“She’s here for very personal reasons, yet she has bonded with [Voight],” P.D.’s showrunner explains.
As a tenacious Chicago P.D. newcomer, Officer Eva Imani (Ari Mandi) brings plenty of dry wit and sarcastic humor, but Chicago P.D.’s showrunner is the first to admit that Imani’s childhood and the circumstances that brought her to Chicago are tragic.
Eva Imani arrived at the Intelligence Unit under a cloud of mystery, instantly making light-hearted jokes about the squad’s tight-knit nature while settling in at her new post. While Imani has emerged as one of the squad’s strongest recruits, solving cases with panache thanks to her preternatural investigative instincts, she also keeps her cards fairly close to her chest, not opening up to many people. Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) has been a pro at getting Imani to open up — sharing many similarities with the stubborn lone wolf settling in at the precinct — and through some of their cases together, viewers have slowly but surely pulled back Imani’s layers, discovering a devastating upbringing that’s entirely shaped her life and career.
NBC Insider chatted with P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan about Imani’s explosive arrival within the Intelligence Unit, and she was keen to open up about how Imani’s no-nonsense relationship with Voight has given Chihards the chance to learn more about the P.D. newcomer.
“She doesn’t have this looking-for-a-father-figure energy to her, so that’s been fun,” Sigan explained. “And writing a little bit of her lightness, but then also writing her history and her past, which we will all get out, which is pretty dark. She’s a nice blend.”
What happened to Eva Imani’s sister on Chicago P.D.?
From the moment we met Imani in the Season 13 premiere (“Consequences”), viewers discovered that she was driven to become a cop due to her ongoing search for her sister, Shari, whom she hadn’t seen since she was eight years old. During Season 13’s “Missing,” an investigation hit close to home for Imani after she helped a woman whose young son had gone missing 18 years prior.
During this case, Chihards learned some devastating details on why Imani operates the way she does, keeping close ties with social workers and constantly scanning missing person posters. Imani is not simply an overachiever; she is running a decades-long missing persons case of her own. Imani is a known drifter, moving around from gig to gig to follow any potential lead surrounding her long-lost sister, whom she safely presumes was abducted.
Now laying roots in the Windy City, Imani remains close with social workers and scans missing persons archives as part of a bleak day-to-day. Decades have passed since Imani last saw her sister, but her hope of a reunion continues as she checks online sources nightly to see if any photos resemble the childhood photo of her sibling.
Imani confided in Voight about her “dark” childhood
After a traumatized mother believed her missing son had returned, Imani was the perfect cop for the case as she soon revealed the mind-boggling visit as a fraudulent scam and relaunched the cold case to solve the mystery once and for all. After discovering the boy had been killed by a serial pedophile the day of his abduction, Imani had the chance to give the mother long-awaited closure, a luxury she has yet to get. However, the mom remained in denial due to the cops not finding a physical body, which rattled Imani as she confided in Voight about never seeing someone so delusional.
That’s when Voight learned that Imani’s own sister had gone missing under similar circumstances. After the initial investigation was a bust, Imani’s parents moved all over the country, following any potential leads while displacing Imani throughout her childhood. Imani’s parents died before they ever reunited with their daughter, but Imani has continued the decades-long search in the years since their passing.
“I like that her relationship with Voight feels a bit different to me because she doesn’t know his past,” Sigan told NBC Insider, adding that Imani isn’t focused on the controversial “legends” around her commanding officer that may hold her back. “She doesn’t know, and I don’t think she cares. I think she’s just [like], ‘I’m here to do a job.’ And she’s here for very personal reasons as well, yet she has bonded with [Voight].”
Eager to know details about the missing persons case, Voight asked if there were any leads. Imani revealed that there had been potential sightings of her being sex trafficked in Chicago, which was the reason why she relocated to the Windy City, but none of these leads were confirmed.
Imani got a long-awaited break in the case during Season 13’s “Partners.” After closing a case with Voight, he asked for a follow-up on her sister’s case after catching wind of Imani connecting with someone in Vice.
“Lead might be generous,” Imani shrugged, telling Voight that a marine had contacted a tip line, claiming that he met Shari in Chicago after crossing paths with her while she was working a corner as a prostitute. During a drunken encounter, she revealed that she “thought her real name was Shari.” However, Shari didn’t remember where she came from or “who she really was.”
Considering Imani hasn’t seen her sister in decades, the circumstances seemed promising. “She matched the description, and he was convinced, so,” Imani confessed, aware that she was getting her hopes up but dedicated to seeing the lead through. “I know it’s not a lot, but I’m digging anyway.”
“You want my help?” Voight asked sincerely.
Growing emotional over her commanding officer’s willingness to help, Imani nodded.
Despite the odds being stacked against her, Imani remains steadfast in her determination to learn the truth about her sister, no matter how long it takes. Fortunately, she now has some backup, a partner on the case who seems just as passionate about uncovering the truth.
Find out what happens next by watching Season 13 of Chicago P.D. on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.