See Also: 'Lost Son' Episode Guide

CSI: Miami executive producer Ann Donahue said this year's season premiere will be one to remember.

"In the first episode," Donahue told Zap2it.com, "we're actually losing a beloved CSI. Can't tell you which one, but a CSI is going to die in the line of duty." According to CSI Files sources, the character scheduled to bite the bullet is none other than Tim 'Speed' Speedle, played by Rory Cochrane, who reportedly asked the producers to write him out of the series (story).

Donahue said there has been "no firm decision yet" on who will fill Cochrane's shoes, but the new CSI could be a male or female depending on who takes the producers' fancy. The casting process depends very much on the actors, Donahue said. "You can create a character, and then you can see an actor that doesn't fit that at all and go, 'That's interesting. Let's go with that instead.'"

The season premiere, reportedly entitled "Lost Son", will deal with the kidnapping and ransom of a young boy from a wealthy Miami family. Donahue said the story has plenty of spectacle, including the destruction of a bridge in the opening moments. "We're crashing a bridge. We have a couple; they're on a causeway. Something hits the bridge, the bridge breaks, and they fall into the water. We just like to show the unexpected."

Although season three hasn't even gone to air yet, the writers are already looking forward to the May finale, which will revolve around the love triangle between Horatio Caine, his brother's widow Yelina Salas, and his Internal Affairs nemesis Rick Stetler. Donahue said Stetler has "already opened a file on Horatio" and is looking for any indication that he may have slipped up in a case.

"If you put anyone under a microscope, the best person -- even a good cop -- there are going to be times they don't look good. They do things that are suspect, because a good cop will go a long way in furtherance of the victim. So the season's going to have a pretty big ending. All I can say is, episode 24."

Read the complete interview with Donahue here at Zap2it.com.

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