What happened to Jay Halstead on Chicago PD?

Where is Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer)? That will be the question on mind of some viewers as they tune into Chicago PD‘s 200th episode. A milestone like that will no doubt bring people back into the fold who have missed the bulk of season 10, and they might be confused when they find out that the always-reliable cop is missing.

Since very few shows manage to hit the 200 mark, and Halstead has been a big part of what’s made the show so popular, we figured we’d recap what happened to him, where he is, and when (presumably) be will be back.

Why did Jay Halstead leave Chicago PD?

Halstead was still part of the main cast during the season 10 premiere. He played a vital role in bringing Voight (Jason Beghe) back down to earth after he went on a vengeful rampage. That said, Halstead’s role as the IU’s beacon of morality was what ultimately did him in.

Halstead was caught between a rock and a hard place when he discovered that a fellow veteran aided in a deadly robbery. He decided to keep the veteran’s name out of it for the sake of his wife and family, but in doing so, he realized that he had made one compromise too many. He decided to resign from Chicago PD and pursue another line of work in the episode “A Good Man.”

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What line of work? Well, Halstead opted to move to Central America, where he would help break up drug cartels that were terrorizing the locals. It was an assignment dangerous as it was far away and that was something that wasn’t lost on his wife/partner, Upton (Tracy Spiridakos).

Halstead assured Upton that he would only be gone for eight months, but a recent episode revealed that he had renewed his contract for longer, meaning he will be fighting cartel members indefinitely. He’s also been dodging Upton’s phone calls, much to her chagrin.

So where is Halstead while the 200th episode plays out? He’s in Central America, with seemingly no plans to return to Chicago or his wife. It’s been heartbreaking to watch this storyline play out, especially given how recently him and Upton tied the knot, and it’s not yet clear how the show plans to bring him back (if they ever do).

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