Maura M. Knowles

A young, emaciated boy is found by neighbors scrounging for food. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) suspect the boy, Jacob (Jesse Schwartz), is a victim of abuse and are reluctant to let him go home. They question his mother, Marilyn Nesbit (Diane Venora), and she seems strange. It appears she controls Jacob with food and is very restrictive about what he can eat. Jacob and his teenage brother, Adam (Joseph Cross), are both home schooled and their house is immaculate. Their father was killed in a random hold up and it appears Marilyn just wants to keep her boys close, at home. However, there isn't enough to prove Marilyn is an unfit mother so Jacob returns home. Stabler gives him his card, and says to call if he needs anything. That night, Stabler's cell phone rings, he knows it's Jacob, but by the time he gets to his apartment, he is lying in a pool of blood, dead, and Marilyn and Adam have disappeared.

Mob lawyer (guest star Cary Elwes) and his family are brutally attacked leaving a young boy as the sole witness -- Mob lawyer Sidney Truex and his wife are brutally attacked, leaving his young son emotionally scarred. When the Detectives have to locate the Truexs' daughter, Charlotte (guest star Emily VanCamp), to notify her about the attack on her parents, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler find Charlotte at her boyfriend Ryan's apartment. Through an exhaustive interview process, the Detectives must sort through the web of lies Charlotte has told in order to piece together a night of drinking and drugs leaving Charlotte unable to recall details of the evening. However, her father comes out of surgery and is able to vividly remember his daughter at the crime scene. The disturbing case takes another turn as Stabler is brought up on charges of excessive force after getting into a very serious altercation with Ryan.

Brad Osterhaus, a successful stockbroker who was very friendly with numerous women, is found dead in his upscale apartment. He fell down the stairs but the cause of death is a blow to the head. Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover he has multiple female friends, and had recently purchased three expensive pieces of lingerie. One was for a friend who is about to get married (she also has an airtight alibi); another is for Lindsay Tucker (Melissa Errico), a photographer with a young child. She considered herself Brad's true girlfriend (the other women were just dalliances) and she is very upset. Her alibi is she was at the office of world-renowned cosmetics maven Jackie Scott (Lucie Arnaz) at the time Brad was killed. The detectives question Jackie but she isn't much help. She's an empire unto herself and corroborates Lindsay's alibi. But when the detectives ask a few more questions about the people in Jackie's and Lindsay's lives, they discover Jackie is Lindsay's mother and both mother and daughter were sleeping with Brad.

When police bring in two teenagers involved in a car accident, Abby and Morris struggle to figure out what is wrong with the unconscious girl, while police try to interrogate the other teen. Meanwhile, Neela gets a visit from her in-laws, Colonel James Gallant (recurring guest star Ernie Hudson - "Ghostbusters") and Mrs. Gloria Gallant (recurring guest star Sheryl Lee Ralph - "Barbershop"), and receives some troubling news. Kovac tells Abby that he plans to go to Africa, but when he realizes she is not pleased by the idea, he decides to send someone else in his place. Sam starts her new job with Elliot (recurring guest star Armand Assante)--and begins enjoying the perks.

When an escape artist is found dead in a wooden trunk, Rosewood and Villa must unravel a case packed with illusions and deception. Meanwhile, Hornstock’s days with the East Miami PD may be numbered and Rosewood gets to know Adrian to make sure he is the right guy for Villa.

Lightman is hired to investigate three high school students responsible for a fatal traffic accident, which takes a turn for the better when he finds the heroic paramedic who was first on the scene.