Skylar Neese — Murdered by Her Best Friends

An Ordinary Summer Night

On the night of July 6, 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese climbed out of her bedroom window at her family's apartment in Star City, West Virginia. It was not unusual — teenagers sneak out at night. A security camera in the building's entryway captured her at 12:27 a.m. as she got into a car. The car belonged to her best friend, Shelia Eddy. Skylar never came home.

When her parents, Dave and Mary Neese, discovered she was gone the following morning, they reported her missing immediately. Police in Star City launched a search, and the case spread quickly on social media as classmates and the local community shared missing persons appeals. Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf — Skylar's two closest friends — took an active part in the campaign to find her, publicly expressing concern and grief.

What no one yet knew was that the two girls had driven Skylar into the woods in the Monongalia County area, stabbed her with knives, and left her body behind.

Social Media as a Double Game

In the months following Skylar's disappearance, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf continued to present themselves as worried friends. Shelia posted heartfelt tweets about missing Skylar and used the hashtag #FindSkylar. At the same time, the two girls shared selfies and appeared outwardly unaffected in their daily lives.

Beneath the surface, however, Rachel Shoaf was falling apart. She was sleeping poorly, plagued by anxiety, and began seeking psychological help. In January 2013, she admitted to her therapist that she and Shelia had killed Skylar. The therapist was legally obligated to notify the authorities.

On January 16, 2013 — exactly six months and ten days after Skylar's disappearance — Rachel led police to a wooded area near Brave, Pennsylvania, close to the West Virginia border. There, investigators found Skylar's partially buried remains in a snow-covered forest floor.