The Villain with Good Publicity has declared that a character (often sick) needs to be Put on a Bus to some place where they'll be cared for. They might subsequently bring news of the character's happy existence at his new home, and finally a tear-jerking report of a Bus Crash that killed the character despite best efforts to prevent it. The audience will be shown that it's all a horrible lie, even if it keeps the protagonists fooled. Not only is the character dead, but his execution was planned from the start, right down to how they would dispose of his corpse. No wonder he never returns.