Detective Benson returns just in time to say goodbye to the Captain as he leaves for a temporary reassignment due to the poor decisions made by the squad. In his absence, Munch takes over. Benson and Stabler investigate Janis Donovan, a woman with multiple personalities who may have abused and fatally harmed her daughter. After Janis' sister returns, Janis has a psychotic break and murders her parents who had abused her.
Kristi McGarrett is raped by her sister's boyfriend, Dan Friedich, while her sister Rachel goes missing. Friedich remains a suspect, while Detective Benson and Stabler use Rachel's "avatar" (screen persona) to track down the kidnapper before time runs out.
Shane Mills, a 15 year-old boy, is diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease and claims he caught it from his teacher, Sarah Trent who supposedly seduced him. Sarah argues Shane raped her. Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler search further into both Sarah and Shane's lives and uncover some dark secrets.
Ben Nicholson finds his wife Corrine beaten into a coma, and the only witness is their mentally challenged daughter, Katie. Because of Katie's sensitive mental condition the detectives are reluctant to have her testify. Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler work with Dr. Huang to help Katie and begin to piece together the night of the beating and some of Corrine's well-hidden secrets.
When a private school teacher is found stabbed to death, the detectives link her case to a victim's center where she was working with an Iraqi man. His story helped uncover some major military secrets, which may have led to her demise.
When a college student is found murdered in her formal wear, Detectives Benson and Elliot Stabler recognize the body's mutilation as a "copycat" of serial killer Robert Morton.
When Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler discover a kidnapped girl in the trunk of a stolen rental car, they are led to her abductor-- a violent, schizophrenic artist named Saul Picard. Picard's rage seriously injures Elliot, blinding him, and the trial drives A.D.A. Casey Novak to face not only a complicated case on temporary insanity, but her own dark past as well.
A young girl's death seems to be linked to the world of ultimate fighting, but after questioning Kona and his girlfriend, the evidence trail leads Detectives Chester Lake and Odafin "Fin" Tutuola to two young brothers who have more than a few skeletons in their closet. When the brothers are arrested, tension grows within the SVU.
When a family's nanny is found gruesomely murdered, the obvious suspect is her Internet love interest, "Casanova." But it isn't long before Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler suspect the nanny's employers may have a few dark skeletons in their closet. The investigation leads to a case of murder and infidelity, which is further complicated when Stabler's own family suffers a tragedy that leaves Stabler's unborn child in serious danger.
When a polygamist's wife is killed, the Nigerian national fears his testifying in a separate crime may have led to his wife's murder. However, through the investigation the detective's learn that it is not his involvement in the criminal trial that is putting his family in danger, but his lifestyle.
Park Avenue socialite Shelby Crawford's body is found in NYC'S Central Park, and Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliott Stabler initially suspect her wealthy boyfriend. But when Shelby's priceless earrings turn up in a pawnshop, the detectives realize someone wants to cash in on her death. While questioning former classmate Josie Mayes, Benson and Stabler are led to Cole and Cassidy, the leaders of a homeless community.
When a woman's body is found murdered in a park alongside a man with a bullet in his head, Detective Benson and Special Agent Cooper join forces and search for "The Woodsman," a serial killer Cooper has been trying to catch for years.
When David Zelinsky shows up to school visibly beaten and sexually assaulted, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler look to David's tutor and his Rabbi for answers. The investigation soon leads to one of David's troubled classmates, Jack Trembley, as more victims begin to come forward. The case quickly turns into a media circus as Trembley's attorney, Roxana Hickey, uses it as an opportunity for her own self-promotion.
When fertilized embryos go missing from a sperm bank, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler must investigate the suspects before time runs out. Clues from the clinic's security tape lead Benson and Stabler to a long list of suspects including James and Victoria Grall, two publicity-hungry extremists.
When Ashley Tyler is found raped and beaten in a local community garden, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler initially suspect her drug-dealing uncle, Rick Tyler. After the rape kit identifying the rapist goes missing, a crooked prison guard comes under suspicion. Detective Benson puts herself in great danger as she goes undercover as a prison inmate to catch the predator.
When money manager Jeremy Grandon is found murdered in his loft, detectives Benson and Stabler initially suspect troubled teenager, Freddie Ramirez. A hidden video camera leads the detectives to the victim's secret lover, Lincoln Morse, a star-studded pro-football player whose agent, Gary Lesley, may go too far in protecting his client's persona.
Restaurant manager Dwight Lomax, is instructed to strip search a female employee, by a "Detective Milgram" over the phone. As it turns out, "Detective Milgram" is a fake name, created by Aeroplex engineer, Merritt Rook.
Firefighters are called to put out a fire in a burning brownstone, and among the debris uncover the body of a pregnant woman, Jenna Ludlow. Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson are called to the scene and question the victim's affluent fiancé, PJ Bartlett.
An old murder case of a teenage girl is reopened, when Detective Lake is caught in a gunfight and wounded by the case's former investigator, Detective Mary Kralik.