Shivangi Sinha
Skylar Neese’s disappearance in 2012 came as a shock to the entire community, given her reputation as a well-behaved and dutiful child who followed the rules. The likelihood of her voluntarily leaving without any contact with her family seemed improbable. While there were numerous speculations surrounding her disappearance, nobody could have imagined that her best friends, Shelia Eddy, and Rachel Shoaf, were responsible for killing her.
In NBC’s ‘Dateline’ episode titled ‘Something Wicked,’ it was disclosed that the two girls confessed to killing Skylar simply because they did not like her. Over the years, as interest in the case persists, many speculate whether the two killers were romantically involved and if their actions were influenced by this aspect.
Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy Were More Than Just Friends
Shelia Eddy and Skylar Neese had been friends since they were eight years old, having met in school. Their friendship endured over the years, and when they entered high school, they befriended Rachel Shoaf, expanding their close-knit circle. The trio spent a significant amount of time together, engaging in conversations about their interests and enjoying typical teenage activities. However, in the weeks leading up to Skylar’s disappearance, she began posting some concerning content on her social media accounts.
Many people who came across these posts speculated whether Shelia and Rachel were causing Skylar to feel alienated. However, on July 6, 2012, around 12:30 a.m., Shelia and Rachel arrived at Skylar’s house and invited her to join them for a trip to the woods to get high. Skylar agreed and climbed out of her bedroom window to join them, unaware of their true intentions. It later emerged that Shelia and Rachel had discussed killing Skylar during their science class and carried out their plan as they had intended.
While smoking marijuana in a wooded area, Skylar momentarily turned to pick up a lighter, at which point Shelia and Rachel launched a sudden and brutal attack, stabbing her multiple times. Initially intending to bury her, they had brought shovels, but failing to do so, they instead dragged her body to a secluded area and covered it with debris. They then resumed their normal routines, even assisting Skylar’s family in putting up posters and offering emotional support, all while concealing their gruesome crime.
Six months after Skylar’s disappearance, in January 2013, Rachel confessed to her involvement in Skylar’s murder and implicated Shelia as well. During their arrest and subsequent trial, Rachel told the police that they had killed Skylar because they no longer liked her and did not want to be friends with her anymore. While this explanation seemed illogical and difficult to comprehend at the time, it was the only motive provided by the perpetrators.
At the time many people speculated if Shelia and Rachel had been in a relationship and had killed Skylar because she was going to out them or was threatening to do so. To these rumors, Dave Neese, Skylar’s father, said that even if the two killers were dating, it would not have been a problem with Skylar as she was tolerant and had other friends from the LGBTQ community. He did not think that this information made the crime more understandable.
In 2023, during Rachel’s parole hearing, she took the opportunity to apologize to Skylar’s family and her own. It was during this hearing that she alleged that she and Shelia had been in a relationship at the time of the murder, which had caused tension among the three friends. She added, “It was hostile and violent, in our teenage minds we didn’t know how to handle the conflict and we just wanted it to stop.” She was denied parole and both she and Rachel are still in prison.
Read More: Chris McAmis: Where is the Killer Now?
