EastEnders' Zoe Slater died during Thursday's episode of the BBC One soap, with Michelle Ryan's final scenes airing - but a character could be blamed for the death19:30, 10 Sep 2026Updated 19:30, 10 Sep 2026Zoe Slater is dead on EastEnders, and a character might be blamed.‌Michelle Ryan bowed out on Thursday, after reports confirmed the character would be killed off - with actress Michelle breaking her silence this week. As Zoe's final scenes aired in the episode, we saw how she died and her final moments.‌We also saw the tragic moment her mother Kat Moon found her lifeless daughter, and realised she was gone. But that wasn't all, as we found out which mystery character would be left guilty, having been the last to see Zoe alive.‌Spoilers this week stated that someone would be covering up what happened when they saw Zoe, while there's also hints about some mystery evidence. In the episode we saw Zoe claiming her headache, after suffering a head injury, wasn't that bad. She'd fallen over and hit her head on some bricks prior, and her head was bleeding.As her mum Kat begged her to get checked over, Zoe refused. But Zoe was clearly not well, and as she staggered down the stairs, she got distracted by a noise in the pub cellar.‌Zoe found Max Branning and Linda Carter getting steamy, with them keeping their romance a secret. Zoe rushed off and went upstairs to her bedroom, but Max followed her.He begged her not to tell anyone about him and Linda, and suddenly Zoe started to deteriorate. As she fell on the bed clutching her head, she told Max she needed help.Max ignored her though, accusing her of being drunk and as she lunged at him, in a bad way, he threw her back down on the bed. He shouted at her before storming out the room, as Zoe begged for his help once more.‌We then saw her crying out in pain and calling out to her mum, before she sadly passed away. Fans think Max will be blamed for Zoe's death, and that he is actually partly at fault.Viewers suggested Max leaving her for dead when she was clearly in a bad way should see him be punished, as fans guessed Zoe's loved ones would blame Max for what happened. A fan said: "She begged him for help and he walked away… f**k you Max."‌Another fan said: "It’s possible Max could be accused of murdering Zoe as his DNA will be on her wrist." A third added: "Cindy causing Martin's death in 2025 and Max not getting help for a dying Zoe in 2026… imprison the pair of them."Another comment read: "Now what’s interesting Max was the last to see Zoe alive, his DNA will be on Zoe so I wonder if he’s initially going to get the blame." A final post said: "Really hope they don’t do the predictable where Zoe’s daughter will think Max had something to do with her mother's death either hence the mayhem in the flash forward."Article continues belowEastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.