What Happened to Camryn Manheim's Character on 'Law & Order'?

Kate Dixon has left the building, and her former coworkers sure are confused. Camryn Manheim, who played Lt. Kate Dixon for three seasons, departed at the end of Season 23, though her exit was not shown. In the Season 24 premiere, new lieutenant Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney) arrived with no fanfare, but a lot of tension. She showed up to a crime scene where Riley (Reid Scott) and Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) were investigating a woman's death, and simply informed them that she was their new lieutenant and she had no idea what had become of Dixon.

The tension continued throughout the episode. Brady even told Riley that she didn't care if he liked her, and that it was his problem if it took a while to adjust to a new person. Clearly, Brady was not at the 27th precinct to make friends, and this is going to be a very different working relationship than the detectives previously had with Dixon.

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Later in the episode, after a few attempts to contact Dixon, Riley finally heard back. She texted that her son Patrick (James Caverly) had gotten a new job at a school in Miami and she was tagging along. She had left without saying anything because she wanted to avoid the tears that might come with making a big deal out of the move. She ended her text by inviting the detectives to come visit, and Shaw seemed pretty excited about the idea of a trip to Miami.

Dixon's son Patrick was introduced in the Season 23 episode "Castle in the Sky." He is deaf and taught at a school for the deaf in New York. A girl whose father was involved in a shooting was one of his students, and he helped out with getting her to open up.

On May 10, Manheim posted about her exit on Instagram.

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"??I had the most incredible experience being a part of the Law & Order Universe, and more importantly the Wolfpack," she wrote. "I’m so thankful for the three wonderful seasons that I spent with this wildly talented cast of merry pranksters. Mehcad Brooks, Reid Scott, Connie Shi, Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan, Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi, Tony Goldwyn and Sam Waterston. Not to mention the stellar guest stars that came in and out of the studio doors."

"I loved showing up for work each and every day, loved keeping the boys in line at Precinct 27 and most importantly, loved spending time with the most hard working, professional and kindhearted crew. They are truly New York’s finest," she continued. "Something wonderful awaits me around the corner, and I can’t wait to see what it is. Until then… Go Knicks!"

Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.

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