Matt Birkbeck
March 2005
SOURCES
So many people involved in this story never met Sharon Marshall yet were deeply touched by her story and were very agreeable to sharing their experiences. This book is based on interviews with those people, and on countless pages of personal documents. I also had access to thousands of pages of interviews and notes from police files in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and court documents from Franklin Floyd’s federal trial in Oklahoma City and his subsequent murder trial in Pinellas County, Florida.
Dialogue found in A Beautiful Child was culled either directly from those interviews and notes or from personal recollections of the participants.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing this book was not easy, and given the subject matter and research required to tell the story in depth, it simply could not have been written without the help of the following people, to whom I am deeply indebted:
Robert Schock, investigator with the Florida State Attorneys Office; Mark Deasaro, St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department; Mark Ginan, Corporal, Pinellas County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office; Bobbi Sue Bacha; Jennifer McElhannon; Terry Magaro; Karen Parsley; Lavernia Watkins; Ed Kumiega and Mark Yancey, Assistant United States Attorneys, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Joe Fitzpatrick, FBI retired; Merle and Ernest Bean; and Gerry Nance, Cold Case Manager of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Alexandria, Virginia.
I would also like to thank Paul Moses, a journalist and associate professor of journalism at Brooklyn College, and Helen Yanulus, a journalist and adjunct professor of English at Northampton Community College, Tannersville, Pennsylvania, for their continued support and invaluable guidance; and my agent, Andrew Stuart, of the Stuart Agency, and Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley Books, who believed in this project and in me.
And finally, thanks to my mom, Patricia Birkbeck; and to my understanding wife, Donna, who held down the home front caring for our two sons, Matthew and Christopher, while her husband was off traveling throughout the country following a story.
RESOURCES
NATIONAL CONTACTS FOR MISSING PERSONS
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Charles B. Wang International Children’s Building
699 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3175
(703) 274-3900
(800) THE-LOST
Website: www.missingkids.org
The Nation’s Missing Children Organization/Center for Missing Adults
2432 West Peoria Avenue, Suite 1286
Phoenix, AZ 85029
(602) 944-1768
(800) 690-FIND
Website: www.nmco.org
The Doe Network
Website: www.doenetwork.org
CLEARINGHOUSES FOR MISSING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. AND CANADA
ALABAMA
Alabama Bureau of Investigation/Missing Children
P.O. Box 1511
Montgomery, AL 36102-1511
(800) 228-7688
Website: www.dps.state.al.us/abi
ALASKA
Alaska State Troopers
Missing Persons Clearinghouse
5700 East Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99507
(907) 269-5497
(800) 478-9333 (in-state only)
FAX: (907) 338-7243
ARIZONA
Arizona Department of Public Safety
Criminal Investigations Research Unit
P.O. Box 6638
Phoenix, AZ 85005
(602) 223-2158
FAX: (602) 223-2911
ARKANSAS
Office of Attorney General
Missing Children Services Program
323 Center Street, Suite 1100
Little Rock, AR 72201
(501) 682-1020
(800) 448-3014 (in-state only)
FAX: (501) 682-6704
Website: www.ag.state.ar.us
CALIFORNIA
California Department of Justice
Missing/Unidentified Persons Unit
P.O. Box 903387
Sacramento, CA 94203-3870
(916) 227-3290
(800) 222-3463 (nationwide)
FAX: (916) 227-3270
Website: ag.ca.gov/missing
COLORADO
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
Missing Person/Children Unit
710 Kipling Street, Suite 200
Denver, CO 80215
(303) 239-4251
FAX: (303) 239-5788
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut State Police
Missing Persons
P.O. Box 2794
Middletown, CT 06457-9294
(860) 685-8190
(800) 367-5678 (in-state only)
FAX: (860) 685-8346
DELAWARE
Delaware State Police
State Bureau of Identification
1407 N. DuPont Hwy.
Dover, DE 19903
(302) 739-5883
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Metropolitan Police Dept.
Missing Persons/Youth Division
1700 Rhode Island Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20018
(202) 576-6768
FAX: (202) 576-6561
FLORIDA
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Missing Children Information Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302
(850) 410-8585
(888) 356-4774 (nationwide)
FAX: (850) 410-8599
Website: www.fdle.state.fl.us
GEORGIA
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Intelligence Unit
P.O. Box 370808
Decatur, GA 30037
(404) 244-2554
(800) 282-6564 (nationwide)
FAX: (404) 244-2798
HAWAII
Missing Child Center—Hawaii
Department of the Attorney General
235 S. Beretania Street, Suite 206
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 586-1449
State Office Tower
FAX: (808) 586-1424
Hotline: (808) 753-9797
Website: launch.hgea.org/hsc
IDAHO
Idaho Bureau of Criminal Identification
Missing Persons Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 700
Meridian, ID 83680-0700
(208) 884-7154
(888) 777-3922 (nationwide)
FAX: (208) 884-7193
Website: www.state.isp.id.us
ILLINOIS
Illinois State Police
500 Iles Park Place, Suite 104
Springfield, IL 62703-2982
(217) 785-4341
(800) 843-5763 (nationwide)
FAX: (217) 785-6793
Website: www.isp.state.il.us
INDIANA
Indiana State Police
Indiana Missing Children Clearinghouse
100 North Senate Avenue
Third Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2259
(317) 232-8310
(800) 831-8953 (nationwide)
FAX: (317) 233-3057
Website: www.state.in.us/isp
IOWA
Missing Person Information Clearinghouse
Division of Criminal Investigation
Wallace State Office Building
E. 9th and Grand
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-7958
(800) 346-5507 (nationwide)
FAX: (515) 281-4898
Website: www.state.ia.us/missing
KANSAS
Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Missing Persons Clearinghouse
1620 S.W. Tyler Street
Topeka, KS 66612-1837
(785) 296-8200
(800) 572-7463 (nationwide)
FAX: (785) 296-6781
Website: ww
w.ink.org/public/kbi
Website: www.ksamber.org
KENTUCKY
Kentucky State Police
1240 Airport Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 227-8799
(800) 543-7723 (nationwide)
(800) KIDS SAF
FAX: (502) 564-4931
E-mail: kentuckych@ncmec.org
Website: www.state.ky.US/agencies/KSP/mchild.htm
LOUISIANA
Louisiana Department of Social Services
Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children
Office of Community Services
P.O. Box 3318
Baton Rouge, LA 70812
(225) 342-8631
FAX: (225) 342-9087
MAINE
Maine State Police
Missing Children Clearinghouse
1 Darcie Street, Suite 208
Houlton, ME 04730
(207) 532-5404
FAX: (207) 532-5455
MARYLAND
Maryland Center for Missing Children
Maryland State Police- Computer Crimes Unit
7155 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite C
Columbia, MD 21046
(410) 290-1620
(800) 637-5437 (nationwide)
FAX: (410) 290-1831
MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts State Police
Missing Persons Unit
470 Worchester Rd.
Framingham, MA 01702
(508) 820-2129
(800) 622-5999 (in-state only)
FAX: (508) 820-2128
MICHIGAN
Michigan State Police
Prevention Services Unit
714 South Harrison Road
East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 333-4006
(517) 336-6100 (24 hour, emergency)
FAX: (517) 333-4115
MINNESOTA
Minnesota State Clearinghouse
MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
1430 Maryland Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55106
(651) 793-1107
FAX (651) 793-1101
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Highway Patrol
Criminal Information Center
3891 Highway 486 West
Pearl, MS 39208
(601) 933-2657
FAX: (601) 933-2677
MISSOURI
Missouri State Highway Patrol
Missing Persons Unit
P.O. Box 568
Jefferson City, MO 65102
(573) 526-6178
(800) 877-3452 (nationwide)
FAX: (573) 526-5577
MONTANA
Montana Department of Justice
Missing/Unidentified Persons
P.O. Box 201402
303 N. Roberts Street, Room 471
Helena, MT 59620-1402
(406) 444-2800
FAX: (406) 444-4453
NEBRASKA
Nebraska State Patrol
Criminal Records & Identification Division
P.O. Box 94907
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-4545
(402) 479-4918
FAX: (402) 479-4054
NEVADA
Nevada Office of the Attorney General
Missing Children Clearinghouse
555 E. Washington Ave., Suite 3900
Las Vegas, NV 89101-6208
(702) 486-3539
(800) 992-0900 (in-state only)
FAX: (702) 486-3768
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire State Police
Investigative Services Bureau Major Crime Unit
91 Airport Rd.
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-2663
(800) 852-3411 (in-state only)
FAX: (603) 271-2520
Website: missingpersons@safety.state.nj.us
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey State Police
Unidentified Persons Unit
P.O. Box 7068
W. Trenton, NJ 08628
(609) 882-2000
(800) 709-7090 (nationwide)
FAX: (609) 882-2719
NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Department of Public Safety
ATTN: Law Enforcement Records
P.O. Box 1628
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1628
(505) 827-9191
FAX: (505) 827-3388
NEW YORK
New York Division of Criminal Justice Services
Missing and Exploited Children
4 Tower Place
Albany, NY 12203
(518) 457-6326
(800) 346-3543 (nationwide)
FAX: (518) 457-6965
General e-mail: missingchildren@dcjs.state.ny.us
Website: criminaljustice.state.ny.us
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Center for Missing Persons
4706 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4706
(919) 733-3914
(800) 522-5437 (nationwide)
FAX (919) 715-1682
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota Clearinghouse for Missing Children
North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation
P.O. Box 1054
Bismarck, ND 58502-1054
(701) 328-5500
FAX: (701) 328-5510
OHIO
Missing Children Clearinghouse
Attorney General’s Office
Crime Victims Services Section
Columbus, OH 43215-4231
(614) 466-5610
(800) 325-5604 (nationwide)
FAX: (614) 728-9536
Website: www.ag.state.oh.us/juvenile/mcc/missing.htm
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Criminal Intelligence Office
6600 N. Harvey
Oklahoma City, OK 73116
(405) 879-2645
FAX: (405) 879-2967
OREGON
Oregon State Police
Missing Children Clearinghouse
400 Public Service Building
Salem, OR 97310
(503) 378-3720
(800) 282-7155 (in-state only)
FAX: (503) 363-5475
PAGER: (503) 361-1935
Website: www.osp.state.or.us
PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania State Police
Bureau of Criminal Investigation
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 783-0960
FAX: (717) 705-2306
RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island State Police
Missing & Exploited Children Unit
311 Danielson Pike
North Scituate, RI 02857
(401) 444-1125
FAX: (401) 444-1133
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
Missing Person Information Center
P.O. Box 21398
Columbia, SC 29221-1398
(803) 737-9000
(800) 322-4453 (nationwide)
FAX: (803) 896-7595
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Attorney General’s Office
Division of Criminal Investigation
East Highway 34
c/o 500 East Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-3331
FAX: (605) 773-4629
TENNESSEE
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Criminal Intelligence Unit
901 R.S. Gass Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 744-4000
FAX: (615) 744-4655
TEXAS
Texas Department of Public Safety
Special Crimes Services
Missing Persons Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 4087
Austin, TX 78773-0422
(512) 424-5074
(80
0) 346-3243 (in-state only)
FAX: (512) 424-2885
Website: www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch
UTAH
Utah Department of Public Safety
Bureau of Criminal Identification
3888 West 5400 South
P.O. Box 148280
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-8280
(888) 770-6477 (nationwide)
FAX: (801) 965-4749
VERMONT
Vermont State Police
103 South Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05671
(802) 241-5352
FAX: (802) 241-5349
VIRGINIA
Virginia State Police Department
Missing Children’s Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 27472
Richmond, VA 23261
(804) 674-2026
(800) 822-4453
FAX: (804) 674-2105
WASHINGTON
Washington State Patrol
Missing Children Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 2347
Olympia, WA 98507-2347
(800) 543-5678 (nationwide)
FAX: (360) 664-2156
WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia State Police
Missing Children Clearinghouse
725 Jefferson Road
South Charleston, WV 25309- 1698