Kriti Mehrotra
When Skylar Annette Neese suddenly disappeared from her home in Star City, West Virginia, without a trace left behind on July 6, 2012, it left her entire community in a state of shock. According to her loved ones in Hulu’s ‘Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese,’ it wasn’t like her to leave home and be off the grid, so alarm bells quickly rang out. Unfortunately, though, despite the best efforts of authorities as well as volunteers alike, it was her remains that were recovered more than 6 months later in January 2013.
Skylar Neese Was Stabbed to Death Across the State Line in Pennsylvania
Born on February 10, 1996, in the small town of Star City, along Monongalia County, West Virginia, as the only child of Mary Neese and Dave Neese, Skylar Neese was a force of nature. In fact, by the time 2012 rolled around, she was beautiful, bold, bright, and bubbly in every sense, with dreams of becoming a criminal defense attorney. She may have been a 16-year-old honor student at University High School and a part-time employee at Wendy’s, but she had long-term goals and ambitions. On the personal front, Skylar was a typical teenager who loved hanging out with friends, partied from time to time, and was very active on social media platforms. Her parents were well aware of how exhausting such a young life could be, so they always let her sleep in on weekends or breaks.
The morning of Friday, July 6, 2012, was no different. It was only after Dave came home for lunch that he called out for his daughter because it was routine for her to drive him back to work before taking the car to clock in for her part-time job. Skylar never responded, so Dave eventually decided to enter her room, just to find a made-up bed that hadn’t been slept in, an open window with a stool outside, and no signs of the teenager. He immediately contacted his wife, but it wasn’t until she was a no-show at Wendy’s at 4:30 pm that they really began to panic because it wasn’t like her to flake on her responsibilities. Thus began an extensive search for her, but it was sadly her cold remains that were found in a wooded area over the nearby state line, in Wayne Township, Pennsylvania, on January 16, 2013. Her autopsy ascertained she had been stabbed to death and had over 50 wounds across her upper body — neck, back, torso, as well as both hands.
The Initial Investigations Into Skylar Neese’s Case Was Very Complex
When Mary and Dave reported their daughter missing on the evening of July 6, 2012, they made it clear she was not one to run away, as she had a good, stable home as well as school life. Their statements were corroborated by Skylar’s co-workers, friends, teachers, and private journal, along with the fact that all of her personal belongings were still in place in her bedroom. Whether it be her clothes, contact lenses, cell phone charger, or money, they were all in their place, and the stool still outside her window also indicated she had likely planned to return home.
It was not long after that Skylar’s best friend Shelia Eddy came forward to let officials know they and their third best friend Rachel Shoaf had all snuck out the prior evening for a joyride. She claimed they had decided to do so to spend some time together before the latter was to leave for Church Summer Camp in the morning, asserting they just drove around the local area. She then stated she had dropped off the missing girl around the corner from her home at her behest before midnight because she was worried the car’s headlights might wake her parents. It appeared as if she was cooperating to the best of her abilities, despite being heartbroken upon losing her closest confidant.
However, when investigators reviewed footage from the security cameras outside the Neeses’ residence, it came to light that Skylar had gotten into a vehicle at 12:30 am on her own free will. The video was too blurry for anything to be identified at the time, but with Sheila and Rachel’s accounts of the route they had taken not matching up, their phone records showing them in nearby Blacksville at 4 am on the fateful day, and surveillance footage from a nearby gas station confirming the car was Sheila’s, more questions came up. Then came rumors of Skylar potentially having overdosed and her remains being disposed of, as per the show, because it came to light that the 3 best friends allegedly often went to Blacksville to party, smoke marijuana, and let loose.
A Confession Resulted in Skylar Neese’s Case Finally Being Solved
With all the information investigators were able to gather about Skylar’s life and disappearance by December 2012, they ascertained her two best friends likely knew more than they were letting on. By this point, the case was being investigated by the Star City Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, and the FBI in collaboration, so they decided it was time to ask the teenagers to take a polygraph. Sheila failed hers while maintaining she had no idea what had happened to the missing 16-year-old, but Rachel later confessed after skipping her first appointment and then suffering a nervous breakdown out of sheer guilt.
Rachel’s mother had called 911 shortly after Christmas to report something was wrong with her daughter, as she wouldn’t stop screaming, resulting in her being admitted to a psychiatric hospital for 5 days. When she was released, she herself asked to talk to officials, so on January 3, 2013, she confessed that she and Sheila were responsible for Skylar’s murder while asserting it was premeditated. She told investigators that the trio had been having issues for a while, so Sheila allegedly suggested they get rid of her because they “didn’t like her” and “didn’t want to be friends with her anymore.” She claimed she went along with the plan since she was also afraid of Skylar telling others about her secret, sexually intimate relationship with Sheila, especially as she hailed from a devout Christian family.
Rachel then told detectives how the duo lured the 16-year-old out, drove to Wayne Township, Pennsylvania, walked into a wooded area, and then jumped her from behind at the count of 3 as planned. She even indicated that Skylar had fought for her life, resulting in her getting hurt right above her ankle and stopping, but Sheila continued until their victim “stopped making weird sounds.” She subsequently claimed they tried to bury her remains but were unable to do so because the ground was too hard for them to shovel, so they covered her with branches, dirt, and leaves before leaving. After confessing, Rachel took investigators to the place of the attack, which is precisely where Skylar’s remains were discovered after the snow melted 13 days later. In the end, Rachel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 1, 2013, whereas Sheila pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on January 28, 2014.
You must be logged in to post a comment.