Tracker Season 3 Quietly Solves Justin Hartley’s Most Painful Mystery

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In the latest episode of Tracker Season 3, Colter Shaw tackled a deeply personal and challenging mystery while also investigating a new missing persons case. The season has gotten off to a strong start, with the premiere attracting almost 13 million viewers, proving the show remains popular despite recent changes.

After Velma Bruin and Bobby Exley left the show following Season 2 of Tracker, Colter’s team is welcoming two new faces. Randy, who previously had a temporary role, is now a full-time member, and Reenie Green has hired a new assistant, Melanie Day, to help at her law firm.

Tracker Season 3, Episode 5, Evokes Ashton Shaw’s Mystery

Okay, so in the latest episode of Tracker, Season 3, Episode 5, things are shifting around at Reenie’s law office as Colter and the team settle in. But the big story? I was really hooked by the case Shaw took on – it felt personal. A couple desperately needed Colter’s help finding their kids, and Shaw quickly figured out the biological father had taken them during a hiking trip. It’s a tough one, because it’s not just a missing persons case, it’s a family situation gone wrong.

Jaden and Sara are enjoying time in the woods near Santa Cruz, California, when their father unexpectedly arrives and takes them. He forces them to trek deeper into the forest, intending to teach them survival skills. This father’s methods and teachings of traditional living remind Colter of his own upbringing with his father.

Colter Shaw’s father, Ashton, taught him and his siblings to be self-sufficient and survive in the wilderness, skills that now help Colter find missing people as a reward-seeker. While this upbringing made Colter the resourceful man he is today, Ashton was a demanding father who pushed Colter and his sister, Dory (Melissa Roxburgh), to their limits.

Richard Sanford, Colter’s biological father (played by Hunter Emery), is connected to a radical environmental group similar to the Earth Liberation Front. He frequently criticizes modern medicine and technology, reminding Colter of Ashton Shaw. Colter now knows the events surrounding Ashton’s death, but he still doesn’t understand the source of his father’s paranoia, leaving him with unanswered questions.

Colter Shaw Resolves the Latest Case and Feelings About Ashton Shaw

Knowing Richard Sanford’s patterns, Colter was able to locate him and rescue Jaden and Sara. Instead of arresting Sanford, Colter let him escape, warning him to stay away from his children and not disrupt their lives ever again.

Shaw convinced Richard to step away from his extremist beliefs by helping him realize his vision for his children’s lives didn’t align with what they actually wanted or needed, ultimately protecting Jaden and Sara. This act feels like a way to make up for Colter’s difficult childhood, where he suffered under Ashton Shaw’s harsh parenting and was unable to stand up for himself until his death.

Through thoughtful discussion, Colter protects Jaden and Sarah from the pain of his past, possibly finding a way to heal from his own childhood by connecting with someone who reminded him of his father. He probably worked through some difficult emotions and was able to share a final message from Richard with Jaden and Sarah.

I wasn’t sure if Richard actually got the message through, but Colter told the kids their dad sent his apologies and that he loved them. It was a really touching moment, and Shaw stepped in to offer them some comfort, something I think he secretly wished he’d had when he was their age. He told Jaden, and I could tell he really saw a bit of himself in the boy, that things would get better with time – it felt like genuinely earned wisdom being passed on.

How Colter and Russell Can Continue Unraveling Ashton Shaw’s Mystery

Considering how closely the mystery mirrored his relationship with his father, and how Colter ultimately solved it, it’s likely he found some emotional closure, experiencing a resolution to his own pain through another’s story. He may never be able to make peace with his father directly, but he could find acceptance with someone who reminded him of him.

Although Colter’s recent case likely helped him process some feelings from his own childhood, he still needs to uncover the truth about his father’s breakdown. Ashton Shaw was deeply troubled and paranoid before he died, and Colter is convinced there was a specific cause for his mental state.

Tracker needs to locate Russell Shaw so he and Colter can follow up on a promising clue they discovered at a Department of Defense facility. An agent at the site hints that Russell has a history of conflicting with the government, suggesting there’s more to the story. Colter believes finding that additional information is the key.

Episode 5 hints at progress in the Ashton Shaw case. Randy receives redacted documents from Russell obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, concerning David Pearson – a man whose number was found in Ashton Shaw’s journal. As Colter investigates, he also privately comes to terms with how this mystery affected him when he was younger.

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2025-11-21 04:10