An emancipated 17-year-old living in Portland and working at a deli counter. Orphaned at age three when her mother was murdered, she spent a decade in the foster care system, where an early adoptive mother legally changed her name to Olivia. Fiercely independent and accustomed to isolation, she returns to her hometown of Medford under her adopted name to quietly investigate her family's cold case.

A teenager who used to play in the mud with Ariel when they were toddlers. He is perceptive enough to recognize Olivia's true identity based on a distinctive scar on her hand. He leverages his familiarity with the town's residents to help her investigate the old murder case.

The chief of police in Medford. He acts as the primary figure of law enforcement in the community, holding authority over the local investigations. He interacts with Olivia and the townspeople as old theories regarding the murders resurface.

An elderly widow who lives next door to the property once owned by Olivia's grandmother. She is deeply embedded in the Medford community and remembers young Ariel fondly. Living with a severe heart condition, she views mortality calmly and offers maternal warmth to the secretive teenager moving in next door.

Olivia's mother, who was murdered fourteen years prior when she was just twenty years old. The community remembers her as beautiful, spirited, and completely devoted to her young daughter. Her violent death serves as the central mystery of the narrative.

Olivia's father. Believed for fourteen years to be a fugitive killer who abandoned his daughter, the recent discovery of his remains upends the town's understanding of the crime. Friends and family recall him as an impulsive but lively young man who struggled to keep up with financial responsibilities.

Terry's sister and Olivia's aunt. For fourteen years, she held onto the desperate hope that her brother was alive, secretly wishing every unknown message she received was from him.

Terry's teenage niece, characterized by her purple hair and piercings. She candidly shares her family's long-held private suspicions about the murders with Olivia during a chance encounter at Goodwill.

A woman who dated Terry before he became involved with Naomi. She comes from an abusive background and kept her old email address active for over a decade in case Terry ever reached out to run away with her.

A long-haul truck driver who was part of Terry and Naomi's social circle. He displays severe paranoia, constantly checking his phone for wiretaps and suspecting the people around him.

Naomi's former best friend and Jason's ex-wife. She presses Jason for past-due child support and completely dismisses his theories regarding the local suspects in the murder case.

A local property manager who oversees Olivia's grandmother's empty house. He runs a business acquiring homes from elderly women who fall behind on property taxes.

Once a brilliant student who attended Stanford, he now lives on the streets and suffers from severe psychiatric challenges involving government surveillance delusions. He quietly leaves fresh roses at Naomi's grave.

Duncan's mother. She works at the same local grocery store where Olivia secures a job and eagerly encourages the developing connection between Olivia and her son.

A professional hypnotist whom Olivia hires to retrieve blocked memories from her toddler years. Quinn maintains strict patient confidentiality and warns Olivia about the dangers of her investigation.

An elderly man employed to mow the local cemetery grounds. He provides Olivia with context about the strange gifts townspeople used to leave at Naomi's grave.

The woman who adopted Ariel Benson at age eight and legally changed her name to Olivia Reinhart. Unprepared for the trauma responses of a grieving child, Tamsin returned her to the state within three months.

A law enforcement officer who delivers the startling forensic evidence that Terry Weeks's jawbone was found near the site of Naomi's murder.