In the episode titled “Spencer,” Reid is arrested in Mexico on charges of drugs as well as the murder of Rosa Medina, who ended up being a woman named Nadie Ramos. Because of Ramos’ dual citizenship in the U.S. and Mexico, Reid was transported back to the States to be sentenced, but the FBI refused to help Reid because he never told them about his trips to Mexico, which was against protocol.
Reid is sent to prison on charges of drug possession with intent to distribute and the murder of Nadie, and while his lawyer recommends not just one but two plea deals, he refuses both of them. Knowing he did nothing wrong, Reid won’t admit to a crime he didn’t commit. Of course, this is we’re talking about, and someone did frame Reid to try to paint him as a guilty party, and the person who did so isn’t a stranger to the BAU.
When his mother visits him in prison, he realizes that someone working closely with her isn’t who they claim to be, and that’s where the not-so-stranger comes into play. In fact, the character is directly tied to a villain in the Criminal Minds realm that viewers love to hate. Lindsey Vaughn is the woman who comes to the prison with Reid’s mother under the guise of being a nurse, and Reid remembers her as a victim of a case that the BAU worked on many moons ago.
Vaughn is working for none other than Cat Adams herself, a notorious hitwoman whom Reid directly captured in yet another previous case. Cat has been obsessed with Reid since their paths first crossed, even going as far as to say that Reid is the father of the baby that she’s pregnant with. He quickly disproves that allegation, and he can be released from prison and reunite with his mother, knowing he didn’t hurt anyone.
