Starr's decision to put the child up for adoption and the child's supposed "death" eventually drives the couple apart. By 2009, Cole is struggling with a drug addiction and Starr's attempts to help him deal start to bring them closer together. For May Sweeps, Starr's storyline involves the investigation into her late daughter, Hope's mysterious death. Starr finally learns the truth her child was switched at birth by her cousin Jessica (Bree Williamson)'s alternate personality, Bess, when Jessica's baby is stillborn and she is finally reunited with daughter. However, Starr is now faced with a tough decision, "Do I keep her? Or, do I still give her to Marcie (Kathy Brier)?" Brier and her costar Chris Stack who portrayed Marcie's husband, Michael were about to leave the show, leaving fans to wonder if they would be taking Hope with them. The reveal also coincides with Llanview High school's annual prom and Alderson revealed that Starr and Cole finally get the chance to be teenagers again. However, "they can’t take their minds off of it, because their daughter is being exhumed that night." Starr is also kidnapped by one of Todd's enemies, Zach Rosen forcing Blair to exchange her freedom for Starr's.During Starr's time away from Cole, she develops a crush on her biology teacher, Schuyler Joplin (Scott Clifton), the son of the woman who delivered baby Hope, the late Dr. Leah Joplin (Maureen Mueller). Alderson revealed that when her character suddenly begins falling for Schuyler, she is on the rebound because she is missing Cole. " was her best friend, and she wanted to be with him so bad. Langston is her best friend, but at the same time, Cole was going through terrible times like Starr was." Starr knows she and Cole can't bet together because they both are dealing with their own individual issues, so she goes and finds someone else, Schuyler, and projects her feelings for Cole onto him. Alderson stated that Starr's attraction to her teacher developed "out of desperation." Schuyler helps her realize that the feelings they had for one another were not real, as they were both on the rebound from failed relationships.