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Missing: Baby Judith IBTimes/ Amanda Remling
walking-dead_watermark
Missing: Baby Judith IBTimes/ Amanda Remling

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The midseason finale of “The Walking Dead” had many jaw dropping moments, but the final few minutes left fans with one question -- What happened to baby Judith?

AMC viewers said goodbye to Meghan, Hershel, the Governor and countless other survivors during the battle to take over the prison in episode 8. In the chaos to escape, the group of survivors ended up splitting up -- some fleeing the grounds on a bus, while others were left to fend for themselves on foot.

For those that missed it, Lizzy and the rest of the young kids at the prison took baby Judith and her carrier outside when the shooting began. Their initial plan was to load onto the emergency evacuation bus like they were taught … until Lizzy told them that Carol would want them to help fight.

The kids failing to follow orders ended up working out for Tyreese, who was rescued when Lizzy shot two of the Governor’s group members point blank in the head. But instead of going with Tyreese to safety, they ran in the opposite direction back to the prison.

After the fight ended, Rick returned to search for Carl and Judith. And while he was able to find his son, the pair were only able to locate Judith’s carrier … which was covered in blood.

Did baby Judith die? Rick and Carl seemed to take the bloody baby carrier as a sign that Judith didn’t make it through the battle, but fans of “The Walking Dead” don’t believe that “Lil A**kicker” is gone for good.

In “The Walking Dead” comic book series, Judith died during an assault on the Prison from the Governor. While Lori was trying to flee the prison, she was shot in the back … causing her body to fall on Judith and crush her. Since the TV series doesn’t always follow the comics, we have a couple of theories regarding what could have happened to Judith in episode 8.

One theory that we have is that Lizzy and the kids hid baby Judith while they gathered guns to fight. It took two kids to carry Judith in the baby carrier, so they may have ditched the carrier for an easier escape. Since Tyreese chased after the kids, it’s possible that he now has the baby safe in his care.

Another theory is that a person from the Governor’s camp took baby Judith. Tara and Lily’s fate in the series is uncertain, but they definitely didn’t die at the end of episode 8. Any normal person seeing a baby on the ground (in the middle of gunfire and zombies) would pick it up and take it to safety. Since Lily just lost everything, it’s possible that she could have found the baby abandoned and taken her for her own.

Of course, it’s also possible that Judith was snatched by a walker. While fans watched a gruesome scene with Hershel getting beheaded by the Governor, AMC might not be ready to let an infant die on screen. Instead, their way of killing off the baby could just be having it go missing, and leaving a lot of blood in its carrier.

So, is Judith alive … or dead? We don’t know … and neither does “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick. During the midseason episode of “Talking Dead,” Hardwick asked “Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman what happened with Judith. But as usual, Kirkman was coy and simply responded, “There was a lot of blood in that car seat … you’ll have to tune in.”

While “Walking Dead” fans wait until the season 4 returns on Sunday, Feb. 9, one thing to keep in mind is that baby Judith wasn’t included in the “Talking Dead’s” “In Memoriam” segment.

Do you think baby Judith is alive? Let us know your theories on the midseason finale of “The Walking Dead.”