hope seemed lost. The two were finally able to track the Carters down at their lake house, and Jake swore to Jo that he would get Austin back for her. The two refound the love they once had, albeit briefly. After tracking the Carters down, Jo panicked upon seeing her child in their arms, and tried to take the plunge to get her son back, but in another turn of terrifying events, she was shot by the Carters when trying to flee into Jake's arms. Taken to the hospital, Jo recuperated for a few days, when Mrs. Carter threatened Jo in the middle of the night, telling her to stay away from them. But Jo was not going down without a fight. She took the Carters back to court, and declared that if she couldn't raise her child, she wanted him to be raised by a family who could. The Carters eventually lost Austin, and were never going to see him again. Jo, on the other hand, would be able to see Austin again when he was eighteen. In an emotional and heartwarming moment, Jo was allowed one final moment with her son, to say goodbye. From there, Jo settled down, and took it easy, sticking with her work, and staying away from relationships. She and Jake seemed to be getting along well, and she trusted him after all he had done for her. Later, Jo, along with Jake and Jane Mancini, fell victim to vandalism. Rikki, who moved into 4616 Melrose with Sydney, trashed her motorcycle and committed other acts to her apartment, including stealing her cameras. However, this did not stop her career. While downtown in the rough side of town to take pictures for a huge story on night life, there, she witnessed a violent act of police brutality, which led to a plethora of questions from the police concerning which one of their team committed the act. Jo cooperated, only to meet stern "justice" when the officer who committed the act of violence ripped her apartment to shreds, and would not leave her alone about keeping her mouth shut. So she went to Matt Fielding, close friend and fellow Melrose Place resident. He turned the pictures in, causing much dismay from the cop who was the murderer. This led to the cop holding Jo and Matt at gunpoint, another victimized situation, but Jo was strong again,