During the two part episode Sylvia Part One and Sylvia Part Two, Sylvia is raped by a masked person and her family is shamed and orders her not to tell anyone what happened. When Sylvia discovers she is pregnant after the rape, Harriet Oleson overhears the information and maliciously spreads the rumor that Albert is the father of Sylvia’s baby, as the two had become close.
Sylvia runs away from home, as she has disgraced her father, when her rapist attacks her a second time. When his mask is ripped off his face, it is discovered that Walnut Grove’s blacksmith, Irv Hartwig, was Sylvia’s rapist. However, Sylvia is seriously injured when she falls off a ladder while trying to escape Hartwig.
At the end of the episode, Albert tells Sylvia they will get married and as Sylvia is dying she imagines life being married to Albert. However, she passes away from her injuries before they do get married.
