Naman Shrestha
In the summer of 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese went missing from her family home in West Virginia, leaving her loved ones concerned about her well-being. Several months into the investigation, their worst nightmare became a reality when the detectives discovered her remains in an isolated area in Wayne, Pennsylvania. All the intricate details about the case and the months-long investigation that ensued are explored in Hulu’s ‘Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese,’ which also features interviews with the deceased teenager’s family and friends.
Skylar Neese’s Remains Were Found Months After Her Disappearance
Skylar Annette Neese was welcomed into the world by David and Mary Neese on February 10, 1996, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Affectionately referred to as Sky, she was raised with immense love and care by her parents. While David worked as a Product Assembler at Walmart, Mary was employed at a local cardiac laboratory. At the age of 16, Skylar attended University High School in Monongalia County, where she was an honor student. She was an ambitious individual who wished to become a criminal defense attorney. She worked part-time at a local Wendy’s in the evening and loved spending her free time with her friends and family. The 16-year-old Star City resident was admired by many and had a long life ahead of her, but things took a dangerous turn in July 2012.
On the fateful night of July 5, Skylar got back home after work, as usual, and told her parents she was tired. However, sometime past midnight on July 6, she sneaked out through the window of her family home to meet with her close friends from high school. The teenagers then embarked on a late-night drive. That was the last time her parents saw her alive; when David checked her bedroom in the morning, he was shocked to find it locked, as Skylar hardly did that. He found her bed in the state it was in, indicating she didn’t sleep on it; her charger; and a stool near the window, but no signs of Skylar.
Her parents began to worry because Skylar was a highly responsible individual who never liked to cause them concern or skip work. As hours passed without word of her whereabouts, Skylar’s family and friends grew concerned and reported her missing. Investigations into her vanishing swiftly began but yielded no significant results until a few months later, in January 2013, when her loved ones were hit with heartbreaking news. In an isolated spot in Wayne, Pennsylvania, Skylar’s remains were recovered, hidden with dirt, leaves, and branches. According to reports, the teenager was attacked and stabbed more than 50 times before succumbing to her injuries.
Skylar Neese Was Betrayed by Two of Her Loved Ones
As part of the investigation, the authorities retraced Skylar Neese’s movement in the weeks and months prior to her disappearance. They reviewed surveillance footage of her apartment complex and saw that she snuck out of her bedroom window around 12:30 am on July 6, 2012, and got into a light-colored sedan, which then drove away with the occupants. Moreover, upon going through her recent social media activity, the detectives learned that she had two close friends, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf, with whom she spent a lot of time. Her recent posts hinted at a possible rift among the trio. In her initial statements, Shelia told Skylar’s parents that she and Rachel dropped her off near her apartment building on the night she had gone out with them.
However, as suspicions grew about Shelia and Rachel’s involvement, the FBI became involved and found out that their claims about the late-night ride didn’t match the surveillance footage of the car. Later, Shelia admitted that it was her car Skylar entered on the night she disappeared. Several months after the disappearance, Rachel was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in late December 2012, as she had developed a mental health issue. About a week later, on January 3, 2013, she talked to the investigators and confessed to being involved in Skylar’s murder, alongside Shelia. Rachel claimed that she and Shelia lured Skylar to a remote area, prepared with cleaning rags, a shovel, and a change of clothes in the trunk of the car.
After reaching a remote area where the trio frequently smoked marijuana, Shelia and Rachel ambushed her and stabbed her to death. They then tried to bury her remains, but couldn’t because the ground was too hard to dig into. So, they hid the remains by covering them with branches and leaves. She also led the investigators to the site where they had hidden her remains. Rachel also collaborated with the police to get her accomplice to confess, but failed. In her confession, she admitted to having a romantic relationship with Shelia, which Skylar later learned about. She told the authorities that the two were worried that her friend would reveal their secret relationship to others. On top of the confession, the detectives also found Skylar’s blood on Shelia’s vehicle. Armed with enough evidence, both Rachel and Shelia were arrested for the murder of Skylar Neese.
Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf Are Currently Incarcerated at the Same West Virginia Prison
A few months later, on May 1, 2013, Rachel Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to cooperate with the investigators in exchange for a lesser sentence. Thus, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison with the possibility of parole after ten years. After her sentencing, Skylar’s father, David Neese, stated, “This inmate is just the rat that narced and got a deal. Yes, she showed us where she murdered Skylar, yet she is also the narcissist liar that put my daughter in that place. This monster is a danger to society. If released, no parent can close their eyes at night without fear that their own child could possibly be the next victim.”
On the other hand, Shelia Eddy pleaded guilty to first-degree murder before the commencement of her trial in January 2014. Consequently, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Rachel had parole hearings a couple of times in 2023 and 2024, but she was denied both times. Both Shelia and Rachel are serving their respective sentences at Lakin Correctional Center in West Columbia, West Virginia. While the former will be eligible for a parole hearing in May 2028, Rachel’s next parole hearing is scheduled for June 2026.
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