 He returns to the squad in "Secrets Exhumed", in which he brings back a 1980s rape-homicide cold case for the squad to investigate.In the season 15 episode, "", SVU Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) informs Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) that Munch has submitted his retirement papers, stating that a recent case (portrayed in the episode "") had "hit him hard".In the following episode, "", Cragen and the squad throw Munch a retirement party, where past and present colleagues and family members celebrate his career.