The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese: The Truth Behind the Headlines by Daleen Berry, Geoffrey C. Fuller Page A
Authors: Daleen Berry, Geoffrey C. Fuller
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Woodall, posted the following:
Hey family - I’m Al & Nina’s granddaughter - my cousin Skylar Neese (on my other side of the family) went missing last week…. She’s a wild one, so we’re hoping it’s an extended teenage party break, but the thought of it being something else is terrifying. Would you mind please sharing this? I normally don’t share things like this, but she’s local in Morgantown area, and she’s my family. I appreciate the help!!
In truth, Rikki did not know her cousin Skylar at all. Mary and Dave said they had never even met in person. Despite her concern, Rikki was hardly an insider and her knowledge of the teen was based primarily on what was broadcast through social media.
Oftentimes, social media communication conceals as much as it reveals. It’s not necessarily about conveying the full truth so much as sustaining a public image and managing that image. By all accounts, Skylar wanted to be
seen as
a wild child, but she wasn’t, not really. That’s not to say she didn’t occasionally get drunk or smoke weed, because she did. Accounts of her drug use vary—some teens maintain it was confined to marijuana and alcohol, while others said Skylar used other substances. But the wild child image that Rikki Woodall had disseminated appears to have been largely manufactured by Skylar herself.
Still, Skylar looked up to Shelia and Rachel—even though Shelia was known for being significantly more involved in the party scene and both she and Rachel were sexually active. As a result, many teens thought Skylar was hanging with the wrong crowd. Apparently, at various parties around Blacksville and Morgantown, Skylar was often seen sitting on a couch by herself, playing with her phone or her iPod. While people around her were drinking, drugging, and making out, Skylar was on Twitter.
Like so many teenagers, she wanted to be perceived as “cool.” Her tweets and Facebook posts revealed a girl who just wanted to have fun. At the same time, they concealed Skylar’s true nature. They obscured the girl who was insightful, had exceptional writing skills, and planned to be a criminal lawyer. This was the real Skylar, the one whose peers said she was by far the smartest person in her social circle, the Skylar who was a rock for the friends who counted on her.
Chapter 11
Where’s Goody?
The day after Rikki’s Facebook post, Mary and Dave loaded their bags into Mary’s sister’s car and prepared to drive down to North Carolina. Carol Michaud, or Aunt Carol, as Skylar called her favorite aunt, had bonded with Skylar at Skylar’s birth. Carol and Skylar had spent so much time together since then, Carol looked at Skylar like the daughter she never had. Skylar was also like a sister to Carol’s son, Kyle, who was two years older. Carol would do whatever it took to bring Skylar home.
Mary and Dave’s own car wasn’t in the best shape, and they had already put a ton of money into it just to keep it on the road so it would get them to work each day. But a long trip like that was another matter. Dave was afraid it would break down and leave them stranded along the road. God knows they already had enough stress; the last thing they needed was more.
But they had to check on this last Skylar sighting, to see for themselves if the girl spotted on the boardwalk was their daughter. For all they knew, it
was
her. In just a few hours, they believed, they might see their baby again. Carol’s offer of her own car had been an answer to their prayers.
Meanwhile, the volunteers who spent hours every day hanging up posters began to wonder what was happening to the fliers. The posters kept disappearing. Was someone following them and taking the posters down? The MISSING posters had been removed at one local grocery store and at a nearby hair salon. Dave’s Aunt Joanne said it had happened repeatedly in Sabraton, too. No one could conclusively say why. Or who was behind it.
The same day Mary and Dave were getting
Hey family - I’m Al & Nina’s granddaughter - my cousin Skylar Neese (on my other side of the family) went missing last week…. She’s a wild one, so we’re hoping it’s an extended teenage party break, but the thought of it being something else is terrifying. Would you mind please sharing this? I normally don’t share things like this, but she’s local in Morgantown area, and she’s my family. I appreciate the help!!
In truth, Rikki did not know her cousin Skylar at all. Mary and Dave said they had never even met in person. Despite her concern, Rikki was hardly an insider and her knowledge of the teen was based primarily on what was broadcast through social media.
Oftentimes, social media communication conceals as much as it reveals. It’s not necessarily about conveying the full truth so much as sustaining a public image and managing that image. By all accounts, Skylar wanted to be
seen as
a wild child, but she wasn’t, not really. That’s not to say she didn’t occasionally get drunk or smoke weed, because she did. Accounts of her drug use vary—some teens maintain it was confined to marijuana and alcohol, while others said Skylar used other substances. But the wild child image that Rikki Woodall had disseminated appears to have been largely manufactured by Skylar herself.
Still, Skylar looked up to Shelia and Rachel—even though Shelia was known for being significantly more involved in the party scene and both she and Rachel were sexually active. As a result, many teens thought Skylar was hanging with the wrong crowd. Apparently, at various parties around Blacksville and Morgantown, Skylar was often seen sitting on a couch by herself, playing with her phone or her iPod. While people around her were drinking, drugging, and making out, Skylar was on Twitter.
Like so many teenagers, she wanted to be perceived as “cool.” Her tweets and Facebook posts revealed a girl who just wanted to have fun. At the same time, they concealed Skylar’s true nature. They obscured the girl who was insightful, had exceptional writing skills, and planned to be a criminal lawyer. This was the real Skylar, the one whose peers said she was by far the smartest person in her social circle, the Skylar who was a rock for the friends who counted on her.
Chapter 11
Where’s Goody?
The day after Rikki’s Facebook post, Mary and Dave loaded their bags into Mary’s sister’s car and prepared to drive down to North Carolina. Carol Michaud, or Aunt Carol, as Skylar called her favorite aunt, had bonded with Skylar at Skylar’s birth. Carol and Skylar had spent so much time together since then, Carol looked at Skylar like the daughter she never had. Skylar was also like a sister to Carol’s son, Kyle, who was two years older. Carol would do whatever it took to bring Skylar home.
Mary and Dave’s own car wasn’t in the best shape, and they had already put a ton of money into it just to keep it on the road so it would get them to work each day. But a long trip like that was another matter. Dave was afraid it would break down and leave them stranded along the road. God knows they already had enough stress; the last thing they needed was more.
But they had to check on this last Skylar sighting, to see for themselves if the girl spotted on the boardwalk was their daughter. For all they knew, it
was
her. In just a few hours, they believed, they might see their baby again. Carol’s offer of her own car had been an answer to their prayers.
Meanwhile, the volunteers who spent hours every day hanging up posters began to wonder what was happening to the fliers. The posters kept disappearing. Was someone following them and taking the posters down? The MISSING posters had been removed at one local grocery store and at a nearby hair salon. Dave’s Aunt Joanne said it had happened repeatedly in Sabraton, too. No one could conclusively say why. Or who was behind it.
The same day Mary and Dave were getting
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