Chicago Fire Star Kara Killmer to Exit Series During Season 12

Taylor Kinney will return for Season 12 after taking a hiatus from the hit NBC procedural earlier this year to deal with “personal matters.”

Kara Killmer will leave Chicago Fire in Season 12, PEOPLE can confirm.

The actress, 35, who plays paramedic Sylvia Brett, joined the high-stakes NBC drama series in 2014 during its third season and has appeared in more than 190 episodes.

Although the details and timing of her exit have not yet been announced, viewers last saw her lover Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) get down on one knee and propose. She lives in Oregon with Casey, Chicago Fire fans can speculate that she may be heading west.

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Shortly after the news broke, Killmer seemingly confirmed her departure in a carousel of pictures highlighting her time on the show shared on Instagram.

“These are the first few pictures I took or was tagged in when I first came to Chicago,” she wrote in the caption. “Success in the Squad 1 basket was my first exposure to CFD – some of the best firefighters in the country!”

The post featured photos of Killmer being lifted up by a crane, her time on set, her favorite moments in front of the camera, and where she lives in Chicago.

She continued, “The view from my first apartment was absolutely stunning and the beginning of a love affair with the beautiful city of Chicago!”

Kara Killmer in ‘Chicago Fire’.

Elizabeth Morris/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

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While Killmer may be leaving Firehouse 51, Taylor Kinney will return for Season 12 after taking a hiatus from the hit NBC procedural earlier in the year.

A source close to the production previously confirmed to PEOPLE in January that the 42-year-old actor, who plays Lt. Kelly Severide, had taken a leave of absence to “deal with a personal matter.”

His character’s absence from the series was somewhat explained in a season 11 episode as a last-minute opportunity for Severide to attend “the best fire investigation training program in the world”. But when Severide didn’t return to Chicago after the program ended, his wife Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and fans were worried.

Taylor Kinney in ‘Chicago Fire’.

Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC via Getty

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All three shows – Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago police — production will resume the week of Nov. 27, although premiere dates for the new season have not yet been announced.

Jessy Schram, who has joined the NBC drama Chicago Med as Dr. Hannah Asher in 2019, opened up to PEOPLE about the cast’s exciting return to set after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

“I have to go back Chicago Med and we’re scheduled to start photography on Nov. 27,” said Schram, 27, while attending the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas Countdown Celebration at The Grove in Los Angeles. “So right after Thanksgiving, it’s our turn.”

Schram added, “The whole crew is back. Our cast, our crew, everybody that’s a part of it can get back to work.”

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Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago police all stream in full on Peacock.

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Source: HIS Education