The Unsub Mystery That Has Criminal Minds Fans Scratching Their Heads

"Criminal Minds" remains one of the most successful shows to ever air on television. After 15 seasons, the series concluded in 2020, though a hotly-anticipated revival is currently in the works to stream on Paramount+. The series, which followed the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), has a very loyal following of fans who no doubt continue to enjoy the show's staggering 323 episodes.

The crime drama was a huge success, thanks largely to its unconventional take on the procedural crime drama — focusing on the FBI profilers who use their knowledge of psychology to help find the perpetrator of a crime, or "unsub," as they are called on the show. As is the case with crime procedurals, most "Criminal Minds" episodes end with the team catching the bad guy. However, sometimes the killer isn't apprehended, leaving viewers confused.

Such was the case in the 20th episode of "Criminal Minds'" ninth season, called "Blood Relations." But what exactly happened that left fans scratching their heads?

In this episode of "Criminal Minds," two men are violently murdered in a small West Virginia town, and the BAU uncovers a long-standing feud between two families that may be the root of the crime. The team discovers (spoiler alert!) that their hunch was correct, and the two families were actually related. The patriarch of one family and the matriarch of the other were siblings, and they had a child. This child, deformed and disturbed due to his conception via incest, had a troubled life and turned out to be the unsub. 

However, this killer woodsman, after tragically murdering his mother, ended up escaping arrest. He was last seen getting into a car with an unsuspecting and unfortunate couple.  The episode ended with "to be continued," yet, the character never showed up again in the series.

Reddit user u/mytraphot posted about the episode in the Criminal Minds subreddit, remarking on their disappointment the character was dropped. "It was a shame too, he was one of my favorite villains," they wrote. "His story was so intricate. I would have loved to see him turn up again."

u/Torrincina had a simple explanation for the fate of the killer, speculating that he "disappeared into the woods." However, we never know exactly how he vanished and where he went. Will the killer woodsman make a reappearance in the upcoming "Criminal Minds" reboot? We can only wait and see.