Miriam Penner is the kidnapper and captor of Jason Engels, who was missing for eight years and later rescued by the criminal panic brother Gregory Engels set up to have him found.
History[]
Miriam Penner's son Daniel died of leukemia at age three in 2003. She was supposed to head back to Boca Raton to live with her parents, even though she lied and said they were in Staten Island, but because of her grief, she was institutionalized in a psych ward for 6 weeks. Gregory Engels babysat Danny, which is how Miriam knew about Greg's little brother Jason. Wanting her son back and projecting Danny onto Jason in her own psychosis, she drove up to Jason in her green station wagon and kidnapped him, witnesses believing a "man" took him and leaving details about Miriam scattered through reports that were never followed up on.
In 2011, Greg arranged a fake "rape-kidnapping" video at his college with Doug and Lizzie Harmon to bring attention to his brother's case. He was arrested, but Lizzie was still missing, so SVU reopened Jason's case. Re-interviewing the witnesses, they find out about Miriam and her station wagon. When Greg says she moved back to Staten Island but "all she wanted was her son back", they find out her stay in the ward and finger her as the kidnapper.
Rushing to her family home, they stop her from leaving with her things. They arrest her on site, but when they go toward her trunk, she shouts at them to get away from "her son". Finding Jason in the back and unconscious from her drugs, they rush him to the hospital and take Miriam into custody, while she wails after Jason.
Miriam is likely institutionalized because of her mental state and past history. Jason is emotionally reunited with Greg before Greg is taken to jail. (SVU: "Spectacle")