Was Michael Hughes’ Body Ever Found? Murder Detailed by FBI

The body of Michael Anthony Hughes, a 6-year-old boy kidnapped and murdered by Franklin Delano Floyd, has never been found, and it is likely that nothing is left of the first-graders’ remains nearly 30 years after his death, according to the FBI. Hughes was the son of Suzanne Sevakis, who officials also believe was a kidnap and murder victim of Floyd. She used the name Sharon Marshall for much of her life, following her kidnap at about age 6.

Floyd is on death row following convictions of Hughes’ kidnap, and for first-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Commesso.

The story was told on Netflix documentary, “Girl in the Picture,” which was released in July 2022.

Here’s what you need to know:

FBI Agents Said There Is Likely Nothing Left of the Body of Michael Hughes

It took years before Floyd confessed to the murder of Michael Hughes. During an interview with Special Agent Scott Lobb in 2013, Floyd confessed to shooting the 6-year-old boy twice in the back of the head the same day as the kidnapping September 12, 1994. He told investigators he became frustrated with the boy on the drive from Oklahoma City to Dallas, according to an FBI report.

“Michael was being a typical 6-year-old. He was out of control, and that pushed Floyd over the edge,” Lobb said. “Floyd felt the pressure and he just ran out of patience.”

“He turned and looked at me and said, ‘I shot him twice in the back of the head to make it real quick,'” Lobb added.

Officials were able to pinpoint a location to search for Hughes’ body because of a call someone made to police on the day of the boy’s kidnap and murder. The caller described a suspicious man with a young boy at an Oklahoma rest stop near the Texas border, which matched the story Floyd told Lobb about burying the boy near the last exit on the interstate leaving Oklahoma, the FBI report said.

“After 20 years, nothing would likely remain of Michael’s body—even his bones would have been eaten by feral animals—but investigators thought they might find the two shell casings, or possibly metal eyelets from Michael’s sneakers,” the 2015 FBI article said. “After two days of sifting dirt in a 2,000-square-foot area, though, no evidence was found.”

Floyd Kidnapped Hughes at Gunpoint From School & Left the Principal Handcuffed to a Tree

The dramatic kidnap of Hughes landed Floyd on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted.” He kidnapped the first grader at gunpoint from his elementary school in Oklahoma, handcuffed the principal to a tree and fled in the principal’s pickup truck.

Floyd denied involvement in Hughes’ kidnap at the time of the arrest. He described the boy as his son, although a paternity test showed he was not the father.

“I did not kidnap my son,” he said, according to the Courier Journal, which covered his court appearance. “I want the record to show that if they (the FBI) know where he is, they need to recover him and get it straight.”

Floyd was convicted in the murder of Commesso in 2002 in Pinellas County, Florida, and sentenced to death. The death of Sevakis, as well as her identity, remained a mystery until long after his conviction.

The Courier Journal reported that at the time of Floyd’s arrest by the FBI, he had been living alone in an East Broadway apartment for about six weeks, and had just been offered a job as a car salesman.

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