hidden identities that peels back layer by twisted layer. And the story doesn’t end when the film does. In addition to the documentary (available to stream now), Netflix published a five-part podcast mini-series of the same name, presented by true crime podcast You Can’t Make This Up. The Girl in the Picture podcast digs deeper into the details of the case and includes exclusive new information. Episode 5, which was published on July 20, gives audiences an answer to one of the film’s biggest unanswered questions: What happened to Sharon Marshall’s little brother?
First some background. The Girl in the Picture documentary, directed by Skye Borgman, tells the story of Sharon Marshall (born Suzanne Sevakis), a bright, ambitious young woman who encountered unimaginable tragedy during her short life. The story reveals that Marshall was kidnapped as a child, along with her half-siblings, by a man named Franklin Floyd. Marshall’s sisters eventually turned up at a church and were returned to their mother, Sandi Chapman.
Floyd decided to raise Marshall as his daughter, manipulating her into believing he “rescued” her from her biological parents.
The documentary culminates in Marshall’s murder at the hands of Floyd (along with the revelation that Floyd had killed Marshall’s 2-year-old son). However, the documentary doesn’t explore the fate of another one of Chapman’s children, a one-month-old boy named Philip who disappeared in North Carolina before Sandi moved the rest of the children to Texas. Episode 5 of the Girl in the Picture podcast unpacks what happened and why, as well as revealing Philip’s fate after he was discovered.
According to the podcast, Philip was secretly put up for adoption in North Carolina by Chapman and presumed missing by the rest of his family of origin. In reality, Philip was adopted by a couple named Mary and Bob Patterson. His name was changed to Steven, and his true identity wouldn’t be discovered until more than 40 years later, when Steven reached out to a writer named Matt Birkbeck on Facebook. Birkbeck wrote A Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon and was able to help confirm Steven’s suspicions: His birth name is Philip Steven Bradenburg, his biological mother is Sandi Chapman and Sharon Marshall was his half sister. Episode 5 of Girl in the Picture reveals new details about how Steven’s story got lost in the midst of the tragedy.
“With the attention focused on Suzanne and the lack of records, the story of what happened to Stevie became buried. Even the FBI investigation found it difficult to work out if Stevie even existed,” says Borgman, who also hosts the podcast.
Listen to Episode 5 of Girl in the Picture now to hear the conclusion to Steven’s story.
