What happened to Vanessa Rojas on ‘Chicago PD’?

Chicago PD has seen lots of officers come and go over the years. Some of them have died tragically, like Al Olinsky, while some decided to leave on their own terms, like Hailey Upton. Then there’s Vanessa Rojas.

Rojas was set up to be a major part of the Intelligence Unit in the 7th season of Chicago PD. It seemed like a no-brainer that she would join the ranks alongside people like Hank Voight and the aforementioned Upton. Then, she was gone. Nowhere to be seen or heard from again. What gives?

Why did Vanessa Rojas leave Chicago PD?

Vanessa Rojas, played by Lisseth Chavez, was introduced in the season 7 episode “Assets.” She quickly proved herself to be a capable officer in the field, and her hard-nosed approach won her the respect of veterans like Voight and Adam Ruzek. Rojas was folded into the IU right away, and she was present for nearly every episode of the season.

Rojas did not return, however, for season 8. There was no explanation given for her sudden exit, and none of the Chicago PD characters have made any reference to her since. But out there, in the real world, there are two reasons why the Rojas storyline was abruptly cut short, and both of them have to do with bad timing. The first is that season 7 was hampered by the 2020 pandemic, which meant there were fewer Chicago PD episodes.

Deadline also reported that Chicago PD showrunners decided not to pick up Lisseth Chavez’s option for a contract extension, which meant her time on the show would come to a close. Chavez then took a role on the DC series Legends of Tomorrow before production started on PD season 8. Due to the limited pandemic schedule, the writers weren’t able to give her character a proper sendoff.

Is Vanessa Rojas coming back to Chicago PD?

Since Vanessa Rojas is one of the few open-ended characters on Chicago PD, she could technically make a return at any time. We have no idea what she’s been up to since season 7. That said, the fact that the character had limited time to develop, and has less than a full season of episodes under her belt, means the chances of seeing her come back are slim to none.

It’s also worth noting how busy Chavez has been in recent years. The actress has continued to find steady work on television, courtesy of shows like the aforementioned Legends of Tomorrow and The Rookie. In the case of the latter, Chavez has come full circle. She’s playing another cop, and hopefully, she will get to stick around for longer this time.