On Thursday July 5, 2012 in Star City, West Virginia, 16 year old Rachel Shoaf, and her co-conspirator Shelia Eddy, coerced 16 year old Skylar Neese into sneaking out of her home under the guise of hanging out and making amends for recent friction between the trio. Additionally, plans were discussed to attend a local party. Skylar was initially reluctant to sneak out, but Rachel and Shelia continued to convince her to come with them and Skylar eventually agreed. 

With Shelia driving and Rachel in the passenger seat, Skylar got into the backseat of the car shortly before midnight. What Skylar didn’t know is that she had just fallen into a sinister trap that had been premeditated for many months. 

They drove across the West Virginia border into Pennsylvania where they stopped on a rural road at a hangout area known to the girls. The plan was to hang out at this spot and talk for a while and to smoke. While walking away from the car, the girls stated that they had forgotten a lighter which caused Skylar to volunteer to return to the car for hers.

As Skylar turned around, Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy pulled out kitchen knives that they concealed in their hoodies and began savagely stabbing Skylar repeatedly.

Skylar then began to run for her life only to be tackled in the street by Rachel Shoaf. Skylar was able to briefly wrestle the knife from Rachel and then use it to inflict a large gash on Rachel’s lower leg.

 At this time, Shelia Eddy continued stabbing Skylar while Rachel regained control of her knife and joined in for a second time. Sometime shortly after midnight on Friday July 6, 2012, Skylar Annette Neese, succumbed to an estimate of over 50 stab wounds.

After Skylar died, Rachel and Shelia attempted to dig a grave to bury her body. However, they found the ground to be too hard so instead they collected logs and shrubs from the area to cover her body which they hid behind a tree.

The following morning Skylar’s dad, Dave, needed her to give him a ride to work. When he knocked on her door there was no answer. He then went outside to peek into her room and discovered a foot stool near her window. After finding the this Dave knew that Skylar had snuck out. Dave then tried numerous times to reach Skylar by phone to no avail. He called his wife, Mary (Skylar’s mom) to let her know that he couldn’t find her. She told him that Skylar had to work at a local fast food restaurant late that afternoon and not to worry.

They agreed that they would call the restaurant to speak to Skylar shortly after she reported for work. However, her employer called Dave and Mary first after being concerned that Skylar was late for work.

At this point Dave and Mary knew that something was very wrong and they phoned the police. Since it was 4th of July weekend, the police advised Dave and Mary to wait it out over the next few days in case Skylar had gone off for an impromptu trip without telling them. Dave and Mary knew she would never do such a thing but they had no choice but to wait.

When Skylar did not return over the weekend, the investigation really began to escalate. Surveillance video was discovered that showed Skylar entering a vehicle under her own free will. It was eventually determined that the car belonged to Shelia Eddy.

After being confronted, the girls admitted that Skylar had snuck out of the apartment with them but that they had dropped her off a few blocks away from her apartment shortly thereafter.

As the months went on, Dave and Mary experienced excruciating agony in not knowing where their only child was. They were also falsely rumored to have been involved in her disappearance as well, which only added to their torment. 

In time, the investigation began to focus more and more on the girls, Rachel Shoaf eventually had a mental breakdown before ultimately confessing to the truth. When asked why they killed Skylar, Rachel responded “Because just we didn’t like her.”

On June 8, 2026 Rachel Shoaf will have her third parole hearing, nearly 13 years to the date of her full involvement in the planning and killing of Skylar Neese.

We, the family and friends of the Neese family, remain steadfast in our belief that Rachel does not deserve to be paroled after serving less than half of her initial prison sentence. 

Rachel was just as complicit as Shelia Eddy in this savage murder. Rachel spent months lying to her family, friends and authorities regarding the truth of what happened to Skylar Neese.

She knew all along what happened and she did not tell the truth until. As Dave Neese said in his victim impact statement during the initial sentencing in 2014 “The walls began closing in on her” and that is why she eventually confessed. 

Please consider signing this petition and please help the Neese family assures that 1 of their daughter’s killers remains behind bars.

On behalf of Dave and Mary Neese and Team Skylar 2012, 

Barry D. Bach