Serial killer Greg Yates will return to cause mayhem in season 17 of the NBC's long-running procedural drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

According to the website, Dallas Roberts will be reprising his role as the murderous doctor in "Chicago P.D" who assaulted and murdered young women in New York, then in the Windy City. He left his chilling mark to the audience after kidnapping and killing Nadia (Stella Maeve), a recurring character in the show. Her traumatic death pushed Lindsay (Sophia Bush) to quit from the Intelligence Unit. The last time fans saw the butcher, he was being threatened by Voight (Jason Beghe) while locked up in prison.

No details have been released yet on how Yates will make his comeback. Enstarz predicts, however, that he can serve as some sort of serial killer consultant. The police may also use his connections to get important information regarding new crimes.

Meanwhile, showrunner Warren Leight told The Hollywood Reporter that Nick Amaro (Danny Pino), who said goodbye in the season 16 finale, might make a comeback. After being seriously injured, Amaro informed Benson (Mariska Hargitay) of his want to be with his family. To do that, he had decided to retire from NYPD.

"So far, Cragen's come back and Munch has come back, and even Dean came back. I try to leave that door open. I would like to be able to bring him back. At this point, it depends on where he is and what he's doing and what the story needs," he explained.

Leight also revealed early May that one of the episodes being slated for season 17 will dwell on a transgender teen. "SVU" has been known to tackle national controversies, as well as gender-sensitivity issues.

Season 17 of Law & Order: SVU will premiere on Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.