Harlan Coben's I Will Find You has subtly addressed one horrific plot twist, quietly explaining who was really murdered in a tragic turn of events. The Netflix drama, starring Sam Worthington as David Burroughs, has captivated audiences with its intricate story.
The Premise of I Will Find You
Fans have been waiting for the return of another Harlan Coben drama since the beginning of the year, following the success of the author's remake of Run Away. This time around, the story is set in the US, where father David Burroughs is five years into a life sentence for the murder of his son Matthew, a crime he didn't commit. But when his ex-sister-in-law Rachel Mills (Britt Lower) presents David with a photo showing a young boy that looks like Matthew in the background, he needs to find out more. In a bid to investigate what really happened to his son, David successfully breaks out of prison, and he and Rachel start digging.
Is Matthew Alive?
Yes, as the photo suggests, Matthew is still alive. The key witness at David's trial, who claimed to have seen David burying a bloodied bat, was paid off to say so. The bat was actually buried by David's own father, who assumed he accidentally killed Matthew while experiencing a night terror and wanted to protect his son.
Why Was Matthew Taken?
David and his wife Cheryl struggled to get pregnant at first, so Cheryl went to fertility clinic Berg Reproductive without David's knowledge. She used Rachel's name at the clinic, which is owned by the Payne Foundation, to prevent David from finding out. Rachel's ex-boyfriend Hayden Payne (Milo Ventimiglia) was obsessed with her, and when he discovered that "Rachel" wanted a sperm donor, he donated his own. Cheryl shortly discovered she was already pregnant by David, but Hayden believed Matthew was his. Even though he now knew Rachel wasn't the mother, Hayden wanted Matthew and staged the murder so they could be united. For five years, Hayden and his heiress mother Gertrude Payne (Madeleine Stowe) had been looking after the young boy under the name Theo.
Who Was Really Killed in David Burroughs' Home?
DNA at the crime scene was altered to seem as if it was Matthew's, but the blood actually belonged to a terminally ill child named Martin. The youngster was from a Swiss orphanage run by the Payne Foundation, who went missing three weeks before Matthew was supposedly murdered. Further DNA tests reveal that it was Martin's body at the crime scene, not Matthew's. In the final episode, when Rachel confronts Hayden, he says, "He was going to die a painful death from his condition. It doesn't matter."
What Happened to Hayden?
Rachel tells Hayden the truth that Matthew isn't his biological son and that his mother had known the truth all along. In a fit of rage, Hayden kills his mother and shoots at David, who has arrived alongside FBI's Sarah Greer (Logan Browning) and other FBI agents ready to ambush him. Hayden attempts to leave with Matthew, but Sarah is able to stop him and fatally shoots him in front of Matthew.
The Aftermath
Time goes by, and David's conviction is overturned. Matthew is reunited with his family, with David and Cheryl now sharing joint custody. Rachel goes on to write a book about both David and Matthew. Sarah becomes the head of the Boston Fugitive Task Force, and Adam becomes a private investigator after losing his job for helping David escape. The series ends at David's father's funeral, where he insists that he would always find his way back to his son, no matter what.
I Will Find You is available to watch on Netflix.
