A man is found beaten to death. He and his partner had adopted a boy, and the toddler is now missing. After his birth mother is located, little Dylan is found safe, but his biological father has to answer for beating the victim to death.
Tropes present in this episode
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: As mentioned under Stupid Evil, Robert Kelley had legal grounds to request his son's adoption be unwound, but instead he jumps to kidnapping and murder.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: The women at the domestic violence shelter thought they were helping a battered woman escape from an abusive relationship. When the police showed up looking for Celia Goddard, they got themselves arrested by warning her. They were actually aiding and abetting a murder-kidnapping.
- Fresh Clue: When Green finds the baby's bottle, he notes that it's still warm and therefore, the murder/kidnapping happened not too long ago.
- Glorified Sperm Donor: Kelley couldn't care less that he had a son and only showed interest when he found out from Celia Goddard that the boy was being raised by two men.
- Heteronormative Crusader: To the point that Robert Kelley was willing to kill when he found out his son was being raised by gay men.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Based on the headlines and controversy surrounding same-sex adoption in the late '90s and early '00s.
- Stupid Evil: Robert Kelley could have filed for custody of his son through the courts and probably had a good shot at winning, considering that he was never notified about the adoption and that would give him legal grounds to request it be unwound. Instead he will spend the rest of his life in prison, while his son will remain with the gay man who adopted him.
