It only makes sense that as we inch closer to Halloween, Colter Shaw’s cases get a little creepier.
You never know where a call is going to take him—or what he’ll find in a spooky basement that Randy explicitly warns him not to enter when he’s already down there.
This time around, on Tracker Season 4 Episode 4, titled “Purification,” Colter was tasked with helping a father locate his missing daughter, Nicole Dunning, who vanished from a park after dusk. And honestly, there’s nothing creepier than an empty playground at night.
This marks the third case in which something terrible happens to a woman simply because she’s out in the world, alone and vulnerable, and I really hope Tracker doesn’t make this a trend. The world shouldn’t pose such a threat to women for simply existing, and their vulnerability shouldn’t have to serve as the starting point or catalyst for every episode.
To the show’s credit, however, Tracker doesn’t portray these women as damsels in distress. They’re brave, resourceful and downright badass, often fighting back long before Colter arrives to finish the job.
Nicole may have disappeared after being attacked by a man, but she ultimately became responsible for saving both herself and a young boy from a deeply twisted situation. She’s the heroine of her own story.
With little to go on initially, Colter traced a doughnut delivery to a man named Stephen, a married man who had been having an affair with Nicole. She ended things after discovering he had a wife and child, which naturally made him a prime suspect. But as it turned out, he wasn’t a murderer, just a trash human being and an even worse husband.
While this detour didn’t add much to Nicole’s journey, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Colter hold Stephen accountable, forcing him to talk before delivering the perfect parting shot: “Go lie to your wife. You’re good at that.”
Get ’em, Colter!
From there, Colter picked up a trail at the park and located Nicole’s car after it was involved in an incident at a gas station. That’s when the case took a deeply disturbing turn.
Nicole was helping the man who ambushed her in the park, who was suffering from severe burns. Her car was then rammed by a camper driven by a man who knocked the gas station attendant unconscious when he tried to intervene and offer assistance.
Colter’s investigation revealed that the driver had previously exhibited “creepy behavior” toward teenagers at a center, prompting officials to revoke his membership. Thankfully, they had an address, giving Colter his biggest lead yet.
At the home of Tate Montgomery, Colter discovered evidence that a young boy had been held captive, along with the skeletal remains of the real Mr. Montgomery.
It turned out that Montgomery’s stepson, Elias, had been cashing the dead man’s checks. Colter also uncovered a video of Elias torturing the young boy, along with evidence of a fire in the basement, leading him to suspect that the injured boy was the same person Nicole had been trying to help.
A hospital tag on the boy’s sweatshirt allowed the team to identify him as Jason Williams, who had been hospitalized a year earlier after his parents forced him to drink bleach as part of a purification ritual rooted in their extremist religious beliefs.
It was an ongoing child abuse case, but authorities hadn’t been able to locate the family. Fortunately, Colter was now just a few steps behind them, so he would do all the work for them!
Randy managed to ping Elias’ phone because, apparently, the guy never thought to turn off his location services. But when Colter arrived at the storage unit, he was nearly run over by a female accomplice.
Meanwhile, Justin and Nicole were tied up in the back of the camper as Elias and his wife debated what to do with Nicole. Elias viewed her as some kind of blessing, while his wife recognized the obvious problem: Nicole was a loose end, and since they took her, it meant people weren’t going to stop looking for her.
Nicole, however, wasn’t about to sit around waiting to be rescued.
Realizing that their only chance of survival was to take matters into her own hands, she slipped free of the ropes binding her wrists and used them to choke the driver, causing the camper to crash and giving her and Jason an opportunity to escape.
Unfortunately, Jason’s leg injury slowed them down significantly as they fled through the forest, with Elias hot on their heels.
Eventually, Jason realized that he needed to draw his father away from Nicole, knowing he was the one Elias really wanted. The plan worked, allowing Nicole to ambush Elias as he was punishing Jason, just as Colter arrived to lend a hand.
Without Nicole’s quick thinking and fierce bravery, Jason might never have escaped the dark and horrific reality that had become his normal.
Thankfully, Reenie was able to locate an aunt willing to take Jason in, giving him a chance at a fresh start as he begins the long process of healing from the trauma inflicted by his parents.
Amid the disturbing case, there were also two noteworthy personal developments.
First, Reenie finally signed a lease on a new office space, much to Randy and Mel’s relief. And it’s not just any office—it’s an old historic bank, complete with a vault, which honestly sounds perfect for the kind of work they do.
There’s still no movement on the mystery surrounding Mel’s mother’s disappearance, but the show has to keep us hooked and coming back for more, so I imagine we’ll see that storyline develop later this season.
“Purification” — Coverage of the CBS Original Series Tracker, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): Gillian Bolt as Jenna Nova and Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
As for Colter, he’s officially smitten with Jenna (I haven’t seen that twinkly look in his eye, ever), who delivered the seat he needed for his ongoing project of restoring his father’s car.
With no other cases on the docket, Colter took her up on an invitation to dinner at a diner down the road. And while we didn’t get to tag along on their date, Jenna seems to be the first woman in a while who’s managed to carve out a place in Colter’s otherwise “lonely” life.
Of course, we must remember that in his line of work, loved ones can become liabilities, so I imagine this budding relationship will be tested sooner rather than later.
But for now, let’s bask in the fact that Colter is finally opening himself up to someone outside his immediate circle.
And as for our post-Halloween treat? We’ll gladly pass on the candy because the Nov. 1 episode brings back everyone’s favorite Shaw brother, Russell, played by Jensen Ackles!
Russell will join Colter on another case, hopefully giving us some much-needed intel into what he’s been doing while off the grid. You just know Colter is going to grill his brother about his whereabouts.
What did you think of the episode?