Does Hayden Die in I Will Find You?

In ‘I Will Find You,’ Matthew Burroughs’ kidnapping and subsequent scheme to stage his death and frame his father become the center of a tense mystery. The perpetrator manages to get away with the crime for five whole years before Rachel, a hawk-eyed journalist and the kid’s aunt, finds a nondescript photograph with her nephew in the background. As a result, she and an incarcerated-but-not-for-long David Burroughs team up to investigate the case while simultaneously running from the cops. In this dangerous quest, they find unexpected help from Hayden, a philanthropist and heir to a wealthy family, who also happens to be Rachel’s ex-boyfriend. However, as the plot progresses, something menacing about Hayden is revealed, leading to a tense climax where he and David find themselves facing down the barrels of each other’s guns. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Hayden’s Gimmick Unravels Right Before His Big Escape

In the beginning, Hayden puts up the front of a friendly face who is eager to lend a helping hand to Rachel in her search for her nephew. His motivations seem to be purely driven by his persisting and seemingly unrequited love for his ex-girlfriend. However, things become a little more muddy when the revelation arrives that Hayden’s mother, Gertrude Payne, may be directly involved in the cover-up behind Matthew’s abduction and David’s false incarceration. As it turns out, the mother’s hand in the scheme is entirely informed by the reality of her son’s involvement in it. Hayden is the one who kidnapped Matthew from his house five years ago, faked his death, and framed David for the entire ordeal.

This is because Hayden thinks that Matthew is his own son. Years ago, when David and his now-ex-wife, Cheryl, were trying to get pregnant, they kept running into some issues. For the same reason, the latter booked a consultation at a fertility clinic as she considered the possibility of using a sperm donor. However, she kept these plans a secret from her husband. As a result, instead of using her own name at the clinic, she put herself down as her sister, Rachel Mills. Subsequently, when Hayden, whose family owned the clinic, learned about the same, he saw a twisted opportunity to trap his ex-girlfriend back into a relationship with him. He bribed an immoral doctor to impregnate the patient with his sperm.

Yet, Cheryl actually never ended up going through with the sperm donor idea. Soon after the consultation, she got pregnant with Matthew. Hayden, who never knew of this part, assumed the kid must be his. Initially, he wasn’t planning on doing anything about the assumption that Matthew is his biological son. However, when he met the kid at a Burroughs Fourth of July party, he convinced himself that the kid belonged with him. In the present day, as Rachel and David get closer to unraveling the mystery, Hayden realizes there’s no escape. For the same reason, he agrees ot his mother’s plan of leaving the country and starting a new life with Matthew, whom he has renamed Theo. Unfortunately for him, by then Rachel had already figured out the truth. She uses their relationship and his obsession with her to infiltrate the Payne estate, finally backing him into a corner.

Hayden Meets a Fatal End

In the end, Hayden is confronted with the horrible truth. After all his demented efforts, killing an innocent child, framing an innocent father, and stealing a kid away from his parents, he learns that even his twisted motives are fabricated. He isn’t truly Matthew’s biological father. Learning this truth snaps what little control Hayden has over his already homicidal self. AS a result, he shoots down his own mother for lying to him about the kid’s DNA results and takes Rachel hostage. His idea is to trade her in exchange for the kid and run away with him all the same.

Yet, by then, it becomes evident even to Matthew that the man he has been believing to be his father all these years isn’t safe to be around. For the same reason, he runs off into the woods, chased by an armed Hayden as well as David and the others. Ultimately, the two men engage in a violent altercation with the kid hiding in the trees nearby. At the end of the fight, Hayden shoots David. Fortunately, before he can do more damage, Detective Greer and Rachel arrive on the scene. Hayden seems about ready to pull his gun on them, too. Yet, Greer’s draw is faster, and she successfully shoots him down. In the aftermath, David survives the gunshot wound and is reunited with his son at last. Hayden dies on the forest floor, having paid for his crimes with his life.

Read More: Is I Will Find You Based on a True Story?