Does Upton Die in Chicago P.D.? Her Co-Star Says ‘I Don’t See Another Ending’

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Hailey Upton’s final episode of Chicago P.D. is finally here. But given the lack of signs for Upton’s exit plans from the Intelligence Unit, which has fans worried about how she will be written off and whether she could have a tragic end. Does Hailey Upton die in Chicago P.D. Season 11? Keep reading to find out. 

Chicago P.D. is NBC’s police procedural that follows the personal and professional lives of officers and detectives at the fictional 21st District of the Chicago Police Department. Created by Dick Wolf, the series first premiered in 2014 and exists within the One Chicago franchise, which includes Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and the now-canceled Chicago Justice.

Detective Hailey Upton (played by Tracy Spiridakos) was first introduced during Season 4 as a replacement for Detective Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush). She is best known for her relationship with Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), which came to a devastating end following Soffer’s departure in Season 10. Spiridakos will be making her own exit at the end of Season 11, and although fans have had all season to prepare their goodbyes, they would never recover if she were to die. The show has killed off major characters in the past, but it’s been nearly a decade since the last big death. Read on for what we know about whether Upton dies in Chicago P.D.

Does Hailey Upton die in Chicago P.D. Season 11?

Although we don’t know for sure, fans have been speculating that Upton will be killed off for a while. The beloved detective has been struggling this season following her divorce from Halstead and she doesn’t appear to be in a good place emotionally. Given her current state, it’s hard to imagine her moving on from the CPD and leaving her chosen family behind. Then again, with her husband now gone (he left her to investigate the cartel in Bolivia during Season 10), perhaps staying in Chicago will be too painful for her. 

One fan theorized on Reddit: “If I had to guess, I’d say Hailey will die at the end of the season, probably trying to save someone else, I don’t see another ending for her, she doesn’t look like she would leave CPD cause it’s all she’s got left and I cant imagine her moving to some other unit or something.” A second fan wrote: “I think they either going to kill her off or give her and jay an off-screen endgame … But honestly i rather have her die in a really well written way than giving her a sloppy ending with/or without jay alive.”

A poll on Reddit earlier in 2024 also voted Upton getting killed off as the second most predicted way of her getting written off of Chicago P.D., followed by her resigning from the Intelligence Unit. “I’ve got my fingers crossed for ‘in a body bag,'” a Reddit user wrote. Another theorized that Upton could have an even more tragic ending: “I don’t want it to end like this but honestly I think she’s gonna kill herself.” A user commented, “That’s what I’m thinking…I don’t think they’ve had a cop do that on the show yet…except the one guy who was a criminal himself . She sure looks close to it – the way she hasn’t unpacked in 6 months . But she sure isn’t too depressed to run off at the mouth to her boss.”

Several fans are hoping she will reconcile with Halstead and get her happy ending, but from what showrunner Gwen Sigan has said, that doesn’t seem likely. At the top of the Season 11 premiere, viewers learned that both Halstead and Upton had signed divorce papers, but the latter was struggling to take the final step and mail them. By the end of the episode, however, Upton finally worked up the nerve to send them off. Sigan later confirmed to NBC Insider that the couple are “officially divorced.”

The show runner also teased that Upton will get “closure” in regards to her relationship. “I do think that we’re going to see Upton deal with a lot of what happened last year with the fallout and find her way through it and find her way out to the other side — and to a better side for her character,” she told TVLine in January 2024, adding that Upton will “find her way to a “healthy, better side, so there will be closure.” As for if Halstead will return to close out Upton’s storyline, Sigan said there were no plans to bring him back, but noted: “I never say never.” Soffer did return to the series to direct an episode of Season 11, but it’s very unlikely that she stepped in front of the camera.

It appears that not even the cast is aware of how Upton will be written off the show. Jason Beghe, who stars as Sergeant Hank Voight, told TV Insider in March 2024: “I assume that she’s going to leave on good terms. I don’t think she’s going to die or anything like that. I hope not. I certainly have hope that she’ll be back.”

Sigan hasn’t revealed the specifics of Upton’s final storyline, but she did promise a “satisfying ending” for the detective. Her exit has not been set up yet, though, and no plot lines point to an amicable departure, so it could really go either way. Viewers will just have to wait until the season finale to find out.

Chicago P.D. streams on Peacock.

For more on Chicago P.D., check out this gallery to see the show’s alums are up to today.