Netflix's Girl in the Picture Follows a Murderer That Married His Own Daughter
With dramatized depictions of real-life serial killers like Mindhunter and Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile, as well as a slew of documentaries centered on all sorts of killers, rippers, and murderers, Netflix is certainly the place to host your late-night itching for chilling murders and unsolved mysteries. Yes, we say late night, because the two hours of you just sitting in bed contemplating the events you've just witnessed is part of the experience, of course.
Entering this selection of sordid crime and psychological studies is the new Netflix documentary, Girl in the Picture, and its tough-to-crack case of missing children and a murderer who married his own daughter.
More:Â Disturbing Documentary Alert: New Netflix Title Centers on Religious Cult Leader and His 70+ Wives
The documentary hits the ground running with the discovery of a woman named Tonya Hughes' body on the side of the road in Oklahoma. After her death, she left behind her two-year-old son named Michael and a man recognized to be her husband, Clarence Marcus Hughes. The initial investigation into her death heavily suggested that her husband may have been involved in it, but police weren't able to find any evidence that could undoubtedly prove it.
However, the father and son are separated from one another after it's shown that Clarence couldn't support the boy, which is where the film takes an interesting turn. After four years apart, Clarence storms into Michael's school with a gun and kidnaps the boy. The missing person's case, of course, garners the attention of the FBI, who soon find out that Michael is not Clarence's son and that "Clarence" and "Tonya" are not their true identities.
The film then does a deep dive into the investigation of who Tonya and Clarence are and where Michael disappeared to, after Clarence was eventually arrested but without the boy in his company.
What seemed like a standard case of an abusive husband accidentally killing his wife then throws some shocking curveballs into the narrative. Discoveries are made that reveal that Tonya may be his daughter instead, that she has other kids besides Michael, and that Clarence may actually be a notorious killer and pedophile who's wanted in several states.
While the film is more centered on the crime than the psychology behind these individuals, be advised that there are some disturbing scenes that feature an interrogation of Clarence, an interview with Tonya's mother, and detailed discussions of child rape.
The film does depict a cycle of abuse and violence created by broken homes and lost children, which only act as a supplementary layer to the criminal investigation, but one the film asks you to reflect upon as well, especially with its (somewhat) more hopeful ending. If anything, the disturbing revelations of this documentary are able to highlight how not necessarily everyone's character is a mere product of their upbringing.
From:Â SPOT.ph
