In April 2010, Cathy Terkanian got a letter that changed everything.
A Mother’s Quest
The letter, from a social worker, revealed that Cathy’s daughter, whom she had given up for adoption 35 years earlier, vanished from her adoptive home in 1989. Desperate for answers, Cathy teamed up with a local detective and a dedicated amateur investigator, beginning a ten-year journey to find out what happened to her child.
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter tells this incredible story, diving deep into a mysterious and almost unbelievable true-crime saga. At its heart is the powerful connection between a mother and her child, showing the strength of a mother’s love across time and distance.
Behind the Scenes
Ryan White, known for Pamela, a love story and The Keepers, directs and produces the film, alongside Jessica Hargrave, Matt Maher, and Charlize Theron. White shared that Theron was deeply moved by Nile Cappello’s detailed reporting on the story in The Atavist, which prompted her to start the project.
“I remember in that conversation how incredibly passionate Charlize was,” White tells Tudum. “She didn’t feel like a superstar when you were talking to her — she felt like an adoptive mother who felt passionately that this was the worst case scenario of what could happen with adoption.”
Theron says it was Cathy’s relentless spirit that inspired her to share this story.
“Cathy was resilient and followed her intuition all the way to the end to get answers about her daughter,” Theron tells Tudum. “I think that sort of tenacity in the face of a bunch of people telling you you’re wrong is something that really resonates with audiences. We so often are taught to trust our gut, but rarely see it in action.”
The Journey to Michigan
White and his team met Cathy in Michigan in 2022. They quickly saw that this story was about a strong mother whose instinct to protect her long-lost daughter never wavered.
Fans often admire such dedication and courage.
“Cathy is just a remarkable woman in her strength, and then her conviction,” Hargrave tells Tudum. “Without her, none of this would have happened. Despite having only met her daughter as a baby, Cathy still felt this connection to her, and felt compelled to the point of borderline obsession to find out what happened to her.”
Maher adds, “We want people to see people like Cathy and realize that when you take action and fight for what you believe is right, the truth can and will come out, and more often than not there’s people that will want to help bring that truth to light.”
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter also has executive producers Cappello, A.J. Dix, and Beth Kono.