The short answer is that nobody killed Alison DiLaurentis because she didn't actually die. For years, the core mystery driving Pretty Little Liars centered on the identity of the person who murdered the manipulative queen bee of Rosewood. When a body was discovered in her grave, the town assumed it was Alison, setting off a multi-season hunt for her killer. In reality, Alison survived the night she disappeared, and the body in the grave belonged to someone else entirely.
Unraveling what happened that fateful Labor Day weekend requires sorting through a chaotic web of secret affairs, mistaken identities, and desperate cover-ups. Multiple people struck blows or buried bodies that night, leading to years of confusion for both the characters and the audience.
The Short Answer: Alison Survived
On the night she vanished, Alison DiLaurentis was attacked, but she walked away from the ordeal alive. While her friends spent seasons mourning her and running from the anonymous tormentor known as "A", Alison was actually living in hiding. She faked her death to protect herself because she didn't know who was trying to kill her.
The body pulled from the backyard gazebo wasn't Alison. It belonged to Bethany Young, a troubled girl from Radley Sanitarium who happened to be wearing the exact same yellow top as Alison on the night they both disappeared. Similar insight regarding this has been provided by Variety.
Who Actually Hit Alison?
The person responsible for the initial blow to Alison's head was Charlotte DiLaurentis (then known as CeCe Drake). Charlotte escaped from Radley Sanitarium and went to Alison's house wearing the same yellow shirt.
Blinded by a fit of rage and mental instability, Charlotte spotted Alison outside and struck her in the back of the head with a heavy rock. Charlotte genuinely believed she was attacking Bethany Young, who she thought was trying to harm Mrs. DiLaurentis. The blow knocked Alison unconscious, leaving her bleeding on the lawn.
Why Did Jessica DiLaurentis Bury Her Alive?
The tragedy escalated immediately after the strike. Jessica DiLaurentis witnessed the attack from a window. Realizing that her troubled child Charlotte had committed the act, Mrs. DiLaurentis panicked to protect her.
Believing that Alison was already dead and desperate to keep Charlotte out of prison, Jessica dragged her daughter's body to a shallow grave in the backyard and buried her alive. Mrs. Grunwald later rescued Alison from the earth, pulling her out just in time and driving her to a hospital before Alison fled town.
Who Killed Bethany Young?
Because the body in the grave belonged to Bethany Young, the question of who actually died that night is separate from Alison's survival. Bethany's death involved two separate people making fatal assumptions in the dark.
First, Mona Vanderwaal lured Bethany into the woods. Thinking Bethany was Alison—whom Mona deeply resented—Mona hit her over the head with a shovel, knocking her unconscious. Mona walked away, believing she had dealt with Alison.
Shortly after, Melissa Hastings stumbled upon the scene. Melissa saw an unconscious girl in a yellow top and assumed her sister Spencer had committed the murder in a drug-induced haze. To protect Spencer, Melissa pushed the still-breathing Bethany into the grave and buried her completely. An autopsy later revealed that Bethany died of suffocation, meaning Melissa's hasty burial was the actual cause of death.
You can read more about the show's background on the Warner Bros. Television page.
Common Misconceptions About That Night
Fans often confuse the timeline because so many residents of Rosewood had motives to harm Alison.
- Ian Thomas did not kill her. While Ian had a secret relationship with Alison and recorded intimate videos of her, he only wanted her to disappear, not die.
- Jason DiLaurentis was not the attacker. Jason was heavily intoxicated that night and had memory lapses, leading him to falsely believe for a long time that he might have hurt his sister.
- Garrett and Jenna were innocent of murder. They played mind games and pretended to have killed her to mess with her brother Jason, but they never laid a hand on Alison that evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the Liars find out Alison is alive?
The core group discovers Alison is alive during the season four finale, titled "Now You See Me, Now You Don't", when she reveals herself to them in New York City and explains the full story of her disappearance.
Why did Bethany Young target Jessica DiLaurentis?
Bethany held a deep grudge against Mrs. DiLaurentis because Jessica was having an affair with Bethany's father. Bethany stole Charlotte's clothes and sneaked out of Radley to confront Jessica on the night she died.
Who was "A" during the time Alison was hiding?
Mona Vanderwaal was the original "A" who tortured the girls during the first two seasons. She helped Alison clean up and run away the night she disappeared, only to steal Alison's diary and start tormenting the Liars out of jealousy and a desire to keep her new friendship status with Hanna. Charlotte later stole the game from Mona while Mona was admitted to Radley.
How did the police misidentify the body?
Dental records were used to identify the body found in the backyard. However, Mona had hacked into the dental database and switched the records of Alison and Bethany, ensuring everyone believed the recovered body belonged to Alison.
