5 Best Theories About Who Killed Colter’s Father In Tracker
In Tracker season 2, Colter Shaw continues unraveling the mystery of his father’s death through pivotal conversations with family and friends.
The theory that Colter’s mother, Mary Dove Shaw, may have killed his father gains traction with new information uncovered in the season 1 finale.
Colter’s father’s government work and connections at Berkeley could have led to his murder, implicating those involved in his projects.
While the storyline surrounding the mysterious death of Ashton Shaw (Lee Tergesen) is central to Tracker season 1, little is known about the reward seeker’s father. The mystery of Ashton’s death remains unsolved, leaving Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) with big questions to answer in Tracker season 2. Going into the second season, Colter will need to have pivotal conversations with his mother, Mary Dove Shaw (Wendy Crewson), his brother, Russell Shaw (Jensen Ackles), his sister, Dorian Shaw (Melissa Roxburgh), and his childhood friend Lizzy Hawking (Jennifer Morrison), to continue to peel back the layers of the mystery.
Tracker season 1 was well received, scoring an early renewal for Tracker season 2 from CBS. It established who the reward seeker is and how he operates: Colter lives on the open road, traveling from town to town in search of missing persons for reward money. When people question what he does or why, the answer is simple: “Everyone’s looking for something.” That includes Colter, who will continue to seek answers about his father’s death with the rest of the Tracker characters in season 2. Some theories about who could be behind Ashton’s death surfaced in the show’s first season.
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Russell Shaw
Colter’s Brother
When Tracker season 1 began, Colter believed that his brother, Russell Shaw, had killed their father. Colter describes his unconventional childhood to a local cop in season 1, episode 1, “Klamath Falls.” He describes how, one night while his mother was out, his father told him and his siblings that they needed to leave. The three siblings were hesitant to leave without their mother, and so Ashton took off into the night by himself. The first factor that establishes that Russell could have killed Ashton Shaw is that he was the one who immediately took off to find him.
Colter was left at home to look after their little sister Dory, but when his mother finally returned home, Colter also took off to find their father. From there, the story of how Russell killed their father is clear to Colter. When the younger brother finally found their father, he was lifeless at the bottom of a cliff, and Colter looked to the top of the cliff from where his father had fallen to see his brother Russell standing amid a thunderstorm with a grim look on his face. It happens in a flashback to when the siblings were younger.
One of the main reasons that it’s easy to believe that Russell killed Ashton Shaw (at least at first) is that when it shows Russell on the cliff’s edge, he looks enraged, like he just killed someone. Then, when Colter yells out at his brother, his brother does little to clear his name. He just stares fiercely at Colter for a brief moment and then turns to take off into the woods. Until Supernatural star Jensen Ackles appeared as Colter’s brother in episode 12, “Off the Books,” this was all Colter had to go on regarding his brother’s potential involvement.
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Mary Dove Shaw
Colter’s Mother
One of the more likely theories about who killed Colter’s father after the Tracker season 1 finale is Colter’s mother, Mary Dove Shaw. While his mother has not yet been outwardly positioned within the narrative as someone who could have killed her husband, new reveals from Justin Hartley’s This Is Us costar Jennifer Morrison could change that heading into Tracker season 2. Morrison portrayed Colter’s childhood friend, Lizzy Hawking, and she brought new information to the surface in the show’s finale, and the recent discovery could seriously implicate Colter’s mom.
Colter’s mother doesn’t have an alibi for the night that her husband was killed, as where Mary Dove Shaw was on the night her husband was murdered is a mystery
The new information gives Colter’s mother a motive for murder: her husband was having an affair, and she could have found out about it. Conflict between the parents could have been the reason that Ashton wanted to hide whatever was in the box with Lizzy’s mother. There could have been information he didn’t want his wife to have. Additionally, Colter’s mother doesn’t have an alibi for the night that her husband was killed, as where Mary Dove Shaw was on the night her husband was murdered is a mystery. It’s just known that after she returned, Colter found his father’s dead body.
Colter’s mother is undeniably secretive. Colter goes to visit his mother in season 1, episode 2, “Missoula,” after someone broke into her home and his father’s office. When her son arrives on the scene, she tries to downplay the situation, saying: “I overreacted. I shouldn’t have called you.” However, at that moment, Colter finds a small owl figurine that was left for Colter’s mother by whomever broke in. She has since put it back, but in the wrong place, which is how Colter notices it. It’s clear that she knows something, but she’s hiding it from her youngest son.
In the Tracker season finale, it’s clear that Colter is beginning to become suspicious of his mother when he says: “She had me believe that my brother was behind my father’s death, kept us apart.”
The United States Government
Ashton Shaw’s Employer
Someone within the government could have had a reason to kill Ashton Shaw. In a document that Colter intercepted while investigating a cult in episode 2, “Missoula,” it’s reported that his father worked for the United States Government, holding various positions for a project that is so secretive that its name has been redacted. The document reports that Ashton Shaw began as a contractor for the project in 1985, becoming the project assistant two years later in 1987, and then advancing to the head of the project and holding that position from 1989 to 1992.
When Colter is describing his backstory to a local cop in episode 1, “Klamath Falls,” he tells her that he grew up “off the grid at this cabin.” Then he corrects himself, saying that he lived in a compound near the Sierra National Forrest. He doesn’t say why they lived in the compound, just that there was an incident with his father’s job at Berkeley that led them there. The compound could have been associated with Ashton’s position with the government, giving someone from his line of work proximity to the former professor at the time of his death.
When describing his father’s backstory, Colter says that his dad started talking about people who were “out to get him.” Although it could have been that Ashton Shaw’s paranoia was a mental health condition onset by stress or drugs, Ashton Shaw’s work with the United States government could have actually given someone reason to be out to get him. It could be that Ashton saw something he wasn’t supposed to, or knew too much about a project gone wrong. Whatever the case, it could give someone within the government a motive for the head of the project’s murder.
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Someone From Berkeley
Ashton Shaw’s Other Employer
In the first episode of the season, Colter establishes his backstory and what his parents did, saying: “They were both professors at Berkeley till there was this incident with my dad. Not something that gets explained to a kid.” It’s clear from the way that Colter tells this part of his story that – for someone who can track anyone and find out the answers to almost everything – Colter is in the dark about his own childhood. However, it is also clear that Colter’s father was employed by University of California Berkeley’s science department.
It could be that Ashton’s involvement with the government, or his run-ins with the law, compromised Berkeley, and it was enough for someone to want to silence him.
More information about Colter’s father’s role at Berkeley is revealed in the report about his father that Colter uncovered in episode 2, “Missoula.” The document’s contents are revealed in episode 11, “Beyond Campus Walls,” when Colter visits his sister. There are university memos in the report that say: “Ashton Shaw dismissed for cause. Evidence of irresponsible and dangerous behavior.” He was arrested for breaking and entering, as well as resisting arrest. It could be that Ashton’s involvement with the government, or his run-ins with the law, compromised Berkeley, and it was enough for someone to want to silence him.
Ashton Shaw’s time at Berkeley correlates with his time working for the government. He was only a lecturer for University of California Berkeley’s Science Department from 1979 to 1985. In 1985, he was promoted. Ashton’s promotion to Professor of Environmental Sciences overlaps with the timeline of his government involvement, both starting in 1985. He is also listed as a researcher from 1989 to 1992 – the exact time period that Ashton served as Head of Project for the redacted government work he was doing. Unraveling the mysterious connection could lead to exactly who would have wanted Ashton Shaw dead.
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Lizzy’s Father
He Could Have Known About It
In the season finale, when Colter and his childhood friend Lizzy are catching up after the tracker returns her daughter, Lizzy reveals that the days of her childhood are riddled with complicated memories. While the “rewardist” seems to have good memories of his younger days, some shared with Lizzy, she describes a more tumultuous upbringing. She reminds Colter that while they were growing up together, her parents were going through a divorce. Then she says: “You know, there was something weird going on with our parents. My mom and your dad.” She reveals their parents were having an affair.
A connection between Colter’s father and Lizzy’s mom while her parents were going through a divorce puts Lizzy’s father on the map of potential suspects. All Colter had known was that their parents worked together, which gives the connection more serious implications, considering Ashton’s work life was clearly a point of controversy for many. What’s more is that, just before he died, Ashton was at Lizzy’s house to give her mother a box of old research papers and journals, which she describes as “very personal.” Clearing up the massive reveal needs to happen after the Tracker finale.
The files could have triggered Lizzy’s father to go after Ashton. It’s hard to say what exactly the filebox contained, but if it led Lizzy’s father to secrets that his wife had been keeping from him, then he had a motive to kill Ashton Shaw. What’s more is that the files were delivered to Lizzy’s mom right before Ashton’s death, and without a more clear timeline than that, it can’t be ruled out that Lizzy’s father was aware of their interaction that night and went after Ashton shortly thereafter. Lizzy is “definitely coming back” to Tracker to explore the mystery, promising some much-needed answers in season 2.
Based on the novel by Jeffery Deaver, Tracker is an action-drama series created for CBS by Ben H. Winters. Traveling across the United States in his RV, Colter Shaw is a lone wolf with a fractured past who spends his time helping solve mysteries and police cases in every town he crosses.
CastEric Graise, Abby McEnany, Fiona Rene, Justin Hartley, Robin Weigert
