In August 2020, the morning after the two consummated their relationship, a horrified Alexis awoke to find Neil dead in her bed, according to Soaps In Depth. After an autopsy, doctors revealed that Neil had died of an opioid overdose thanks to the product that crime lord Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober) unleashed on the streets of Port Charles. Alexis was in disbelief having no knowledge of any previous substance abuse by Neil and having witnessed no obvious signs of drug use. Soon after, a syringe was located underneath Alexis’ bed and she was forced to accept the PCPD’s account of what happened, though she still couldn’t imagine the upstanding doctor using drugs while she slept in bed next to him.
A distraught Alexis tried to attend Neil’s memorial service a few days later, but was accosted by Neil’s brother Brendan Byrne (Josh Coxx), according to Soaps. He blamed her for his brother’s drug use, overdose, and death, before throwing her out. Alexis, a recovering alcoholic, then began drinking again to soothe her pain, starting her down a road of total destruction that would end in a prison sentence.
