The End of This Teen Girl’s Missing Person Case on SVU Season 19 Stunned Benson

One of the most unforgettable episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit came in Season 19, Episode 17 (“Send in the Clowns”), due to its whiplash-inducing twists and turns.

The episode, a masterclass in procedural shock, kept viewers on the edge of their seats — and even Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was left scratching her head after the mystery was solved.

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And it all began with the disappearance of a teenage girl during a high school field trip to New York City.

Lieutenant Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Dominick “Sonny” Carisi (Peter Scanavino) on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 19 Episode 17. Photo: David Giesbrecht/NBC

What was the missing girl case in Season 19 of SVU?

Haley Sadler (Mallory Bechtel), a 16-year-old music prodigy on a trip to NYC, snuck out past curfew with a fellow student, and was seen dancing with an older man in a clown mask before disappearing entirely.

After Haley was reported missing, her mother, Anna (Wendy Hoopes), and father, Chris (Will Sasso), came to Manhattan to help find their daughter. But it was clear that Anna blamed Haley’s music teacher (and trip chaperone) James Turner (Erik Jensen) for failing to keep track of her little girl.

Turner then showed the squad a video that Haley had sent him in which she was panicking in the passenger seat of a car as a masked clown drove.

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The masked driver was ultimately identified as Vincent Drago (Eric Tabach), who claimed that, after taking her home and having drinks with her, he ended the evening when he learned that Haley was underage.

However, after finding Haley’s clothes and blood in his apartment, her necklace in his car, and her cell phone in a trash can on his block, all signs pointed to Drago as the suspect.

Drago, they discovered, had a criminal record and he was charged with her murder.

However, without a body, Haley’s parents refused to accept her death and held a press conference to offer a monetary reward to anyone who could provide tips on her whereabouts.

Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice T), Dominick “Sonny” Carisi (Peter Scanavino), Vincent Drago (Eric Tabach) on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 19 Episode 17. Photo: David Giesbrecht/NBC

What happened during the trial for the missing girl’s murder in SVU Season 19?

Assistant District Attorney Peter Stone (Philip Winchester) brought Drago to trial on murder charges despite the lack of a body, and his defense claimed that Haley had ran away from home.

During the trial, Haley’s father Chris revealed under questions that his relationship with his daughter had been tenuous before her disappearance, as  she was constantly judging him for being a garbageman, adding fuel to the defense’s accusations that Haley might have run away.

Turner, the music teacher who was scheduled testify next, then suggested that prosecutors postpone the trial in the hopes of securing a conviction later.

The next day at court, Turner was a no-show.

Lieutenant Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Peter Stone (Philip Winchester) on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 19 Episode 17. Photo: David Giesbrecht/NBC

How did SVU Season 19, Episode 17 end?

After Turner disappeared, the squad learned from his wife that he and Haley had spent spend hours in his home recording studio for private lessons. When they searched it, the squad found suggestive photos of Haley, suggesting that Turner was a pedophile who kidnapped Haley.

The SVU traced Turner to a friend’s house in Oyster Bay, where they found him and Haley sleeping naked in bed together.

Haley was furious: “Leave me alone!” she yelled. “I love him!”

While being whisked to the precinct, Haley claimed Turner didn’t do anything wrong, refused to acknowledge that he’d raped her, and claimed that she was the one who had orchestrated her disappearance and framed Drago.

Turner, meanwhile, returned Haley’s fondness and told the squad to open their minds about the supposedly unique relationship.

But the relationship was more “unique” than either realized.

What was the big twist in Haley Sadler’s case in SVU Season 19?

After learning that Turner had been sexually exploiting Haley, Anna exploded with fury — and not for the reason anyone expected.

“How many seductions is enough, huh?” she asked her daughter’s music teacher.

“This was different,” Turner explained. “This was real.”

Haley’s father Chris asked, “Anna, what are you saying?”

“We slept together. James and me,” Anna tearfully confessed. “It was one time. One time, 17 years ago.”

“Anna,” Turner cautioned.

“So you want to talk about real? Yeah, it’s real. Do the math,” Anna snapped as a sickening realization dawned on everyone. “That’s right, Jimmy. She’s yours. You’ve been sleeping with your own daughter.”

Turner cried out in horror, and Haley began shouting for him.

“How many years does he get for incest, lieutenant?” Anna hollered.

“You knew this whole time?” Chris asked her, heartbroken — and then he went after Turner, who continued to cry out for Haley.

The cops were forced to hold Chris down while arresting Turner, giving Benson time to get Haley in a room alone, where she sat with an unsettling smile.

“James is my real father,” Haley said with wonder. “It makes perfect sense.”

“What?” Benson asked.

“I’ve always felt this connection. We both like music and art. We’re alike,” Haley beamed. “I played the Hammerclavier when I was 12. I knew my father couldn’t be a garbageman. I just knew it.”

Turner pled guilty to rape two, kidnapping, endangering a minor, and incest and was placed on suicide watch.

Benson suggested Haley get a psychiatric referral, and the teen was institutionalized for her role in the case.

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