The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese: The Truth Behind the Headlines (13 page)

One after another, bits and pieces of Mary’s memory began to surface in the months after Skylar was gone. For instance, Mary remembered that Skylar had rejected the idea of applying for a job at Chick-fil-A, where Shelia then worked. Instead, she got a job at Wendy’s, joining her childhood friend Hayden McClead. Soon after, Skylar had gotten Daniel a job there, too.

Skylar and Daniel had always been tight, but with all three of them working at Wendy’s, Skylar and Hayden grew close again. Hayden—like many of Skylar’s friends—didn’t like Shelia. She wouldn’t hang out with Skylar if Shelia was around.

To Hayden and other teens, it seemed like Shelia was always pushing the boundaries in uncomfortable ways. She liked being more outrageous than her peers. Hayden recalled a specific party held in Blacksville where Shelia really pushed the limits.

Everyone was getting high, and Shelia and a girl named Janet
⁹
were kissing. Some boy began snapping photos, so Shelia and Janet started a striptease for all the partygoers. Hayden and Skylar were disgusted and just sat back in a corner, trying to pretend it was no big deal.

Thinking about the stories Skylar had told her and the ones she heard later from Hayden, Daniel, and others, Mary realized that while she and Dave had tried to accept Shelia and think of her as a daughter, they never completely succeeded. In the years since Skylar and Shelia first met at The Shack, Mary and Dave saw Shelia mostly in the summer and a few times during the school year. In eighth grade, Skylar and Shelia’s visits became more frequent, with Shelia staying overnight at the Neeses’ or Skylar sleeping over at Tara’s place in Blacksville.

Then, in ninth grade, everything changed. Mary said that as time went on, she and Dave finally began to notice little things about Shelia they had always overlooked. Shelia was their daughter’s friend, and they wanted to see only the best in her, but her effect on Skylar hadn’t always been positive.

For instance, there was how Skylar treated her own cousin Kyle Michaud. Two years older, Kyle had been there the day Skylar came home from the hospital. Carol had only Kyle, and Mary had only Skylar—so Skylar and Kyle grew up as close as siblings. But once Shelia came to UHS, Skylar wouldn’t even talk to Kyle when they passed in the hallways.

That’s when Mary remembered something Kyle had told his mother: “Shelia’s a bad seed.” That really got the ball rolling around in Mary’s head, and she remembered the time Kyle had waited after school to drive Skylar home. But Skylar never showed up—instead, she left with Shelia, without so much as a word to Kyle. Mary realized then that since Shelia moved into town, Skylar had even grown away from the older cousin who had once been like a big brother.

It was also unnerving how often Shelia lied about one thing or another—Mary remembered how she even covered for Shelia with Tara. But it was the sexually explicit Facebook message that really made Mary reflect on Shelia’s character. She and Dave had been appalled and angry when they stumbled onto it.

Mary remembered that it happened not long before Skylar disappeared. In a rush to meet up with Shelia, Skylar had forgotten to log out of her Facebook account on the family computer. When Dave went online, the page was there in plain sight. The message from Shelia to Skylar described in graphic detail one of Shelia’s sexual experiences. It was so worrisome that Mary and Dave printed it out and drove to Tara and Jim’s townhouse to show them. But Shelia denied she had sent it. She blamed it on Shania, saying she was pranking her. Tara believed Shelia, and brushed the entire matter aside.

***

Mary’s mind was filled with so many memories that she decided to write everything down, hoping to make some sense of it. The more she wrote, the more she wanted to share her thoughts with the world. She did that in the form of a letter on Facebook.

That letter appeared on Mary’s personal Facebook page in mid-December. Before long, everyone in the two Facebook groups was sharing it. Some people believe that Mary Neese’s honesty, clarity, and directness led to Rachel Shoaf’s confession soon after.

Mary’s written words showed how six months of lies and stonewalling radically changed her and Dave’s view of Shelia and Rachel.
The time has come to tell the full Skylar story from beginning to end as we know it to this point,
Mary began. She recapped the circumstances of Skylar’s disappearance and described the discovery of the apartment surveillance video.

The grieving mother discussed how the unreliable tips and sightings were all they had to give them hope. They continued hanging MISSING posters around town for two months,
until I could no longer take it
. Then Mary stated something that only a mother would know:
Skylar could not stay away from me that long, let alone her friends.

Law enforcement confirmed Mary’s maternal instinct:
Skylar’s two best friends … were not telling the whole truth. They have continued to withhold information … and have been caught in multiple lies to [the] authorities
.

Originally, she said, police believed the girls were too afraid to say what happened to Skylar. They were scared of getting into trouble. That had all changed, though:
At this point both girls have been offered immunity and still refuse to cooperate
.

Her moving public plea concluded on a dramatic note:
This is truly the ultimate betrayal…. These girls are more guilty than originally suspected…. It looks like foul play has occurred and murder has not been ruled out.

***

A former UHS guidance counselor, Tom Bloom had known Dave since he had been a high school student himself. Bloom was deeply moved when he read the news about Skylar. He had known her during her freshman and sophomore years at UHS. Bloom had called Dave Neese as soon as he read the original
Dominion Post
article about Skylar back on July 10.

“Dave, I’m not sure what I can do, but man,” Bloom said, “I just want you to know I’m here for you.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Dave said.

“I’ve got a great story for you, too. Skylar came to interview me for a journalism class project she had. She kept coming back, so I finally asked her, ‘Skylar, you’ve been here three times. Why?’” Tom said, laughing. “She said, ‘Well, Mr. Bloom, I want to get it right. Not like
The Dominion Post
.’”

Dave laughed. “That sounds like Skylar.”

In March, Bloom had won the Democratic primary for the Monongalia County Commission, signaling a likely win in November’s general election. When Becky Bailey posted her online petition in early December, Commissioner Bloom was one of two people who immediately reached out to her. Chuck Yocum, who works for the Maryland school system, was the other. Yocum reached out to Bloom after seeing one of Bloom’s Facebook posts about the missing Skylar. He offered to take Becky’s petition and add some legal language so it could be presented to politicians who might be interested in Skylar’s case.

Bloom called House of Delegates member Charlene Marshall, and together they discussed introducing Bailey’s petition as Skylar’s Law when the state legislature met the following January. Marshall was keenly interested in the proposed bill, because she had long thought the AMBER Alert legislation needed to be revised. In her view the current law wasn’t doing enough to help bring home missing children.

***

Shania knew how much her friend Shelia missed Skylar, so she slaved over the homemade Christmas gift. She wanted it to be the perfect present; she planned to give it when Shelia came by to pick her up for a sleepover a few days before Christmas.

Shania was a little nervous, though, because she wasn’t sure how Shelia would react. Would she be happy or burst into tears? Shania had copied dozens of photos she knew Shelia would love of Shelia’s friends and family. There were shots of Shelia with Shania or Skylar or all three girls together, an assortment of posed shots and selfies. Shania labored over the fabric-covered collage for hours, carefully assembling it. She had far more photos than would fit, though, so she wrapped up the loose photos all together, just so Shelia would have them.

When she was done, the collage looked fantastic, and Shania felt it helped memorialize their missing friend. Shania believed her present would provide Shelia with something tangible, something to hold onto—until Skylar returned.

Shelia’s reaction to Shania’s handmade gift was exactly what Shania had hoped for. Shelia loved her present, and she and Tara took turns looking at all of the pictures Shania didn’t have room to place in the collage.

“Thank you,” Shelia said, giving Shania a big hug.

Shania didn’t give the moment much thought until a week later, when she was back at Shelia’s house. Shania saw the collage, but not a single photo of Skylar remained. Shelia had removed them all and tossed them into the gift bag with the rest of the photos.

***

Students say Rachel Shoaf’s descent began after Skylar disappeared, signaled by her smoking more and more weed, getting into trouble at school, and cutting herself. There are allegations Rachel was using harder drugs, too, and some people say she and Patricia were fighting more frequently. Rachel had skipped out on her lie detector test, hiding out with Tara and Shelia for hours until Gaskins and Berry found her. Her attendance at school had also grown spotty.

Not long after Mary’s letter, Rachel’s behavior grew even more erratic. As Christmas approached, Patricia had reached the end of her rope. She called Rusty, who agreed to move in with them until the situation improved. It’s possible they also planned to hire a good therapist for their daughter. If so, they never got the chance. When Rachel returned from Christmas vacation with her mother, she was thrilled to be going home with her dad. Until Rusty and Patricia explained that it wasn’t going to happen. Instead, Rachel’s dad was moving back in. The announcement triggered a huge family fight. Rachel was committed to Chestnut Ridge Center for observation on December 28 and not released until January 3. Just in time for the climax, as the curtain opened on Act Three.

Less than one week after she was committed to the local mental hospital, Rachel Shoaf walked out the front door a free individual.

She wasn’t free for long, though. Her stay at Chestnut Ridge Center had resulted in more than the Shoafs ever imagined. Rachel seemed to need to unburden herself. Perhaps she was going to reveal what she knew about Skylar. Where she was. Who had taken her. Why she hadn’t come home yet. Her parents were relieved to see Rachel’s transformation.

So instead of going home, they drove their daughter straight to her attorney’s office downtown. Once there, Patricia and Rusty waited while Rachel spoke to John Angotti privately. Rachel wasn’t gone long before she returned to the waiting room, trading places with her parents. After Patricia and Rusty were seated and the office door was closed, Angotti delivered the shocking news: “Your daughter is directly involved in the murder of Skylar Neese.”

Stunned, Patricia thought back to all the lies Rachel had told her ever since Skylar disappeared. She thought of Rachel’s future—and the life she had just thrown away. One part of Patricia’s mind wouldn’t accept what Angotti was saying. The other part knew it was true. Patricia crumpled to the floor, weeping.

***

When Angotti’s call came through, Corporal Gaskins couldn’t have been more surprised.

“My client has something she wants to tell you. Is the immunity offer still on the table?” Gaskins said yes and told Angotti he would be right over.

The prosecutor had granted Rachel and Shelia full immunity from prosecution back in the fall for information about Skylar’s disappearance. Yet now Angotti was saying that Rachel had agreed to lead police to Skylar’s body. Gaskins had known the two girls were keeping a big secret, but the entire time he’d been working the case, he had hoped this wasn’t it.

The state police corporal was replaying the details of the case as he wove the cruiser through traffic. All the way across town, through the slush and snow still on the streets after the recent snowfall, he mulled over the news. Gaskins wondered if Angotti had misunderstood what the teenager had said somehow. Yet Angotti had a reputation as a tough but excellent attorney; surely he knew how to get straight answers from his own client. Nor would he have been careless with the details. But Gaskins knew from experience that just because a client said they were ready to talk didn’t mean they actually would. Not when it came right down to it.

If Rachel did know what happened to Skylar, perhaps law enforcement would finally learn how, exactly, Skylar’s disappearance was connected to the bank robberies. Had Darek killed her to cover up something Skylar had learned? Or maybe it really was as simple as an overdose, and Rachel and Shelia had managed to keep quiet. Gaskins thought of all the hours he and Berry had logged and all the time Colebank and Spurlock had put in. The dozen or so extra city, state, and federal officers who had helped, and become engrossed by, the case. Now they were finally going to learn the truth.

Gaskins walked into the law offices, his face a mask. Agent Brock Ambrosini had already arrived. The men said their hellos, exchanging small pleasantries about the weather or work, then sat around the conference table. The tension in the air was palpable.

Angotti had told her parents he and Rachel would need several hours with the police, and suggested the police bring Rachel home. After Rachel’s mind-blowing revelation, Angotti honestly didn’t know if Rachel would even make it back home.

When Angotti brought Rachel into the conference room, she didn’t look like the same girl who had been stonewalling everyone for four months. She appeared exhausted. As soon as she began talking, Gaskins knew something had changed. She no longer mentioned being too stoned to remember details. She wasn’t flippant or careless. Clearly this girl wanted to talk. Rachel Shoaf was finally ready to tell the truth.

While Ambrosini, known as one of the most skilled polygraph examiners in the FBI, conducted the interview, Gaskins waited for the teen to say that she and Shelia had given their friend some kind of drug, an overdose. Or that Skylar had fallen and hit her head, and when they couldn’t wake her up, they’d gotten scared and had left her behind. The seasoned investigator was expecting anything other than what he heard that day in Angotti’s conference room.

“We stabbed her,” Rachel said.

Gaskins looked up from his paper, trying to get a good look at the teenager’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right.”

“Shelia and I, we stabbed Skylar,” Rachel said, her voice soft.

The pencil fell from Gaskins’s hand and both men almost fell off their chairs.

“Are you saying you killed Skylar Neese?” Gaskins asked in disbelief.

Rachel nodded.

***

Gaskins ripped up the paperwork granting Rachel Shoaf full immunity. The minute he knew they were looking at murder, instead of any lesser charges, like obstruction of justice or making false statements, that deal was off the table. Gaskins called Prosecutor Ashdown, who listened silently to the story Gaskins told.

“Second-degree murder,” Ashdown said. “In return for taking you to Skylar. It’s about time Dave and Mary get their daughter back.”

Gaskins and Ashdown both knew that after six months outdoors, exposed to the harsh elements, the crime scene and Skylar’s remains weren’t likely to yield much evidence usable in court. The best the police could hope for was that enough of her was left to identify.

***

“Going to be a lot of snow in the woods,” Ambrosini said as he and Gaskins were getting ready to go. His backup had arrived and was waiting in the parking lot outside the law offices. “Might not even be able to search.”

Angotti had Rachel in his office, waiting for the signal from Gaskins. It was time for Rachel to give them more than words—leading police to the body was the only way to prove that she was telling the truth.

“We’ll go take a look anyway,” Gaskins said, his lips drawn tight. The thought of Skylar’s remains sitting outside and unprotected was torture to Gaskins. To him, that simply wasn’t an option.

Driving the first of two cars, Gaskins thought Ambrosini might be right. Conditions didn’t look promising. The farther out of town they drove, headed north, the more snow piled up on the sides of the road. Rachel rode in the backseat of the lead car so she could tell Gaskins where to turn when it came time. Angotti sat up front, beside him. The second car, with the two FBI agents, trailed close behind the state police cruiser.

During her confession, Rachel had claimed that Shelia had disposed of the knives, their bloody clothes, Skylar’s purse and iPod, the shovel, and the other tools the two girls had used to try to hide their crime. When Rachel said she had no idea where any of those items could be, she seemed sincere. But she had agreed to lead police to Skylar’s body in exchange for a plea deal.

As it turned out, there was one small problem. On the way there, after passing through Blacksville and turning off onto a narrow, graveled road, Gaskins knew they were about to cross into Pennsylvania. No one else was too surprised, either. Most of the twisting back roads in that part of the county wound back and forth between West Virginia and Greene County, Pennsylvania.

Angotti learned this when his GPS registered that fact. He immediately knew Rachel was in trouble—if the body was in Pennsylvania, the whole deal could be off.

The cars pulled off the road so the authorities could determine what to do next. At the side of the road, Gaskins, the FBI, and Angotti discussed the situation, agreeing that the first priority was to find Skylar. Rachel had spilled the beans, and the State of West Virginia was offering her a deal. Everyone agreed the teenager had to follow through on her promise, before they took her home.

Both cars began moving again. They turned onto Morris Run Road, a narrow country lane composed of asphalt and gravel. On that cold January day, though, the terrain was bathed in white. The crunch of the gravel was muted under the vehicle tires. Less than two miles away, along an isolated stretch, Rachel told them to stop. The officers, the lawyer, and the suspect got out. All eyes were on Rachel, as she surveyed the white forest, first turning this way, then that. Finally, she admitted she couldn’t tell where she and Shelia had left Skylar. It was two seasons later, in the dead of winter, and everything looked much different than it had in July.

Gaskins and Ambrosini discussed the best way to proceed. In those kinds of conditions, who knew how long it would take to find Skylar. If they found her. They hated to admit it, but they had no choice: they would have to wait until the snow was gone.

***

Shelia stared out the passenger window as her mom drove toward the Shoafs’ neighborhood. Rachel’s hospitalization had unnerved her. So Sheila was anxious to see her very best friend—but she was also worried Patricia wouldn’t let Rachel hang out with her. Not now.

Still, it was worth a try. Tara would drop Shelia off and wait for her, killing time by circling the block until Shelia came out again. The cul-de-sac was tiny, and Tara didn’t want to attract any attention by parking too close to the Shoafs’. She knew the neighborhood was full of gossips, so word would easily reach Patricia’s ears.

Rachel had been in the hospital for less than a week, and God knew what they’d done to her in there. But she was out now, and Shelia had a ton of questions. Except she didn’t know how much time they’d have. It was about 5:45, and if Patricia wasn’t already there, she’d probably be home any minute. When they first drove up, Shelia breathed a sigh of relief that Patricia’s car was nowhere in sight.

Shelia had tried at least twice to see Rachel inside Chestnut Ridge. Security had turned her away. The first time was on a day set aside specifically for family visitation. Usually, friends can visit, too, but only with permission from the patient or—in the case of minors—the parents. Patricia had left strict orders: “Family ONLY.”

Shelia learned this when she tried to visit Rachel, and was told her name wasn’t on the list of approved visitors. It didn’t make any sense. Before, she would have
been
family. Shelia wasn’t sure what was going on. Still, she tried and tried—but failed to get past security.

Shelia had been waiting at the hospital for hours when Patricia arrived. Rachel’s mother warned security not to let Shelia in.

“She’s not getting past us, ma’am,” the guard assured Patricia.

Shelia tried again two days later. Again, she was turned away.

When Tara dropped Shelia off at the curb in front of the Shoafs’ house, Rachel answered the door. Shelia slipped inside. She had no clue what a busy girl Rachel had been earlier that day. Shelia didn’t have any inkling Rachel had told authorities she and Shelia had savagely stabbed Skylar to death. Shelia didn’t know that Rachel had spent hours confessing to her lawyer, the state police, and the FBI. Nothing seemed amiss because Rachel wasn’t in custody.

Shelia also didn’t know that Rachel had agreed to gather evidence against her best friend, or that everything they said and did was being recorded on audio- and videotape. Apparently, she didn’t notice the extra cars parked in the neighbors’ driveways, either, or the officers inside those vehicles who were listening and watching the two girls’ exchange.

Despite the hopes of law enforcement, Shelia said nothing directly incriminating. It was clear to the state troopers and FBI agents listening outside that the teens were involved in a conspiracy—just as Rachel had said—but bugging Rachel and Shelia’s “reunion” produced nothing that could be used to develop a case against Shelia.

At the moment of their reunion, Shelia was oblivious to all of that; her only care was telling the world how happy she was to see Rachel—
her
Rachel—again. When Shelia left, she happily tweeted,
FINALLLLY GOT TO SEEE @_racchh <
3. She attached a selfie of the pair.

In that revealing photo, the pair of matching smiles seems forced and Rachel looks exhausted, her eyes rimmed with dark circles. Shelia said as much with her very next tweet:
and i don’t even care how bad we look
. Shelia never expected that tweet to be the last one she ever sent directly to Rachel.

Less than a half hour after leaving Rachel, Shelia was no longer happy. Her next tweet, -_______-, shows this clearly. The tweet is teenspeak for any feeling from dislike to hostility. The emoticon depicts a mouth and two squinty eyes. The longer the line—the greater the displeasure.

She also tweeted,
i dont have time to be wasting my time.

Shelia’s tweets the next morning suggest
something
about the exchange with Rachel the night before had left a very bitter taste in her mouth. Because either Shelia was up early or—more likely—she was still awake after a long and sleepless night.

This is evident by her 8:30 a.m. tweet:
first time ive ever been completely speechless
. Then Shelia tweeted, simply,
holy fuck
.