What Happened to Sarah Cameron's Mom in 'Outer Banks'? Rose Is Her Stepmother (SPOILERS)

The Netflix show Outer Banks has its fair share of plot twists and puzzling moments, but there's one thread the show hasn't addressed yet. Sarah and Rafe Cameron are implied to be step-children of current Cameron family matriarch Rose, which begs the question: What happened to Sarah and Rafe's real mom in the show? Here's what we know about the missing Mrs. Cameron.

Many fans recognized that Rose wasn't Sarah's biological mother because she refers to her as "Rose," her first name, rather than "Mom." Additionally, during Season 1, Sarah makes a point to write Rose off with a snide comment about her "not being [Sarah's] mom." However, this does beg the question: What happened to Sarah's biological mother, then?

Typically on Outer Banks, a character's parents are at least mentioned briefly, even if they're not involved in the show. For example, during Season 1, John B. says that his mother ran off when he was a child and now resides in Colorado. John B.'s mother likely won't appear in the rest of the series, but her absence was still addressed for the sake of the plot.

Curiously, it's never addressed what happened to the original Mrs. Cameron, leading to fan speculation that she could appear in Season 3 of the show. After all, if she's canonically not dead, she could come back to visit the Outer Banks when everyone least expects it. Based on Sarah's abandonment issues and horrible familial relationships (except with little sister Wheezie), she could use a figure in her life who is interested in her wellbeing.

In the meantime, Rose is left to protect the children, and in Season 2 of Outer Banks, she goes the extra mile to try and keep the family out of trouble.

Warning: this section contains mild spoilers for Season 2 of Outer Banks.

Season 2 of Outer Banks is filled with surprises, but none more surprising than Rose Cameron stepping up from her stereotypical trophy wife role to help keep Ward and the family out of trouble. Rose's increasing complexity and desperation over losing the fortune Ward has amassed causes her to do many unexpected things, such as drug Sarah to kidnap her and face off against Rafe with a knife.

It becomes clear that Rose is equally as calculating as Ward, albeit less inclined to murder. She arranges the family's escape via freighter vessel with Ward and stands by Ward's side even in the face of his arrest. Rose also encourages Ward to give Rafe over to the police to save himself, although this does not work as well as she would hope.

The Cameron family continues to have a complex dynamic, and if fans are correct, there might be more Cameron family to watch out for in Season 3. After all, anyone who's been married to Ward Cameron must know a thing or two about survival.

Outer Banks is now streaming on Netflix.