In the early days of Chicago P.D., a few deaths caught the attention of Chi-Hards. One, in particular, stands out among the rest as the most gut-wrenching and brutal of them all. After working hard to beat an addiction and finally finding something she was passionate about, Nadia Decotis (Stella Maeve) was murdered in a crossover event with Law and Order: SVU that wrecked viewers.

After being introduced during Season 1 of Chicago P.D., it was hard not to root for Nadia’s success. When the writers paired her up with Detective Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), it was a slam dunk. She was helping to mentor her and get her life back on track, to become an officer like those who had helped her. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because Nadia was brutally murdered by one of the worst of the worst, and suffered tremendously during what should have been the best moments of her life.

Nadia Decotis’ Impact On Intelligence

Chicago P.D. Nadia Decotis was introduced as a perp. She was a lady of the streets and assaulted Adam Ruzek (John Patrick Flueger). Erin arrested her, which put Nadia on the map for the Intelligence Unit.

Coming from a troubled home life, Detective Erin Lindsay saw herself in Nadia. She knew her struggles and attempted to help her get clean – more than once. Despite her insistence that she didn’t want Erin’s help, Nadia finally accepted it. That decision changed the trajectory of her life for the better. Season 1 played a significant role in giving Nadia a sense of who she could become versus who she was when encountering Intelligence in the first place.

Accepting Erin’s help allowed Nadia to get sober. But when Intelligence needed another girl to work a sting, they came calling. She teamed up with Kim (Marina Squerciati) to go undercover. That mission ended well, with the perps where they belong. Nadia lost something that day, though. After being clean for a month or so, she broke her sobriety to ensure the safety of herself and Kim when they were being questioned.

Nadia proved herself a valuable asset to Intelligence, so she returned for Chicago P.D. Season 2. She was a better version of herself and worked in an admin position for the unit. Erin was still helping her to stay on the right track, which included allowing her to live with her. A friendship was built, making things even more real when Nadia’s life was cut short in one of the most brutal ways.

Nadia’s Death Rocked the Intelligence Unit and Chi-Hard Viewers

Seeing Nadia doing well and progressing toward her goal of becoming a cop gave Chi-Hards someone to root for. The underdog is always popular in procedural shows like Chicago P.D. and she was one of the best. Nadia paid the ultimate price in a crossover with Law and Order: SVU. She was kidnapped, raped, and tortured by a serial killer. It was a serial killer the NYPD was looking for, and someone Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her team wanted to find. This was a big deal as the crossover between two Dick Wolf shows not in the same franchise garnered plenty of attention from both fandoms. Unfortunately, it also became the episode where Nadia died before fulfilling her dreams.

Neither SVU nor Intelligence were able to get to Nadia before she was murdered. Still, in death, she was able to help get the perp locked up and convicted on several counts of murder and likely saved multiple women in the process. Her murder was brutal, and it cut through the hearts of Chi-Hards and Intelligence. Nadia worked hard to avoid being a statistic in Chicago and instead became a statistic in New York City. She was discovered in a wooded area of the Bronx, where several other bodies were linked to serial killer Dr. Gregory Yates (Dallas Roberts).

Nadia’s Death Affected Erin the Most and Left her With Guilt

While the entire Intelligence Unit mourned the loss of one of their own, Erin took it especially hard. She wanted to save Nadia, even stepping in to mentor her at the lowest point in her life. Erin didn’t give up on her, and when the third time worked and Nadia wanted to get sober, it was a huge win. Following the loss of Nadia, Erin suffered with immense guilt. It affected every aspect of her life, including realizing that if Voight (Jason Beghe) didn’t step in and help her, she could have ended up just like Nadia.

Nadia Decortis meant something to Voight and his crew, and her success would have been celebrated. Instead, they attended her funeral and said goodbye after not being able to save her. So that Nadia would not be forgotten, her name was added to the memory wall alongside other members of the Chicago Police Department family. While she could not live to her full potential, Nadia made her mark on Chicago P.D. and the Chi-Hards, who have been with Intelligence from the beginning.

Erin eventually left Intelligence at the end of Season 4, but prior to her exit, it was clear she hadn’t forgotten the friend she had in Nadia and the loss of her. This loss affected every aspect of her life, sending her into a depression. There have been several other deaths on Chicago P.D. over the last 12 seasons, but nothing compares to the Nadia Decotis’ death. It was a heartbreaking storyline that will stick with the show long after it ends.

Chicago P.D. Seasons 1-12 can be streamed on Peacock.

Chicago P.D.

Release Date

January 8, 2014

Showrunner

Derek Haas

Directors

Nick Gomez, Eriq La Salle, Carl Seaton, Fred Berner, Vincent Misiano, Bethany Rooney, Rohn Schmidt, Sanford Bookstaver, John Hyams, Nicole Rubio, Terry Miller, Takashi Doscher, Brenna Malloy, Lisa Robinson, Marc Roskin, Charles S. Carroll, David Rodriguez, Holly Dale, John Polson, Lin Oeding, Mykelti Williamson, Paul McCrane, Alik Sakharov, Charlotte Brändström

Writers

Craig Gore, Tim Walsh, Timothy J. Sexton, Mike Weiss, Mo Masi, Tiller Russell, Eduardo Javier Canto, Jamie Pachino, Mike Batistick, Cole Maliska, John Dove, Tiffany Bratcher, David Hoselton, Maisha Closson, Kim Rome, Katherine Visconti, Daniel Arkin, Todd Robinson, David Rambo, Denitria Harris-Lawrence, Mick Betancourt, Bryan Gracia

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  Marina Squerciati

  Kim Burgess