Six-year-old Patty Branson, is almost abducted in Central Park while her father reads the paper. Benson and Stabler investigate to find out that the men who attacked her are actually P.I.'s, and have been hired by Michele Osborne to kidnap Patty, claiming she is Patty's real mother. M.E. Warner conducts a DNA test to prove the child's true biological mother. Meanwhile, Benson traces the source of the confusion about the child's origins back to a fertility doctor.
After Detectives Benson and Stabler find two small Chinese children mysteriously abandoned by their missing mother, they soon discover that the mother is an illegal immigrant whose older daughter is being held against her will until the mother can pay off the smugglers' fee for bringing the family to America. The police use the missing woman's sister, Li Mei , to penetrate the secretive society and find out what happened to her -- but their plan backfires when Li Mei is found severely beaten while bearing an ominous message from the kidnappers.
Well-known actress Jesse who is the star of a controversial teen show, is raped in her trailer on the set. Benson and Fin investigate, and find the actress is hated by many community members, such as Carolyn Spencer because they feel she's a bad influence on young girls. Carolyn's public statements of hatred and disapproval of the actress make her a prime suspect. The investigation unravels further clues, which point to Carolyn's son Danny, who is arrested after being placed at the scene of the crime. Although it appears that he was acting out his mother's wishes, the boy also was influenced by the directions of a radio shock jock.
Detectives Benson and Stabler discover an abandoned baby with a note indicating the mother's kidnapping. A trail of clues connect the mysterious kidnapping to a serial killer on the loose. As they uncover more murders, the detectives discover that their perpetrator is copycatting the actions of a serial killer from the past. Guest star Ann Meara plays the serial killer's mother.
After a missing sixteen-year-old girl, Tandi is found in an abandoned building, Benson and Stabler questions her and she reveals that she was pulled into the building by three men in uniform, and kept there for several days. Her story seems to have some holes in it, and as the investigation unfolds, the involvement of these men in uniform are called into question and her father is implicated as a suspect.
When a five-year-old boy disappears from a playground, Benson and Stabler are on the scene, searching for suspects. They meet the boy's thirteen-year-old neighbor, Jake who witnessed the boy being watched by a man earlier that day. The case takes a grim turn, when the boy is discovered dead by suffocation and all clues lead to Jake as the killer.
When twelve-year-old Melanie, is hospitalized with pregnancy complications, Benson and Stabler make a hospital call. They discover that Melanie's husband, the father of her unborn child, is the leader of a cult in which Melanie is involved. The investigation takes an emotional turn when the detectives pay a visit to the cult leader and make a horrifying discovery.
After a woman claims to have been sexually assaulted by her college professor, the accused academician agrees to help Detectives Benson and Stabler by volunteering to submit a DNA sample for testing. But the case turns into a classic "he said, she said" stand-off when the professor claims the alleged victim showed up at his apartment seeking more then professional advice.
When Benson and Stabler investigate a series of assaults in the Upper West side, they find that they will have to rely on the help of psychiatrist Rebecca Hendrix and her schizophrenic patient, also a victim of this crime, to nail down their predator. The investigation takes an unexpected turn when Benson and Stabler locate the criminal, Thomas Mathers. However, conflicting evidence leaves Benson and Stabler questioning whether or not Thomas is the right man to have in custody.
While on a stakeout with Detective Benson, Detective Fin wanders into a convenience store and finds himself at the scene of a robbery. Shots are fired and Fin is down, and nearly loses his life. This traumatic event turns bittersweet, as Benson reunites Fin with his son Ken who he has not seen in years. Meanwhile, a woman reads about the shootout in the paper, and recognizes Fin from his days in narcotics. Fin once promised to help locate her missing daughter, but was unable to go through with it, because it would have blown his cover. This rediscovery drives Fin to return to narcotics, and finish the job he once promised to do. Teaming up with partner Nick Sandoval they set out to complete this search, and come to find the end result is not what they expected. T
Family is rushed to the hospital after a car accident, and while examining the nine-year-old daughter for injuries, the doctor discovers she has been molested. SVU is called to the case and Det. Benson questions his daughter, Holly, to get to the truth. They discover that she in fact has been molested, and the same perp who molested her had previously killed another eight-year-old girl. Benson and Stabler work with Holly to track down the person responsible.
After a gang member sexually assaults a young woman, he is pushed from a rooftop in what appears to be an act of retribution. However, when the victim Katie also turns up dead, Benson and Stabler realize that the case is far more complicated than they originally suspected.
After receiving an anonymous tip, Detective Benson is led to the body of a boy who has been missing since 1980. Back in 1980, the police identified Lucas Biggs, a professional ball player, as the murderer, but evidence fell short of a guilty verdict. In present day, Lucas is on death row for the kidnapping and murder of another victim. Benson and Cragen suspect this new information is a ploy to prolong his death sentence by forcing the police to re-open the case.
Detectives Stabler and Fin investigate the rape and murder of a prostitute who is the victim of a brutal rape. The investigation leads detectives to find that the teenagers were bringing to life the acts included in their favorite video game. The case goes to court, and tension builds as Novak must argue against opposing council Gates' defense that the teenagers were influenced by the violent video game.
15-year-old girl is found murdered and Detectives Benson and Stabler discover that the victim was using a fake ID, living a secret life in a world of teenaged prostitution -- and HIV positive after having unprotected sex in pornographic films. This last fact leads detectives to her murderer, but the case takes a dramatic turn as a second victim is discovered murdered by someone else.
Well-to-do couple are found tortured and murdered, and Benson and Stabler are on the scene. It turns out they were laundering money for South American drug dealers, and skimming some for themselves. Detectives Benson and Stabler are joined by Detective Sandoval. The investigation goes through many layers, and evidence finally leads the detectives back to the Special Victims Unit's former A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot, who was presumed dead. Despite the risk, Cabot returns from hiding to once again help the team solve the case.
Gordon Rickett is brought to the interrogation room once again for the murder of an adolescent girl and Detective Stabler hopes that he will put Rickett away for good this time -- though he must first keep his own rage under control. As tension fills the room, Rickett and Stabler face each other again in a race against the clock over the next 24 hours.
A mother reports her eighteen-year-old daughter missing and Detectives Stabler and Benson are on the scene and attempt to track her daughter down. Psychic Sebastian Ballentine is brought into the investigation and seems to hold all of the clues, claiming to see visions of the girl. The investigation takes a shocking turn, leading the detectives to suspect that Sebastian knows more about the case then he is sharing.
Cathy Moriarty guest stars as Denise Eldridge, a mother who reports a case of statutory rape in an effort to keep her teenage daughter away from her 21-year old boyfriend. The daughter, Carrie Eldridge, makes it difficult for SVU involvement when she claims that she and her boyfriend have never had sexual relations. After Carrie undergoes questioning, Mrs. Eldridge is found murdered in her apartment and detectives Benson and Stabler first suspect Carrie's boyfriend. The surprising plot twist hits particularly close to home for Benson, as personal issues with her mother resurface.
Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate the rape and murder of a woman who is found near a nightclub, with $500 stuffed into her mouth. The only clue in the case is the money and fingerprints lead detectives to hotshot lawyer Jason Whittaker,. Benson and Stabler discover that he was trustee of the Duvall family estate and they question matriarch Eleanor Duvall who leads them to her son Gabriel. All clues point to Mr. Duvall, however there is not enough evidence to accuse him. A surprising plot-twist puts A.D.A Novak in grave danger, and Tracy Kibre is brought in to work on the case.
Melinda Dillon guest-stars - A girl is brutally assaulted outside a nightclub with her attackers stealing her car and throwing her nine-month-old baby from the car as they disappear. Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate the case, and discover that the sexual assault is connected to illegal trafficking in painkillers, and the source behind the drug-dealing appears to be an elderly woman, Jenny Rogers. As the investigation progresses, Benson and Stabler discover that Rodgers is being abused by her son Kevin and her daughter-in-law. When Rogers' daughter-in-law is suddenly murdered, Benson and Stabler persuade Rogers to turn in her son, saving her from his abusive behavior. Meanwhile, Stabler struggles with a pressing issue involving one of his own children.
When a woman's body is found dismembered in a junkyard, Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate and evidence leads them to the victim's boyfriend, Leon Shragewitz. Shragewitz confesses to the murder, by pushing her down a flight of stairs, and leaving her to die. A twist in the case leads Benson and Stabler to find that a kidney was then extracted from the victim's body by a man trying to save his sick son, leaving the rest of her remains in the junkyard. Detectives Besnon and Stabler turn to Amy Solwey to help them solve the case by leading them to the transplant surgeon who is at the center of an illegal body part ring. I
When two Police officers from separate precincts attack their wives and demonstrate suicidal behavior, Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate, and connect the incidents to both men serving in the same Reserve unit in Afghanistan. Linking this behavior to a similar trail of attacks in 2002 by officers, Benson and Stabler connect this to a drug called Quinium, which the Army prescribes to fight malaria. When they discover that the Army is aware of its side affects, Novak goes after the government for administering the drug. Meanwhile, Detective Stabler faces some tough personal issues at home with his wife.
