what happened to lena in dear child

Lena in Dear Child is the real woman who was kidnapped and held captive by Lars. In the story, she gives birth in captivity, develops a postpartum infection, and dies along with the newborn; after that, Lars keeps replacing her with other women and forcing them to live as “Lena.”

Quick Scoop

The show’s big reveal is that the “Lena” seen at the start is actually Jasmin, one of Lars’s later captives who takes on Lena’s identity after escaping.

What happened to Lena

• Lena was abducted and confined by Lars.

• She was pregnant during captivity and later gave birth to a third child.

• Both Lena and the baby died from childbed fever, a postpartum infection, because Lars refused to get medical help.

Why it matters

The whole mystery of Dear Child hinges on the fact that Lars has been hiding Lena’s fate and recreating her identity with other women over time. That’s what makes the series so disturbing and the ending so bleak.

If you want, I can also explain who Jasmin is or give a spoiler-free recap of the show.