Sixteen-year-old Skylar Annette Neese had every reason to believe that the friends who came to pick her up in the middle of the night were people she could trust.
She was an honor student, worked part-time at Wendy’s, and dreamed of becoming a criminal defense attorney. She was also an only child, deeply loved by her parents, Mary and Dave Neese.
But shortly after midnight on July 6, 2012, Skylar climbed through her bedroom window and got into a car outside her apartment in Star City, West Virginia.
She would never come home.
Months later, investigators discovered that the teenager had not run away. She had been deliberately lured from her home by two girls she considered close friends.
A Promising Young Student
Skylar Neese was born on February 10, 1996, and was the only child of Mary and Dave Neese.
She attended University High School in Monongalia County, where she was known as a strong student. Outside school, she worked evening shifts at a Wendy’s restaurant.
Skylar had ambitions for her future and wanted to become a criminal defense lawyer.
Among the people closest to her were two girls from school: Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf.
Eddy had known Skylar since childhood. The two became friends when they were around eight years old and later attended the same high school.
Shoaf also attended University High School, where she became friends with both Skylar and Eddy.
From the outside, the three teenagers appeared to be part of the same close friendship circle.
No one looking at them from a distance would have known how badly that friendship had deteriorated.
The Last Night
On July 5, 2012, Skylar finished her shift at Wendy’s and returned to her family’s apartment in Star City.
Not long after midnight, surveillance cameras recorded something that would later become one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. on July 6, Skylar climbed out through her bedroom window.
She got into a light-colored sedan waiting outside.
At first, investigators did not know who was inside the vehicle or where Skylar had gone.
Her parents soon realized that something was wrong.
Skylar had left behind several things she normally would have needed if she intended to stay away from home. Her cell-phone charger, contact lenses and contact-lens solution remained behind.
Her father also believed she intended to return.
But she never did.
A Story That Didn’t Add Up
Investigators eventually determined that the vehicle belonged to Shelia Eddy.
Eddy admitted that she had picked Skylar up that night, but claimed she had dropped her off about an hour later.
That explanation quickly became difficult to maintain.
Surveillance footage and cellphone-location information contradicted parts of Eddy’s account.
The investigation expanded, and federal authorities and the West Virginia State Police eventually became involved.
At the same time, Skylar’s parents and others distributed missing-person flyers throughout the region.
One early report placed Skylar in North Carolina, but police investigated the sighting and determined that the person seen there was not her.
For weeks, however, the truth remained hidden.
What Had Really Happened
According to Rachel Shoaf’s later account to authorities, the disappearance had been carefully planned.
Shoaf and Eddy had prepared supplies before picking Skylar up. Among the items they reportedly brought were cleaning materials, a shovel, spare clothing and knives.
Around 12:30 a.m., the two girls arrived at Skylar’s apartment.
Skylar got into Eddy’s car.
Instead of taking her somewhere safe, they drove roughly 30 miles into Pennsylvania, eventually reaching an isolated location near Brave.
The three girls were familiar with the area and had previously spent time there.
At first, nothing appeared unusual.
They got out of the vehicle and talked together.
Then the plan was put into motion.
Shoaf and Eddy claimed they had forgotten to bring a lighter. Skylar offered to get one from the car.
As she turned away, the two girls attacked.
The Murder
Shoaf later described how she and Eddy counted before beginning the assault.
Skylar tried to escape, but the attack continued.
During the struggle, Skylar managed to take Shoaf’s knife and injured her above the ankle. Shoaf said she stopped attacking after being wounded, while Eddy continued.
Skylar was eventually killed.
Afterward, the two girls attempted to bury her. The ground was too hard and rocky, however, so they covered her body with natural material, including branches, dirt and leaves.
They then changed their clothes and cleaned themselves and the vehicle before leaving.
The horrifying reality was that the teenager who had left home believing she was meeting friends had been deliberately taken to a secluded area and murdered.
The Investigation Takes a Turn
For a time, authorities considered the possibility that Skylar had run away.
The case also became connected to questions surrounding the Amber Alert system because an alert was not issued immediately.
As investigators examined the evidence more closely, however, attention returned to the people who had last been seen with Skylar.
Eddy’s changing story became increasingly significant.
Then, months after the murder, something happened that finally began to break the case open.
Rachel Shoaf suffered what was described as a nervous breakdown.
Her mother called 911, and Shoaf was taken to a psychiatric hospital.
After spending several days there, Shoaf asked to be taken directly to her attorney’s office.
There, she confessed.
She told authorities that she and Eddy had planned and carried out Skylar’s murder.
The explanation she gave for why they killed their friend was chillingly simple: she said they no longer liked Skylar and did not want to remain friends with her.
Finding Skylar
Shoaf eventually directed investigators to the location where Skylar had been left.
On January 16, 2013, human remains were discovered in Wayne Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, just across the state line.
The remains were later identified as those of Skylar Neese.
She had been missing for more than six months.
Her body was found less than 30 miles from her home.
For Skylar’s family, the long uncertainty had finally ended—but the answer was devastating.
The people responsible were not strangers who had randomly crossed her path.
They were two girls she had considered friends.
Shelia Eddy’s Role
Investigators continued building the case against Shelia Eddy.
At one point, Rachel Shoaf was used in an attempt to obtain incriminating statements from Eddy, but the effort did not produce the desired confession.
Authorities later searched Eddy’s home and seized electronic devices, knives and her Toyota Camry.
Forensic testing provided another major piece of evidence: DNA recovered from the trunk of Eddy’s vehicle was matched to Skylar.
The case that had initially looked like a teenage disappearance was now clearly a murder investigation.
The Court Cases
Rachel Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 1,
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.
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