MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Friday, 20/20 Investigates on ABC will air a special two-hour program about the murder of Skylar Nesse in 2012.
Neese vanished in July of 2012, and after months of searching, her two best friends admitted to the killing.
Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, then 18, admitted to stabbing their university high school classmate to death in Greene County, Pennsylvania, in July of 2012. After unsuccessfully attempting to dig a makeshift grave for Neese, they covered her body with brushes, sticks, and rocks. About seven months later, Shoaf led police to the body after suffering a nervous breakdown and confessing to the crime.
A recent top-rated podcast, “Three,” delved into the incident, analyzing how social interactions have evolved in the 14 years since Shoaf and Eddy helped Neese sneak out of her home before they brutally killed her.
“We’re seeing social media as an influence, and that changed from 2012 to today,” said Jason Hoch, executive producer of the podcast. “We’re seeing this dynamic of teenage girls living on social media.”
Another goal of the podcast is to break down the incident to find out what some of the key moments were that resulted in the murder and how they could be avoided. The 10-part series gives the community shocked by killing glimpses into what some of the triggers to the violence were.
“This is also a conversation about what do we do about this?” Hoch asked. “Here is a tragic story, so how do we put that out there and start a national conservation campaign about how we take care of our teenagers and the use of social media?”
On WAJR’s “Talkof the Town,” Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom who was a guidance counselor at University High School where all three attended said there are too few opportunities for young people to interact face-to-face. During the pandemic, people of all ages, including teens, were given an excuse to not interact. Bloom believes the trend to disengage has continued but can be reversed by returning to proven practices from the past.
“If there’s one class they should bring, it’s debate-debating,” Bloom said. “What do you watch nationally on TV? They go after everything but the issues, and they go after each other personally.”
After the killing, Eddy remained active on social media. She regularly posted about her thoughts and activities, and after the murder was confirmed, some of those tweets seemed inappropriate or disturbing. Eddy even tweeted, “Rest easy, Skyklar; you will always be my best friend,” along with a picture of Neese after her body was found.
“Did they know what they were doing?” Hoch asked. “Did they realize those tweets are still out there? They can live forever.”
The obsession with smartphones and social media will continue to drive teens into conflict, according to Bloom. Young people have no concept of how social media can be used to isolate and demean others.
“I believe you’re going to see more of these problems because we’re not dealing with them and teachers are afraid to be teachers,” Bloom said.
The special will air Friday, April 12 at 9 p.m. on ABC and the next day on Hulu.