The image is still haunting. It’s a grainy surveillance clip from a quiet apartment complex in Star City, West Virginia. You see a 16-year-old girl, Skylar Neese, climbing out of her bedroom window at 12:30 a.m. on July 6, 2012. She runs across the parking lot and hops into the backseat of a sedan. She thinks she’s sneaking out for a quick joyride with her two best friends.
She never came back.
For months, the case was a black hole. Was she a runaway? Did she overdose at a party? Dateline NBC eventually titled their deep dive into this nightmare "Something Wicked," and honestly, that’s an understatement. This wasn't just a murder. It was a cold-blooded betrayal by the two people Skylar trusted most: Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf.
The Night Everything Went Wrong
Skylar had just finished a shift at Wendy’s. She was tired, but when Shelia and Rachel pulled up, she couldn't resist. They drove across the Pennsylvania state line to a remote spot in Wayne Township. They had done this before—hanging out, smoking marijuana, just being teenagers.
But this time, the trunk was packed with more than just snacks.
Shelia and Rachel had hidden kitchen knives, bleach, a shovel, and a change of clothes. They even carried the knives under their hoodies. Once they got out of the car, the "friends" waited for the perfect moment. They told Skylar they forgot a lighter. When she turned her back to head toward the car, they counted to three.
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They stabbed her over 50 times.
It’s the kind of detail that makes your stomach turn. Skylar didn't just go down; she fought. She managed to grab Rachel’s knife and cut her ankle, but Shelia didn't stop. They kept going until Skylar’s neck "stopped making weird sounds," a chilling detail Rachel later gave to investigators. They tried to bury her, but the Appalachian ground was too frozen and rocky. They just threw some branches and dirt over her and left her there.
The Chilling Aftermath
What happened next is arguably more twisted than the crime itself. Shelia Eddy didn't go into hiding. She didn't act guilty. She helped Skylar’s parents, Dave and Mary Neese, hand out missing person fliers. She sat in their living room. She cried with them.
She even tweeted about it.
"Skylar, you will always be my best friend," she wrote to her thousands of followers. It was a performance. Rachel, on the other hand, was falling apart. While Shelia stayed "iced over" (as one detective put it), Rachel eventually had a psychiatric breakdown in December 2012. On January 3, 2013, she finally told her attorney the truth.
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The reason? When police asked why they did it, Rachel famously replied: "We just didn't like her."
What Really Happened with the Motive
For a long time, the public was stuck with that "we just didn't like her" line. It felt hollow. How do you go from best friends to "I’m going to stab you 50 times" because of a personality clash?
Honestly, the truth was more complex.
In a 2023 parole hearing, the real motive finally came out in full. Rachel Shoaf admitted that she and Shelia were in a secret romantic relationship. They were terrified Skylar would out them. Tensions had been high for months. Skylar had seen things she wasn't supposed to see, and the duo decided the only way to keep their secret was to get rid of the witness.
Where Are They Now?
It’s 2026, and the legal fallout is still active. Here is the current status of everyone involved:
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Shelia Eddy is serving a life sentence at the Lakin Correctional Center. Because she was a juvenile at the time of the crime, West Virginia law—and a Supreme Court ruling—mandated she have a chance at parole. She becomes eligible in 2028. Unlike Rachel, Shelia has shown almost zero remorse over the years.
Rachel Shoaf was sentenced to 30 years for second-degree murder. She’s been up for parole twice now, once in 2023 and again in 2024. Both times, she was denied. The parole board cited the sheer brutality of the crime. Her next chance at freedom comes in June 2025, but her projected release date isn't until 2028.
Dave and Mary Neese haven't just sat in their grief. They fought for Skylar’s Law, which changed how Amber Alerts work in West Virginia. Now, police don't have to wait to see if a child was "abducted" before sending out an alert. If a kid is missing and in danger, the word goes out immediately.
Why This Case Still Sticks
People still watch the Dateline NBC episode because it taps into a primal fear: that the people closest to us could be our greatest danger. It wasn't a stranger in the woods. It was the girl who sat next to her in science class.
The takeaway for parents and friends isn't just about "stranger danger." It’s about the digital trail. Skylar’s Twitter was full of hints that her friendships were toxic. She posted about not being able to trust people. She talked about being "broken."
If you are following this case or others like it, the best way to honor Skylar is to pay attention to those red flags in your own circles. True friends don't make you feel unsafe.
To stay updated on the 2025 parole hearings, you can monitor the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation public records. You can also support the Skylar Neese Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to students at University High School, the very school Skylar should have graduated from.