What Happened to Nelle on GENERAL HOSPITAL

Nelle arrived in town looking for Carly Corinthos, and Michael Corinthos thought she was applying to be Avery’s babysitter. But Nelle informed Carly that she’d seen her article in Crimson about her daughter’s kidney transplant and believed she was the donor.

Nelle explained that her parents had sold her kidney when she was a child, and showed them the scar. The timeline matched up with Josslyn Jacks’ transplant, but Jax and Sonny were skeptical, fearing Nelle was out to con Carly out of some money, so they went to GH to run some tests. There, Nelle met Josslyn, and the two bonded. Nelle was pleased to learn that her childhood ordeal had saved someone’s life.

Preliminary tests showed Nelle and Josslyn were a match, but Monica suggested a kidney biopsy. However, Sonny declared that wasn’t necessary because he’d found the clinic where Nelle had her surgery, and the dates all matched up.

Nelle wanted to return home to Atlanta, but Carly asked her to stay so they could all get a chance to know her and hired her as Avery’s nanny. Suspicious of Nelle’s true motives, Bobbie Spencer stepped in to take care of the little girl, so Carly instead hired Nelle to work for her at the Metro Court Hotel.

After Nelle saw Carly kissing Jax, she ran to tell Sonny Corinthos about catching them together. Then she drugged him so that when he later awoke in bed with her, Nelle let him believe they’d slept together! He begged Nelle to keep their liaison a secret, but Nelle had secretly recorded his confession and plotted to use it to destroy Carly’s life.

It was eventually revealed that Nelle was actually the daughter of Frank Benson, Carly’s adoptive father, and she wanted revenge on Carly for getting everything that she never had. Carly was furious, and cut Nelle out of her life, despite their familial connection.

Nelle had also grown close to Carly’s son, Michael (it’s okay, remember — Carly was adopted into the Benson family!), but their relationship imploded when her scheme was revealed and Michael was horrified to learn she’d let everyone believe she and Sonny had slept together.

Trying to put her life back together again, Nelle got a job working for Nina Reeves and Valentin Cassadine as Charlotte’s nanny. She also tried to make things right with Michael, but it wasn’t until she was nearly killed by an assailant on the docks that he finally admitted that he still cared for her, too.

Nelle and Michael were trying to make a go of it again, but Bobbie and Carly were determined to save him from her. Heck, even the revelation that her former fiancé, Zach, had died in a mysterious boating accident didn't convince Michael he was in any danger himself. Nelle insisted she didn't off her fiancé for his money, but Bobbie and Carly were convinced Michael is going to be her next victim, and when Detective Harrison Chase showed up in Port Charles, he revealed she'd also seduced him to taint the case and keep herself out of trouble!

When she got pregnant with Michael's baby, Nelle knew Carly still wanted to tear her and Michael apart so she began gaslighting her into thinking Morgan was haunting her from beyond the grave. Her scheme climaxed in an argument at the top of the stairs at the Quartermaine mansion during her baby shower where she fell down the stairs and claimed Carly had pushed her! With no evidence to prove her innocence, Carly reluctantly pled guilty by reason of insanity to be locked up in Ferncliff instead of prison.

While it initially appeared that Michael was blind to Nelle's schemes, it soon became clear that he's been onto her for quite a while. He's been playing nice in order to keep her happy while he plots to take her down behind her back. He and Detective Chase concocted an elaborate scheme that would lure Nelle into believing she and Michael were getting married and live happily ever after only to pull the rug out from under her.

Tricking Nelle into believing they were about to die, Michael got her to confess to her crimes as Chase recorded the evidence on his computer. Unfortunately, the pair ended up in a real car crash and Nelle abandoned Michael to his fate. As Sonny raced to rescue Michael from death, Nelle gave birth in the woods with Liesl Obrecht's help and then offered her baby boy to Brad Cooper, whose adopted son had just passed away in his crib. When Michael was brought to the hospital, Nelle let him believe that their child had died, her last act of revenge against the Corinthos family.

With Nelle finally under arrest and the baby blanket reappearing as crucial evidence to prove her schemes, Carly took the moment to gloat about how she had won in the end. But Nelle countered that everything that had happened was all Carly's fault and as she was dragged away, shouted that she hopes she burns in hell! 

When it came time for her trial, Nelle chose to plead guilty and received the maximum sentence, but first warned Michael that they would always be connected. And before she was hauled off to prison, Nelle also teased Brad that maybe she'd get out early for good behavior and promised there was no stronger bond than between a mother and child.

While in Pentonville, Nelle learned from fellow inmate Harmony that Shiloh was trying to take custody of Wiley away from Brad and Lucas and very nearly came clean to Michael with the truth about Jonah. But in the end, she decided to maintain the lie and urged Harmony to make sure Shiloh stays well away from the little boy.

Nelle failed to get parole as she'd hoped, but promised her lawyer, Martin Grey, that if he could find another way to get her out of jail, she would share the pot of gold that she could get her hands on thanks to her late husband. She wouldn't offer any details about who she'd married or where the money was coming from, but assured him it would be worth the effort.

Nelle reappeared at Shiloh's memorial service, introducing herself to the stunned guests as Mr. Henry Archer's widow! And after being released on parole, Nelle then tried to reinsert herself into her son's life. Not realizing it was their own son, Michael decided to keep Nelle away from Wiley by moving her into the Quartermaine mansion.

After selling her ELQ shares to Valentin, Nelle panicked when the baby switch was exposed and tried to skip town with her son, assaulting Willow in the process! But Michael and Chase stopped her in her tracks and Nelle once again found herself behind bars... but not for long!

Out on parole, Nelle set about getting custody of Wiley from Michael. She got herself a job at Crimson working for Nina and hoped her new boss would be a character witness for her in court. But when Michael married Willow to help sway the judge in his favor, Nelle knew she had to make a counter move. And after overhearing that Julian Jerome had caused the car accident that almost killed Brad and Lucas, she had the ammunition she needed!

Nelle arrived at Wiley's custody hearing still in her wedding dress holding her bouquet and revealed that she and Julian had gotten hitched! Everyone was stunned, but in the end, her scheme didn't have the desired effect.

When the judge granted full custody of Wiley to Michael and Willow, Nelle snapped and forced Julian to break into the Quartermaine mansion and abduct the tot while everyone was at the Nurses Ball. He tried to turn the tables on her at the docks but Marcus Taggert stopped Julian from shooting Nelle giving her the chance to hop in the car and escape with her son!

Michael was able to track her down and confronted Nelle at the cabin. When she took off into the woods, Carly was there to give chase. After Nelle knocked her down in a violent struggle, Carly got up to hear her screaming. In the dark, Nelle had fallen over the edge of a cliff and though Carly tried to help her up, she fell! Later, a body was found and positively identified as Nelle, but is she really dead and gone forever?

Carly attempted to keep the truth from coming out but eventually, Nina's search for her daughter led her to connect the half-heart pendant to Nelle and realized the dead young woman was her long-lost daughter! But will it cause her to dig deeper into Nelle's death and find out what really happened to her? Stay tuned!