{"id":243268,"date":"2026-05-30T12:16:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T12:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/30\/breaking-down-the-most-shocking-and-heartbreaking-criminal-minds-deaths-through-the-years\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T12:16:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T12:16:55","slug":"breaking-down-the-most-shocking-and-heartbreaking-criminal-minds-deaths-through-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/30\/breaking-down-the-most-shocking-and-heartbreaking-criminal-minds-deaths-through-the-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down the Most Shocking and Heartbreaking \u2018Criminal Minds\u2019 Deaths Through the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"


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After 19 seasons, Criminal Minds<\/em><\/a> has found opportunities to kill off beloved characters over the years.<\/p>\n

Criminal Minds<\/em>, which premiered in 2005, follows a group of criminal profilers<\/a> who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama explores different fictional cases and shows how behavioral analysis helps the team locate their unknown subjects.<\/p>\n

The original Criminal Minds series was revived by Paramount+ after its initial conclusion in 2020. Criminal Minds: Evolution<\/em> brought back most of the cast with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez <\/strong>and Paget Brewster<\/strong> reprising their characters Other key characters \u2014 such as Matthew Gray Gubler\u2019s Reid \u2014 have made cameos.<\/p>\n

After pulling off numerous<\/a> surprise character deaths in the revival, showrunner Erica Messer<\/strong> addressed what is still to come.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>\u2018Criminal Minds\u2019 Cast: Then and Now<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tCriminal Minds is back with a revival on Paramount+\u00a0\u2014 but fans have watched the cast change on and off screen since the procedural first debuted. In 2005, viewers were introduced to a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama, which was created by [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we can ever be prepared anytime anything has ever happened with a beloved character,\u201d she exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2026 before hinting at giving the audience a break.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez, meanwhile, praised Criminal Minds<\/em> for how they navigated character deaths.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe love being there. This is such a dream job. It is just such a wonderful place to show up and go to work every day. Nobody wants it to be over and nobody wants to leave,\u201d he told Us in May 2025. \u201cSo hopefully we get to do the show for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cHopefully nobody gets sacrificed for the sake of good television and we find some other people that we can build enough merit. Will ended up serving that purpose this year. But I think it just brings something else to the show that fans can enjoy and suffer through with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling to relive the show\u2019s most devastating deaths:\n<\/p>\n

Haley<\/h2>\n
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Everyone remembers where they were when George Foyet a.k.a The Reaper murdered Hotchner\u2019s (Thomas Gibson) wife while the BAU were forced to listen on the phone.<\/p>\n

Maeve<\/h2>\n
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\"CRIMINAL<\/div>
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Reid\u2019s romance with Maeve (Beth Riesgraf) was cut short when her stalker killed her in season 8.<\/p>\n

Gideon<\/h2>\n
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It had been years since Mandy Patinkin left the show as Gideon but Criminal Minds still found a way to reveal he was murdered off screen in season 10 by a serial killer from one of his past cases.<\/p>\n

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