CBS‘ NCIS: Origins wrapped its freshman run with a shocking scene that left viewers with the question: Did Special Agent Lala Dominguez tragically d!e in a car crash? And, in turn: Is that why Gibbs’ could never bring himself to speak of “her” before?

Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North, co-showrunners of the prequel spinoff, have to date been tight-lipped about Lala’s fate, but a behind-the-scenes photo shared by a cast member may tip the rampant theorizing in a certain direction.

Mariel Molino, who plays/played Lala, on Monday morning shared on Instagram a photo of her pup on the Paramount lot where Origins films — the same spot, in fact, where co-star Kyle Schmid snapped a pic even earlier this morning, as he reported for his first day back as Mike Franks.

If Molino is in fact on-set along with her co-stars, for the start of filming Season 2, that at the very least suggests that Lala will in some fashion, to some degree, be seen again — perhaps in a flashback or dream sequence (if d3ad), bedridden in a coma (if in limbo), or alive and kicking (after a proper amount of healing and recuperation).

CBS understandably has no comment on Lala’s fate, which surely will be revealed when Season 2 opens Oct. 14 (now airing Tuesdays at 9/8c, between NCIS and NCIS: Sydney).

As NCIS: Origins‘ freshman run drew to a close on April 28, Lala was on her way to find “probie” Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and deliver the news that she had convinced MP investigator Lara Macy to not arrest him for the murder of cartel boss Pedro Hernandez, when a small girl darted out into the road. Lala steered sharply to miss the child, and flipped her Jeep, lots, in the process.

Lala was last seen dangling upside down in the driver’s seat, bleeding profusely.

In Season 1’s final seconds, narrator Gibbs (Mark Harmon) said that he would later learn that Lala was on her way to report that she had “saved” him. And though the prequel series’ showrunners have stopped short of confirming that Lala d!ed on the scene (read their full Q&A), the heartbreaking chain of events suggested why Gibbs never shared this story before.

“This is a story I don’t tell. I can’t find the words,” Gibbs said as the camera panned Lala’s bleeding, seemingly lifeless face. “But it never stops running through my head — the story of her.”

It was easy to assume that Lala d!ed on the spot — and I’ve said a lot on why that’d be the very best version of the powerful finale — but showrunners North and Monreal would not confirm the character’s fate when we post-mortemed Season 1.

Molino, meanwhile, spoke with TVLine of the things Lala would’ve/could’ve said and done, had her trip to find Gibbs not been violently cut short.

“She never really gets to say how she really feels, and I think that’s what she’s trying to say when she goes over and tries to find him,” Molino said. “I think that finally she’s able to let her walls down because she comes so close to losing this person that she’s now realized she really loves. And I think that’s so heartbreaking [that she didn’t get to], which seems to be the case with a lot of people who lose people.

“I’ve lost people in my life, I know people who have lost people in their life, and their biggest regret is not saying the things they wish they could have said, those last I love yous,” Molino shared. “[Lala and Gibbs] get so close to that in the pool, and of course it’s ruined by Gibbs!

We knew that Conner Floyd‘s time on The Young and the Restless was coming to an end, as the actor is moving over to Days of Our Lives in 2026, but we didn’t think Chance would be leaving Genoa City quite like this.

Upon being exposed as Damian’s killer, Carter also attempted to put Cane in the ground on Monday’s episode of the long-running CBS soap. Unfortunately, Chance intervened and, for his efforts, was fatally shot.

“It’s been real GC,” Floyd wrote in an Instagram post after Monday’s episode aired on the east coast. “What a ride. I have truly been blessed to call myself a citizen of Genoa City. To share the stage with so many talented and hard working actors, creatives and crew members. This is without a doubt a special place. I’m grateful to have been a part of such an iconic piece of art that has lasted through the decades and that has such a stellar, d!e hard fan base.”

He continued, “Thank you for accepting me. Chance will always have a close place in my heart. He’s taught me a lot and I’ll miss him dearly. It’s been an absolute honor to represent the Chancellor legacy.”

Floyd made his debut as Y&R‘s Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV in 2021. As previously reported, Floyd will soon relocate to Salem, taking over as Days of Our Lives‘ new Chad DiMera in 2026. The present Chad, Billy Flynn (whose episodes are still airing), recently moved over to Y&R, where he now plays Aristotle Dumas aka Cane Ashby.