The Chicago P.D. Character Disappearance That Has Fans Scratching Their Heads

Any true fan of the franchise would agree that nothing causes more angsty confusion amongst viewers than when a favorite character inexplicably vanishes from NBC's "One Chicago" universe. The explanation for such disappearances may be as simple as a character's storyline running its course and the actor being hastily pushed out, or new career opportunities causing different stars to jump ship. But no matter the reason, for serious "One Chicago" fans, nothing packs the same kind of emotional punch as tuning in only to find out that a beloved cop, doctor, or firefighter has suddenly dropped off the radar.

The truth is, "Chicago P.D." has had more than its fair share of well-established characters hit the proverbial showers. From Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) to Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas), the series has given fans plenty of losses to grieve over the years. But of all the "Chicago P.D." departures, one unexplained disappearance, in particular, has left fans scratching their heads.

It turns out that no "Chicago P.D." exit mystifies fans more than the departure of I.U. rookie Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez). In a Reddit discussion dedicated to the topic, u/Awkward_Beyond_6488 summed up the issue fairly succinctly, writing,  "So I guess Rojas just disappeared huh? Like, what?" Redditor u/KimGrennan, meanwhile, also pointed out the startling abruptness of Rojas' exit, noting, "Yep, just like that. I really liked her." Another user similarly found it puzzling that Rojas was cast only to have her time with the team end so quickly, commenting, "Just when I started to warm up to her, she's gone? Weird of them to add a character that was so temporary."

All of this is to say that the character's exit didn't go unnoticed by fans. In fact, the situation was even acknowledged by one of the series' executives at the time. In an interview with TVLine, then-showrunner Rick Eid revealed that a scene explaining Rojas' fate had been written, but failed to make its episode's final cut. "It's always hard to say goodbye to a character," Eid said. "We tried to address it in the [Season 8] premiere, but it felt forced. In other words, we're still working on it."

The good news for all the fans out there who might have been left scratching their heads over Rojas' "Chicago P.D." disappearance is that actor Lisseth Chavez managed to quickly make a successful transition from one TV hit to another. The actor joined the cast of "Legends of Tomorrow" in September 2020 (via EW) as alien-whisperer Esperanza "Spooner" Cruz. While that might not have been the announcement "One Chicago" fans were hoping for, it was nonetheless exciting to see Chavez taking her "Chicago P.D." exit in stride.