Karla Souza Reportedly Exits How to Get Away With Murder as Series Regular for Season 6

Characters seem to be dropping left and right in How to Get Away with Murder's final season! Just as the Season 6 premiere hinted that Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) may not be long for this world, it now seems as though we may have to say goodbye to Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza) too.

TVLine reports that Souza has quietly departed the series, giving up her status as series regular for the final season of ABC's most murderous drama. Though the report does not confirm how many episodes Souza will appear in over the course of Season 6, it does suggest that two or three guest appearances are on the books this year to at least give us some resolution for her character.

In the Season 5 finale, Laurel and her infant son, Christopher, disappeared without a trace, leaving the rest of the gang to wonder whether she'd planned her disappearance or if her notoriously shady family had kidnapped her and her baby for leverage. The Season 6 premiere did not shed much light on her situation, but showrunner Pete Nowalk told TV Guide that answers would be headed our way eventually.

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"Frank (Charlie Weber) still holds a torch for Laurel, whether that's healthy or not, as do the other characters. So we'll be getting answers about her whereabouts along the way, and hopefully, we'll eventually get the final answer of where she is," Nowalk said. "And I think Laurel has obviously done some sketchy things in the past. I think now that she has a child, they all probably understand why she would need to run away sooner."

How to Get Away with Murder airs Thursdays 10/9c on ABC.