Outer Banks has kept Sarah Cameron’s biological mother a mystery, leaving fans wondering what happened to her.
Neither Sarah nor Rafe have a strong relationship with their stepmother, Rose, suggesting a potentially rocky addition to the family.

The absence of Sarah’s mother in Season 3, along with hints at her potential appearance in Season 4, raises questions about whether she is alive or deceased.

There are several mysteries Outer Banks still needs to answer, including what happened to Sarah Cameron’s (Madelyn Cline) mom. The hit Netflix series has continued to explore more of its main characters’ families as it has progressed. Outer Banks season 2 included the big reveal that Pope (Jonathan Daviss) is a descendant of Denmark Tanny, making him Figure Eight royalty in a sense. Meanwhile, John B.’s (Chase Stokes) dad became a large part of Outer Banks season 3.

For all the reveals that Outer Banks has made about the familial history of the Pogues and Kooks, several aspects remain a secret. John B.’s mother and uncle have yet to appear in the series, but the Cameron family holds mysteries too. Rose Cameron (Caroline Arapoglou) is not the biological mother of Sarah or Rafe Cameron (Drew Cameron), as she is instead their stepmother after marrying Ward (Charles Esten). However, the show has yet to answer the question of what happened to Sarah Cameron’s mom?

Every Tease About Sarah & Rafe’s Biological Mom In Outer Banks

It Has Become A Recurring Theme Of The Show

Outer Banks has noticeably provided only vague teases about what happened to Sarah and Rafe Cameron’s biological mom, only really making it clear that Rose is their stepmother. This can be discerned through a few different moments and exchanges. Sarah has a habit of calling Rose by her first name instead of calling her mom, which is very different from how she always refers to Ward as dad or daddy. If that was not obvious enough, Sarah plainly states during Outer Banks season 1 that Rose is not her mother.

The same is true of Rafe and Wheezie. All the Cameron siblings refer to Rose by her first name. What is unclear, though, is what happened to Sarah and Rafe’s mother before Ward and Rose got married. For all the teases that Rose is not Sarah and Rafe’s mom, Outer Banks never has anyone in the Cameron family directly mention their biological mother. This makes it uncertain if she and Ward got a divorce when Rafe and Sarah were both still young or if she passed away around a similar point in time.

Notably, neither Sarah nor Rafe have a great relationship with Rose, which could indicate that her addition to the family did not go smoothly. It’s also worth noting that neither Rafe nor Sarah ever mentioned having lost a parent before when it appeared Ward Cameron died in Outer Banks season 2.

Does Sarah & Rafe’s Mom Appear In Outer Banks Season 3?

The Latest Season Doesn’t Reveal The Mystery

Both John B’s father and Sarah’s father played larger roles in Outer Banks season 3, but neither of their mothers played a role. Absent mothers have become something of a theme when it comes to the Pogues as Sarah, John B, and JJ (Rudy Pankow) never talk about their mothers. Fans of Outer Banks have been hoping they would find out what happened to Sarah’s mom in the show since the Cameron family is so integral to the Pogues’ search for treasure.

Sarah’s father is an enemy of the Pogues in the first two seasons of the series before doing what he can to help save Sarah in season 3. Neither of them mentions her mother in season 3. Considering Kiara’s (Madison Bailey) relationship with her parents always being strained, Pope wanting to learn more about his heritage, JJ’s desire to be better than his father, and John B wanting to honor his father’s search for the treasure are big parts of the show, it makes sense the focus for Sarah Cameron is on her relationship with her father.

All the relationships between the members of the Pogues and their parents are initially tied to their search for the treasure, and later, tied to them thinking of one another as a family first, as they all work to save one another from enemies. What happened to Sarah Cameron’s mom hasn’t been a part of those treasure hunts or the Pogues saving one another’s lives.

Outer Banks season 4 could reveal what happened to Sarah and Rafe’s mom after all this time and have her appear potentially. So far, this has not been announced as part of the next season. The introduction of Ward Cameron’s first wife would be a huge twist for the show to include and would not be that shocking of a development at this point. After all, Sarah and Rafe’s mom appearing in Outer Banks season 4 would not be the first time that an absent or presumed dead parent suddenly returned to the show.

Any potential role for Sarah’s biological mom in Outer Banks season 4 could go a long way in confirming what happened to her. A role for her in flashbacks would increase the likelihood that she died at some point in the past. On the other hand, Sarah and Rafe’s mom returning as part of the main season 4 story could only happen if she is still alive. It seems unlikely Outer Banks will ignore this question forever, but whether season 4 is where information arrives about what happened to Sarah and Rafe’s biological mother remains to be seen.