Cindy Marino is an overly ambitious reporter on the kidnapping case of Kendall Kozlowski, obsessed over pinning his mother Laura as the culprit. At the height of the kidnapping's publicity, Marino was able to get a one-on-one interview thanks to Detective Elliot Stabler tipping her off after thinking that Laura was lying to him following the discovery of Kendall's sonogram.
It took a horrific turn when Marino interviewed Laura and accused her of killing Kendall under rigorous pressure. Laura ended up committing suicide from the trauma as a result and Marino remorselessly questioned Stabler outside of her apartment, stating that she asked the tough questions that the cops didn't have the balls to. This forced Captain Cragen to have to hold Stabler back from attacking Marino. Kendall was later found alive at a fire station and was whisked to the hospital. There, Marino attempted to get a quote from Stabler who, thoroughly disgusted by Marino's behavior, instead gave an exclusive interview to a nearby reporter, publicly denouncing Marino's libelous accusations and revealing that Kendall had been found alive. The real kidnapper, Laura's abusive ex James Kendall, was found and arrested. It's unknown if Marino was ever charged with harassment to the extent of suicide. (SVU: "Haystack")