As the BAU searches for a suspected human trafficking ring when the bodies of two missing persons are found in the trunk of a car, Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner intimates there could be changes within the team due to budget cuts as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau returns to the FBI. The team is assisted by SSA Andi Swan, the head of the Domestic Trafficking Task Force.moreless
When the BAU is called to Florida after bodies are discovered buried in the ocean floor off the Jacksonville coast, the case hits home for Morgan because his aunt fears her missing daughter could be one of the victims.
The BAU is called to a North Carolina resort town after a woman is found badly injured and another woman is missing. On arrival, the team discovers these two women are not the only victims.
The BAU hunts a stalker in San Diego who is targeting college students. Meanwhile, the team comes under the scrutiny of Section Chief Erin Strauss in the wake of losing of Emily Prentiss.
When Emily Prentiss confronts her nemesis, Ian Doyle, and goes missing, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau is asked by the BAU to help find Prentiss and capture Doyle before it is too late.
After a series of suspicious murders, Prentiss suspects her old Interpol archenemy may be involved, which makes her fear for the team's safety as he closes in on her.
Prentiss enlists two former friends from Interpol to track down an old enemy, as Reid discovers clues that could help the BAU locate the missing parents of an autistic boy in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
The BAU is called to upstate New York to investigate mysterious disappearances. Meanwhile, Prentiss receives some disturbing news about one of her former colleagues at Interpol.
When a series of unusual murders occurs in Los Angeles, the BAU travels there to investigate. Meanwhile, more of Prentiss's mysterious past is revealed.
When the BAU travels to Miami to investigate a series of ritualistic murders, Reid experiences hallucinations and blinding headaches that cause him to worry about his health.
Morgan believes a convicted murderer has been rehabilitated and aids in his parole, but subsequently regrets his decision when the man commits murder after being released from prison.
The BAU travels to New Mexico to assist local authorities in Las Cruces in apprehending a serial killer who is garroting women in a gated community. Ashley Seaver, an FBI cadet with a troubled past, is asked to assist with the case.
The BAU becomes involved in the search for a kidnapped woman in the nation's capital after a woman dressed like a 1950s starlet is found murdered in a Georgetown alley.
The BAU travels to the Midwest to track a serial killer who is targeting families in Nebraska and Iowa. Meanwhile, a troubled Ellie Spicer runs away from her foster family in Los Angeles to visit Agent Derek Morgan in Quantico.
The BAU travels to Ohio to identify a serial killer who is murdering married couples in Akron. Meanwhile, Agent Hotchner looks within the team to fill a recent vacancy.
When several women in Virginia are found murdered in a similar manner, SSA David Rossi reopens an unsolved cold case in Bristol that has haunted him for a quarter of a century because he believes the original killer, who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, might have returned.
The BAU prepares to lose a member of the team. SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau attempts to reunite a family in Maryland whose daughter has disappeared mysteriously as she contemplates a job offer she cannot ignore.
In the conclusion of last season's cliffhanger, the BAU pursues Billy Flynn, who has kidnapped Det. Spicer's daughter and continues his murder spree throughout the city of Los Angeles.