Dave and Mary Neese discovered on July 6, 2012, that their 16-year-old daughter Skylar had disappeared from their home in West Virginia. What began as a missing teenager case would become one of the most shocking murder stories in American true crime — because the killers were Skylar's own best friends.
The FOX True Crime Podcast, hosted by Emily Compagno, revisits the case in the episode Fatal Betrayal: Inside the Skylar Neese Murder, available on Podimo. The episode examines a friendship that turned deeply sinister, and follows the investigators and family members who had to live with months of agonizing uncertainty.
A Girl Everyone Loved
Skylar Neese is described by her father Dave as "a very bubbly person" — a girl with a 4.0 GPA, a part-time job, and a close circle of friends. She had known Shelia Eddy since they were eight years old, and the two had welcomed Rachel Shoaf into their group during their freshman year of high school. The three girls were, as investigators later described, nearly inseparable — until something went wrong.
Exactly what changed has never been fully explained. But according to Rachel Shoaf's own confession, the motive came down to something disturbingly simple: they no longer liked Skylar.
friendship and murder
The Confession That Broke the Case
In the months following Skylar's disappearance, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf continued to live apparently normal lives — attending school, staying active on social media, and even participating in search efforts. Investigators were suspicious, but had no evidence.
That changed on January 1, 2013 — nearly six months after the murder — when Rachel Shoaf contacted police and confessed. Corporal Ronnie Gaskins described the moment on the TV program 20/20: "The first words out of her mouth were, 'We stabbed her.'" Shoaf directed authorities to the location where the body had been left, and DNA from Shelia Eddy was found in her car.
murder confession case
