Ned Luke

Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) learns from his wife (guest star Isabel Gillies) that her friend (guest star Laura Duncan), a nurse at a local hospital, treated a young rape victim who refused to report the crime to the authorities or her family. Though ethically bound to keep his wife's confidence and to honor the girl's wishes, Stabler enlists the aid of Det. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to find out the identity of the young woman and to convince her to come forward.

Two men kayaking near Battery Park make the gruesome discovery, a cooler with a one-month-old dead baby inside. Based on materials found with the cooler, algae growth and current patterns, it is believed the baby was dropped uptown near Hudson University. After Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) cross-reference all pregnancies and account for all babies, they think they have their killer, Ellen Swanson (Heather Goldenhersh). She admits it was her 15-year-old sister Patty (Nathalie Paulding) who was pregnant, but the detectives discover Patty had an abortion. M.E. Warner (Tamara Tunie) then makes a shocking discovery - the baby had Tay-Sachs disease. A horribly gruesome genetic condition becoming fatal by the time a child reaches five years of age. The detectives now believe they are looking at a mercy killing.

Mac prosecutes a SEAL jumpmaster that is charged with causing the drowning death of a trainee during a parachute mishap.

Simone gets a break in an armored car heist case, then later tries to help a man who went to help his son and ended up firing his gun in self-defense.

When Steve Sloan is hospitalized for injuries sustained in a high-speed car chase he wakes in a haze and watches with blurred vision what looks like another patient being stabbed by one of the medical staff in his room. The following day Steve's claims are dismissed since he had a private room with no evidence of murder.