The Forgotten Episode 1.04 Parachute Jane

A woman collapses in a local park and dies. She may have OD'd, as there was way too much insulin in her blood. The cops can't dedicate a whole lotta manpower to a case that doesn't involve foul play, so it's up to Alex Donovan and the team at the Forgotten Network to give Jane Doe a name.

Dental tests reveal that the victim was probably no older than 15. The medical examiner also discovers an injection wound in the victim's back that was delivered with force. Remember how we said this case didn't involve foul play? Well, now it's lookin' like this is a bona fide homicide.

An unmarked key card belonging to a corporate apartment was found in the victim's possession. Alex, Tyler and Walter discover the card opened a unit rented by the Wellman Corporation at the Gold Standard Apartments. The man who books the apartment for clients often held personal parties and doled out keys to his many guests. The victim was obviously one of them. But the party planner doesn't recognize her.

Lindsey and Candace check the woman's purse. They find an expensive necklace with a broken clasp and a music player that had some photos of the victim with some friends. A woman from one of the photos says the victim attended a few parties at the Gold Standard as the date of their friend Dylan Dreslen. When Alex and Detective Russell question Dylan, he says her name was Lisa Chang. They dated, but it wasn't anything serious. She told him she taught high school at a Lincoln Roads Prep. We're thinking it's more likely she was a student.

The headmistress of the school confirms that the victim was a student at the school, but her real name is Li Wen and she lived with her aunt. Her brother, Quon, also graduated from the school and their parents are back in Taiwan. The headmistress says Li seemed to be having trouble adjusting socially.

Alex and Russell go to visit Li's aunt but all they find is an empty apartment. Well, almost empty. Only a bedroom is fully decorated. It appears Li was living alone. They track down Li's aunt, Miss Chen, who says she is not related to Li by blood. Li's parents hired her as a guardian. Li lived with Miss Chen, but the apartment they visited was the one arranged by Li's parents. Li only went there to hang out during the days.

Candace and Tyler head to Northwestern University where they meet Kate, the girlfriend of Li's brother, Quon. Kate is freaking out and it's not because midterms are just around the corner. She's upset because the police are searching Quon's room. When Candace presses her, she takes off. They head back to the prep school where Li's friend, Dana Hayes, agrees to talk to them off campus.

At a rave party, Dana tells Alex and Tyler that Li was a Parachute Kid, someone from Taiwan or China who gets dropped in the United States by their parents. They want them to have an American education so they send them there alone and arrange for a guardian. Li's brother Quon is also at the club, but bolts when Russell approaches.

Someone filed a complaint with social services that Li was being neglected at home. Alex and Russell discover that Li asked Dana to place the call because she wanted to go back to Taiwan. Dana believes other Parachute Kids killed Li. They enjoy living in the States without supervision and wouldn't want an investigation.

Lindsey discovers the social worker assigned to Li's case visited her brother at Northwestern. He told Quon's girlfriend, Kate, that he was investigating Li. Quon knows that Miss Chen was being investigated for neglecting his sister and he now wants revenge. When they arrive at Miss Chen's apartment, a panicked Quon springs from a room pointing a gun at them. Alex may not be a cop anymore, but hasn't lost his negotiating skills. He convinces Quon to surrender peacefully.

They discover that Miss Chen made a business out of posing as a guardian for parachute kids. She takes their parents' money and then abandons the children. Most kids enjoyed their freedom, but not Li. If Miss Chen had been reported to social services, her entire scam would have been blown. Sounds like a motive to us. But when they track Chen down, Russell says they still can't place her at the scene of the crime.

Lindsey remembers the necklace with the broken clasp. It was a little too high-end to be owned by a 15-year-old high school student. A passport photo shows Miss Chen wearing the necklace. Li ripped it from her neck as she was being attacked.

Miss Chen is charged with murder and Quon's parents arrive from Taiwan to share in his mourning. Li says in a closing voiceover, "In the end, I didn't get to go home after all. But in a way, home came to me." We know that wouldn't have been possible without a little help from the team at the Forgotten Network.