Nice to meet you. Tonight on 20/20 ` could Broods be our next big music export? I press this button, then I yell into that microphone. They've got Lorde's producer on their team. # The only thing. # Fuck. Sorry. Sorry for swearing. (LAUGHS) You just have to give every single last bit of you. And the fame machine is in motion... Like, this is incredible. ...for global success. What do you reckon? What do you reckon? It's pretty amazing. They were 16 and inseparable ` best friends Skylar, Shelia and Rachel. And it was always those three together. And it was always those three together. Giggly teenage girls. But behind their smiles, secrets that would shock everyone. No one was expecting anything like that. Copyright Able 2014 Kia ora. I'm Sonya Wilson. Now, we've all heard of Lorde and watched her meteoric rise, but now there is a new Kiwi music sensation on the block, and they go by the name of Broods. Tonight we have an exclusive inside look at what happens when an unknown Kiwi brother and sister from Nelson enter the star-making machine of one of the world's biggest record labels. Here's Erin Conroy with Broods. # Gave you a minute # when you needed an hour. # Just to push it aside # instead of leaving it behind you. I flipped out a little bit. # ...could've made you forget. Told her it was one of the best songs she's ever written. When Caleb likes a song, that` that means that I've done a good job. (CHUCKLES) # Cos it was sink or swim... We put it up on SoundCloud, and it just kind of escalated really quickly. # And we're burning all the bridges. # Burning all the bridges now. # With one click, one upload, this brother-and-sister duo have been sucked into a machine ` You go from doing absolutely nothing to living your dream in, like, a matter of months. ...a music-making machine intent on spitting out Broods as the next big thing ` Hello hello. Any Broods around? ...the same machine that's shot other Kiwis to stardom. Shall we go and meet Joel? 'And the key? This guy ` Joel Little `' Lovely to meet you. I'm Erin. Lovely to meet you. I'm Erin. Hey. How are you? Welcome. Thank you. This is where you do stuff with kind of exciting people, eh? Yeah. '...the guy instrumental in the success of Lorde.' And the Grammy goes to... Royals by Joel Little and Ella Yelich-O'Connor, Lorde! Oh wow, man. This is intense. Georgia and Caleb Nott are his next musical proteges. So, within the whole 'getting an album out' process, where are you at? Right at the very beginning. Does it feel like the start of something big? We'd love for it to just keep getting bigger and keep getting more exciting, and I think, um, we can only hope that this is going to be a lifetime thing for us. SLOW COUNTRY ROCK MUSIC Georgia and Caleb had performance in their blood, growing up in small-town Nelson. These two had seen success before, on a high school level, winning the Rock Quest in a band called The Peasants. # Try to shake it off # Sit down and start tearing it # off your toes. # The winners of Smoke Free Rock Quest 2011 are... The Peasants! Little did they know that watching the performance was Ashley Page, the man who would become their manager. When you hear some voices at that age ` and the female voice isn't gonna change that much ` it's` it's above and beyond. They stand out so far above and beyond most singers, that it's a little bit special. And Ella Yelich-O'Connor as Lorde was exactly the same. JOEL: Um, let's just play it back and get your level. JOEL: Um, let's just play it back and get your level. Cool. Fast-forward just a couple of years and now the pressure is on from their international record label to get their first album out. # Those four walls now # are the only place that I can breathe out. JOEL: Cool. This is where it happens? This is where it happens? Yeah! Here and in there. That's where Georgia and Caleb spend a lot of their time in there singing. And I just crack the whip from here. And I just crack the whip from here. How do you do that? Demonstrate cracking whip. I press this button and then I yell into that microphone... like a maniac. So I can be like, 'That was the shittiest take I've ever heard. Really nice work.' ALL LAUGH And the pressure is as big as it gets ` the first-ever band to be signed sight unseen by their record label. # Are the only thing` # Fuck. Sorry. Sorry for swearing. That's how I tell Joel that I've made a mistake. (LAUGHS) It's now big business, and a deadline. Broods have to deliver. There's a lot of pressure, but you can't let it get to you at all. It is a big system to enter into. Once the machine starts, it's fast. You know you, you make one record, you make one single that goes well, then people want the next two singles almost instantaneously, so that the plans can be put in place to follow it up, and suddenly then they need the album, and then suddenly then you need to be touring through that whole period as well. In the next three weeks we're doing eight shows ` two in LA, two in New York, two San Fran, two, um, UK at this point, and, um` Could be more. Could be more. Yeah, things always come up. You think you have free time and then it's just like, 'You know how you were free that day? 'You've actually got this, this, this, this, this, this and this.' But, you know, keeps us busy. ELECTRONIC MUSIC It takes all this and more to shape a small-town duo into a global brand. Publicity shoots,... Maybe we just pull that up just a little bit more. # I've been infected with restless whispers and cheats. # They're manifested in words and the lies that you speak. ...photos that will make the pages of influential music magazines,... Love it, love it, love it. Yeah. # ...the words and the lies that you speak. # ...interviews for radio, TV and blogs. Hi, I'm Georgia. Hi, I'm Georgia. And I'm Caleb. And we're Broods, and we're on Ones To Watch Live. Each time, a new look, a new story,... Forward more. ...giving another piece of themselves away. We didn't really like photo shoots at the beginning. (LAUGHS) We were really bad at them. We'd just be like... (SIMPERS) 'What do want us to do? Smile? No?' And we were just so bad that we couldn't take it seriously. But they know they, too, have a role to play in this game if they're to make it. Then you kind of realise that, um, you know, people appreciate it when you do just, like, get in there and do the job. And I think` and do the job. And I think` It happens a lot quicker. and do the job. And I think` It happens a lot quicker. Yeah. What's the most bizarre question you've ever been asked? What do you have in your pockets right now? Oh yeah, we get some really weird, like` It was a good one. It was a good one. Like, tissue debris. It was a good one. Like, tissue debris. Yeah. And the most stupid question? And the most stupid question? BOTH: How did you meet? (CHUCKLE) SOTTO VOCE: So dumb. < Did you answer? I was just like, Well, one day 19 years ago I popped out of the womb and Caleb was right there. '2 years old.' (LAUGHS) CAPITAL CITIES' 'SAFE AND SOUND' Coming up after the break ` Broods on tour across America. The reality of being on the road. You don't seen any avocado on Vogels there, Caleb? They'll probably look at me weird and go, 'What?' 'Why do you want that?' 'Why do you want that?' That sounds horrible. And a special homecoming. Hello, beautiful. # Even if the sky is falling down. # 1 BROODS SONG I've come to LA, the place they call La La land. How's the heat? How's the heat? Really really hot. Swinging by Caleb and Georgia's hotel. It's Willy Wonka. Hi. Hi. Hello. Hi. Hello. (LAUGHS) Only in LA. We start the day with a good breakfast ` American style. Who's hungry? Who's hungry? I am very hungry. I don't know if I'm ready for this menu. I don't know if I'm ready for this menu. Fried chicken and waffles, anyone? Could I maybe order avocado and toast? Only avocado and toast? Only avocado and toast? And a lemon. Is that all right? Only avocado and toast? And a lemon. Is that all right? On toast, yeah. Fuelled up for another day in the machine. Average day on tour would probably start early in the morning. Average day on tour would probably start early in the morning. With a really early flight. And go to the next city, someone'll pick us up for doing promo or, like, radio interviews. Different city, same routine. Do our soundcheck. Maybe have a little bit of dinner. Do our soundcheck. Maybe have a little bit of dinner. Possibly some more interviews. Yeah, play the show. Meet and greet. And then go home and go to bed. And then do it again. And this time round I'll be doing it all with them. There's a lot more people coming to our shows now. There's a lot more people coming to our shows now. Really? Are you selling out? Yeah, we've sold out, I think, every single show on tour except for, like, one. So you've got diehard fans now? We had one guy who came to our Toronto show and he skipped school for three days. The tour schedule is relentless. Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, London, LA, San Fran, New York, Denver, um, Kansas City. um, Kansas City. < Caleb, take over. um, Kansas City. < Caleb, take over. Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane. And then Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch. And then three days off, and then London. (LAUGHS) Tonight they're performing at Echo in LA's most hip suburb. Look. Looks like we're in the right spot. This is the spot. Everybody plays here. And there's extra pressure on Broods to get it right. Tonight, you know, it's one of the big shows for us. We've got people for` bookers from TV shows such as Ellen, I think Jimmy Kimmel. And it's just one of those nights where there'll be all sorts coming out, being invited as guests, yeah, as well as the fans. So I'm trying to help them keep the nerves at bay. I've never been in one. I've never been in one. I've never been in one. We're having a first moment here ` a first photo booth experience. Let's go! UPBEAT HORNS MUSIC Awkward family photo. Awkward family photo. Awkward family photo time. ALL: Black and white. HORNS MUSIC CONTINUES It's where the locals know all the big acts come, and tonight they're lining up to see Broods. How long have you been here? How long have you been here? Uh, since 5 o'clock, so three` almost three hours. And why are you waiting so long? Want to be up front, dying to see them. Yeah. This is where Lorde played her first ever gig in America, and now it's the turn of the Broods. BROODS' 'NEVER GONNA CHANGE' # And I hate that I can't say your name # without feeling like I'm part of the blame. # And it's never gonna feel quite the same. # But it's never gonna change. # And I hate that I'm always so young. # Had me feeling like you were the one. # And it's never gonna feel like it's done. # Cos it's never gonna change. # Have you ever worked this hard at anything? No. All your time and all your effort and, like, physically and mentally it's just kinda like you just have to give every single last bit of you because you know that's kind of all you have left sometimes. CHEERING, APPLAUSE BRASSY HORNS MUSIC Next morning we trip down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in sweltering temperatures, to... well, just the most famous building in LA. OK, so this is it, the famous Capitol building. And this is your label. BRASSY MUSIC CONTINUES I guess we'll give you a tour around, Erin. I guess we'll give you a tour around, Erin. Yes, please. They came here as nobodies, and now they're sharing studios with the biggest names in the business. There she is. There she is. There's your Katy. BOTH: Beatles. BOTH: Beatles. Hi, Katy. When Broods are in town, this is their office. No camera crews are ever allowed down here, but somehow... No camera crews are ever allowed down here, but somehow... Kiwi accents. ...we've got in. BRASSY MUSIC CONTINUES Our studios are down here. Pictures on the walls of, like, all these amazing artists as you can see. All singing into Frank Sinatra's mic, which we also got to do. Every time we tell people that we sang into Frank Sinatra's mic, and they're just like, 'You're joking, right?' It's like, 'Yeah, now that we think of it, it sounds like a joke, doesn't it?' When we signed the contract here last December, the president of Polydor UK had never` he hadn't met the band. No one had seen the band play. They literally` He met the band two minutes before they signed the contract. He said, 'I've never signed a band without having met them before.' DRIVING ELECTRONIC MUSIC With that deal comes a taste of the high life. Hollywood sign up right there. Is it times like this that you get those 'pinch me' moments? When do they happen? Most days, pretty much. When we experience things like this, that's when it kind of hits you like a ton of bricks and you just kind of want to just absorb it. You're actually following a path forged by Ella Yelich-O'Connor. Do you feel an expectation to be the next Lorde? Ella's bloody amazing and she's, like, one of the most talented girls I know, so... Yeah, I mean, to be put in the same box as somebody as successful and as strong, like, career-wise and person-wise as her is not really an insult at all. (LAUGHS) I mean, to be honest, it's` it's quite a compliment. Do you let yourself ever dream that that kind of success could ever happen for you? Yeah, I mean, like, it's one of those things that's almost it's not so out of reach any more. Like, I have kinda lay in bed and thought about what I would say if I was accepting an award, but... ALL LAUGH ALL LAUGH I haven't. I'll just stand there. I'll just stand there. You'll let her do the talking, eh? Like Auckland's Sky Tower, Capitol's spire lights up for special events. Hollywood's 50th anniversary, we had it blink. Um, Pink Floyd. And then recently we had it blink Katy Perry. So now it's back to Hollywood. So now it's back to Hollywood. 50 bucks, will you change to say Broods? (LAUGHS) We can do that. (LAUGHS) We can do that. Broods. Flash Broods. It's quite a short name. We'll talk off camera. We'll talk off camera. OK, OK. UPLIFTING POP MUSIC And while we're in the swing of dreaming big, I thought I'd give them a taste of just how big they could get. What did you think? What did you think? I thought that was pretty cool. That was probably one of the coolest places in LA. That was probably one of the coolest places in LA. (CHUCKLES) Oh dear. What? What? You've gotta have a gap in between the stars. It's not how this works, Erin. It's not how this works, Erin. What do you reckon? That's pretty amazing. That's pretty amazing. One day? Maybe. Almost looks like it's real. I think it's the fact that it's peeling off at the corners. What? You mean the sticky tape's coming off? What? You mean the sticky tape's coming off? Oh, that's awesome. Best of luck for the rest of the tour. Best of luck for the rest of the tour. BOTH: Yeah. Two more shows to go. Two more shows to go. Yay. How are you handling it? Good, good. Good, good. I'm exhausted. Are you looking forward to getting home? Are you looking forward to getting home? Yeah. Definitely. It's a brutal industry. We're in there, and-and we have to do everything we can now cos tomorrow, the buzz dies. And when a buzz dies, the` you know, it goes really fast and it goes cold. And suddenly those phones don't ring. The guys are literally working so hard. I wish I could give them more days off, but it's just not possible at this point. We're-We're having to manage that because we know that time is precious and the opportunity is small so that the window's small. So we're doing everything we can right now. SUBDUED MUSIC After 100 shows and more than 50 cities... another airport, another gig. Hey, people. Hello, beautiful. But this one is special. They're home. SUBDUED MUSIC CONTINUES We didn't really appreciate how calm and peaceful it was when we were living there, because we were kinda like, 'Yeah, let's go and go out and see the world, la, la, la.' And then, like, when we do, we're just like, 'Man, could really do with a bit of Nelson right now.' SUBDUED MUSIC CONTINUES A chance to see family ` mum Paulette and dad Gary. So family life, has it changed much? Well, I guess it has in the way that other families might have their children around a bit longer, and to have two scooting the nest at the same time, um... We've had to get a dog, cos we were, you know... We needed some more children. (CHUCKLES) But, yeah, when we get them home, like we had dinner last night, and it was just` it was nice having them there. Blue! Get out of the water! For me what makes me most proud is that they are themselves. They're still humble in their interviews. They talk about family a lot and how important that's been in their lives. They're working so hard. Like, they've been incredibly busy. They haven't got time to look at themselves in the mirror and think they're special. And that's the nice thing about it, and hopefully that carries on. They can look at themselves and say, 'Well, we've been given this gift of talent, 'and we're just using it the best we can.' JANGLY GUITAR MUSIC Saturday night ` it's a full house. We're playing at the Theatre Royal. It's gonna be really cool, cos` Well, I'm, like... I'm so excited for it. And there's no mistaking it's a hometown crowd. I am Georgia and Caleb's grandmother. And I am very very proud of them. I used to play lawn bowls with Georgia, so... Can we have a show of hands? Who is related to Georgia and Caleb? All of us. All of us. Aww! > BROODS' 'COATTAILS' PLAYS # I can't remember. # And I can't concentrate. # But I can take a note to permeate. # ...do what I'm told. # So we'll ride the coattails # to the finish line. # I don't hear those church bells chime any more. # Cos I'm in love with this. But that was just one night. # We'll ride the coattails to the finish line. Now it's back into the machine. Auckland! CHEERING If... ...someone told us this, like, six months ago, we'd have been like, 'Piss off.' (LAUGHS) This is` Like, this is incredible, like what we've done so far. And these two are ready for when that machine spits them out as the next big thing. # Stitch me up at the seams. It's feeling all right, what's happening for you now? It's feeling all right, what's happening for you now? Yeah. Definitely. I mean,... it feels better than all right. Yeah, it's just a little bit really good. (LAUGHS) # Cos I'm in love with this. # Oh, we'll ride the coattails to the finish line. # Gosh, clever and, uh, so humble and so young. Amazing. Uh, now, Broods' new album is called Evergreen, and it's released tomorrow. Up next, from best friends to killers ` three girls, all 16, inseparable and with a shocking secret. Wendy's called and said, 'Hey, is Skylar coming to work today?' And I said, 'Oh Jesus.' Mary said, 'Call 911.' This is 911. Do you have an emergency? I have a 15-year-old daughter who apparently snuck out of her room last night. I am scared to death. Has she done this before? Has she done this before? No. Welcome back. Skylar Neese was a regular suburban schoolgirl, until one summer night she disappeared from her home. Now, surveillance footage showed her sneaking out of her bedroom window and into a car. So what seemed like a typical case of a teenage runaway then turned out to be something much more sinister, and her seemingly best friends, it turns out, had a lot to do with it. Dave and Mary Neese live in an apartment in the tiny Morgantown suburb of Star City. Dave works at a local Walmart, Mary at a medical office, their lives wrapped around their only child, Skylar,... MAN: Hey, gorgeous. MAN: Hey, gorgeous. Hi, Daddy. ...treasuring every spin,... WOMAN: What a beautiful ballerina! ...every laugh... MAN CHUCKLES MAN CHUCKLES (GIGGLES) ...and every childhood memory. Say, 'I'm a crazy girl.' Say, 'I'm a crazy girl.' Daddy is a crazy boy. Say, 'I'm a crazy girl.' Daddy is a crazy boy. WOMAN LAUGHS She was Daddy's little girl. I spoiled her beyond rotten. Skylar was very loyal... to her friends ` the people she thought was her friends. When Skylar was 8 years old, she met another spirited child with whom she developed an instant bond. Her name was Shelia Eddy, and they became thick as thieves. If they weren't together, they were on the phone together. And that's literally 24 hours a day ` I'm serious. It was always you saw one of them; you saw the other one. (GROANS, LAUGHS) What was your relationship like with Shelia? (LAUGHS) It, like, wants to turn away. She was like a part of our family. She really was ` I mean, just like one of our kids. In their freshman year at University High School, Skylar and Shelia meet the striking redhead Rachel Shoaf. Their duo becomes a trio. Kelly Kerns was close to Rachel. She called me her cool aunt. She called me her cool aunt. She was like a daughter to you. She called me her cool aunt. She was like a daughter to you. Yes. Kelly says Rachel was charismatic, popular and talented, cast as the lead in the school play. What was she like on stage? What was she like on stage? She was a natural. On Rachel's 15th birthday, Rachel introduced Kelly to her new best friends, Shelia and Skylar. Here they are that night. They were two adorable little girls smiling up at me, you know, just looking so angelic. But that vision of angels would soon be shattered. July 5th 2012, Skylar finishes a night shift at Wendy's. Skylar walked through the door and gave her mom a hug and said, 'I love you, Mom.' Then she hugged me and said, 'I love you, Dad.' She went to bed. The next day, Dave and Mary go to work. But when he returns home that afternoon, Skylar's bedroom door is still closed. I knocked on her door. There was no answer, so I said, 'Sky, come on, you gotta get up,' and I still didn't get an answer. So I opened the door. I looked down at her bed, and it hadn't been slept in, and it scared me, so I immediately called Mary. She said, 'She's not home?' And I said no. Concerned, his next call was Shelia. She answered on her first ring, and I said, 'You got any clue where Skylar is?' She said no. I said, 'When's the last time you talked to her?' She said, 'Last night, about midnight.' It's now 4pm, and it's time for Skylar's next shift at Wendy's. Skylar had never missed work, but today she's a no-show. Wendy's called and said, 'Hey, is Skylar coming to work today?' And I said, 'Oh, Jesus. Mary said, 'Call 911.' WOMAN: Star City 911. Do you have an emergency? I have a 16-year-old daughter who apparently snuck out of her room last night. She has not been home, hasn't went to work. Can't get a hold of her from any of her friends. I am scared to death. I am scared to death. Has she done this before? I am scared to death. Has she done this before? No. Just then, Mary gets a phone call from Skylar's best friend, Shelia. What did she say? Her words were, 'I have to tell you the truth about what happened last night.' She proceeded to tell me that her, Skylar, and Rachel had snuck out the night before and that they had driven around Star City, were getting high, and that the two girls had dropped her off at the end of the road, because she didn't want to wake us up sneaking back in. I was scared to death. I mean, I didn't know where my baby was. It was horrible. Shelia and her mother come over and offer to help in the search for Skylar. We immediately went looking for her, going door to door. And we just` we couldn't find her. But then Mary remembers what will become a major key to finding Skylar's whereabouts. Mary said, 'Oh, what about the surveillance? We got surveillance at our apartment.' The surveillance camera, intended to capture intruders, instead reveals this grainy image of that night. A car pulls up at 12.30am, 30 minutes after Shelia says she dropped Skylar back near home. Minutes later, Skylar is seen sneaking out of the house. She slips into the car and disappears. What were you thinking when you saw her head flash on that screen and she's walking to that`? For a second, I felt relief, cos at least I know she didn't get abducted or anything, you know? And it wasn't like she was pushed in. She willingly got in the car. What did police tell you that they thought happened? They thought that Shelia had dropped her off, and Skylar came back home and then snuck out again. For Officer Jessica Colebank and Corporal Ronnie Gaskins, the video is their best and only clue. WOMAN: Surveillance video from the James Place apartments show the 16-year-old girl willingly leaving the compound. MAN: A parent's worst nightmare. Anyone with information on Skylar's whereabouts. She seems to have left home voluntarily, so police do not activate an AMBER alert. Officer Jessica Colebank is assigned to the case two days after Skylar's disappearance. Did you think it was a runaway case at that point? Did you think it was a runaway case at that point? It does happen. Kids run away. They come home a couple days later, and the parents find them. Skylar's parents, Dave and Mary, are frantic. Dave pleads on local TV for help, begging his daughter to come home. You're not in trouble. We need to talk, and that's all, honey. Just come home. Each time they get calls with possible Skylar sightings, they rush into action. I'd jump in my car and fly to the place they thought they saw Skylar, and I'd go down to the supermarket and scream her name. I mean, everywhere they thought they saw Skylar, we were there. Skylar's friends were worried but hopeful. Morgan Lawrence has known Skylar since they were 3 years old. I thought maybe there was a fight. Maybe there was something that made her upset and that she'd be` you know, she'd be back the next day. The inseparable trio of Skylar, Rachel and Shelia is now missing a key member. As for Rachel, just hours after Skylar's disappearance, she's happily posing for pictures on a boat with her family friend Kelly Kerns. But Kelly says Rachel is worried about her missing friend. I mean, she was texting all the time. She seemed urgent. Meanwhile, her other best friend, Shelia, is in constant contact with Skylar's parents, helping them post missing person posters, tweeting messages like this. Just days after Skylar's disappearance, Shelia comes to the Neeses' home, devastated, with a special request. She says, 'Is it okay if I go back and sit in Skylar's room for a minute? For a few minutes.' She was crying, Shelia was, crying pretty hard. And she was sitting on her bed, so I just sat down on the bed beside her and rubbed her back. Her best friend's gone. I mean, it's horrible. Days turn into weeks, and still no sign of Skylar. Shelia and Rachel, the last two people to see Skylar, have nothing to add to their story. They picked up Skylar at 11pm, took a joyride through the winding back roads of rural Star City, smoked pot, then dropped her off before midnight. But Shelia and Rachel soon aren't acting like themselves. When we come back ` the police officer investigating the case is becoming suspicious. She was really nervous. She was really nervous. It has gotta be a red flag. What does she have to hide? Their stories were verbatim the same. No one's story is exactly the same unless it's rehearsed. Everything in my gut was ` Sheila is acting wrong; Rachel is scared to death. Right now, our economy is growing faster than Australia and 28 other OECD countries. This election, the Nobody said it would be easy. But through your hard work and the National Party's economic management, NZ is heading in the right direction. Right now, our economy is growing faster than Australia and 28 other OECD countries. This election, the choice is simple ` stay on course to prosperity or risk it all on who-knows-what direction? Keep the team that's working ` National. Working for NZ. Welcome back. Skylar's been missing for weeks now with no real clues as to her whereabouts. But for the police officer in charge of the case, there were some small, unspoken signs that made her suspicious. Take me back to that moment where you go to speak to Shelia the first time. Just complete blank on emotions, and there was absolutely nothing. It was, like, iced over. It made me uneasy. Colebank's meeting with Rachel, the high school drama star, also strikes her as odd. She was really nervous. She was really nervous. Which has gotta be a red flag. What does she have to hide? Their stories were verbatim the same. No one's story is exactly the same unless it's rehearsed. Everything in my gut was, 'Shelia is acting wrong. Rachel is scared to death.' But police don't know what Rachel and Shelia are hiding or why. In the weeks before she vanished, Skylar had posted angry messages. And the final tweet she wrote, sent 10.48pm the night she disappeared. She didn't trust someone ` that was the issue. And when police review Rachel and Shelia's cell phone messages after Skylar went missing, they note a curious absence. There was no mention of Skylar whatsoever. It was very odd. It's as if she just erased it from her` from her mind forever. Even as the police are saying to you they've got some suspicions about Shelia, you were thinking, 'Hey, back off of this girl.' Oh, I even told 'em. I said, 'Will you please leave her alone? She's going through enough.' I said, 'Those girls have just lost their best friend. Will you chill out on her for a while?' What the Neeses don't know is that police are finding actual evidence of the girls' deception. State police. Shelia and Rachel told police their joyride with Skylar was contained to the Star City area. Desperate for clues, police scoured surveillance video from local businesses. It paid off. This video captures Shelia's car at 12.39am, heading north, away from Star City. That was the first variation in their stories is where they drove around. And there's not just video. Cell tower pings from that night place them in the backwoods town of Blacksville. That just blew their whole, 'Oh, we stayed in Star City.' You're 45 minutes away from where you're saying you're at. You can't do that. You're not Houdini. So you say, 'Aha, we have this information.' What happens when you speak to Rachel and Shelia? They changed their story to fit. 'Oh sure, we were in Blacksville. I forgot that, oops.' Their carefully rehearsed stories are now mismatched. Shelia, the high school drama queen, claims Skylar didn't join them for the ride to Blacksville, but Rachel, the high school drama star, says she did. Now, armed with surveillance video and cell phone records that prove the girls have been lying, police tell Dave and Mary Neese that Skylar's best friends have a secret. That point, we knew they had to know something, so we pushed. Your mission is to try to get their secrets out of them. Your mission is to try to get their secrets out of them. Exactly. The Neeses start posting about karma on Facebook, writing that the girls need to tell what they know. Classmates and even strangers are putting pressure on Shelia and Rachel. Anonymous tweets like this one. All eyes were on Shelia and Rachel. You know, you can't be part of the trio and not have any clue what's going on. Kelly Kerns, close friends with Rachel and her mother, hears the rumours that Rachel is stonewalling police. I'd send Rachel a text, 'What the heck are you doing?' I said, 'Was Skylar alive when you left her?' 'Yes. We didn't do anything to her.' One night, almost six months after Skylar went missing, Rachel cracks, apparently having a nervous breakdown. Her mother calls 911. Seemingly suicidal, Rachel is admitted into a local psychiatric hospital. What happens there has never been revealed, but immediately upon release, Rachel is driven directly to meet with police. She's just nervous. She was shaking, and the impression I got was, 'All right, now the truth's finally gonna come out.' She's finally about to come clean to police about what really happened to her 16-year-old BFF. It was a plot twist no one saw coming. The first words out of her mouth were, 'We stabbed her.' This was something totally different from what you expected. Took us a minute to, kinda, settle down. 'OK, what do you mean you stabbed her?' Rachel tells Corporal Ronnie Gaskins she and Shelia began plotting to kill Skylar months earlier during science class. They were joking how they would dispose of a body. Then it got more sinister. 'We need to figure out how we're gonna kill her.' They don't know to use guns, so they would use knives to stab her. Rachel wanted Skylar dead now because, get this, she was about to leave for church camp. So one midsummer's night, she and Sheila gather some critical tools ` a shovel, paper towels, bleach, wipes, a change of clothes and kitchen knives ` and they arrange to meet with Skylar. 12.30, they arrive at Skylar's house, the knives hidden in their hoodies. Five minutes later, Skylar emerges. They drive out of Star City, past Blacksville and across state lines to Pennsylvania and into the woods of a town called Brave, where Skylar is about to face the fight of her young life. Right here, Skylar is being stabbed by her two best friends? Right here, Skylar is being stabbed by her two best friends? Yes. Skylar takes off running with her two friends giving chase. Rachel tackles Skylar, and the pair continue to repeatedly stab their BFF. According to Rachel, Skylar is screaming, 'Why?' And then they tried slitting her throat, because they had read that it would kill her quicker if they cut her jugular. The plan was to bury her, but the ground was too hard, so instead they drag her body to the side of the road and cover her with branches, rocks and leaves. They don't even bother to really conceal her? They change into clean clothes, they wipe down the car, and they left like nothing happened. This was calculated, planned out, thoroughly thought of before this night. The perfect murder plot ` everything planned to the T. But why? Up next ` their only child is dead, murdered. Skylar's parents learn what happened leading up to that awful night. I think it was because Skylar knew stuff about them that they didn't want out. About a sexual relationship between Sheila and Rachel, which she witnessed at a sleepover at Rachel's house. # Gotta make my mind up. # Which seat can I take? # It's Friday, Friday. # Gotta get down on Friday. Everybody... We're saying a big thank you to our customers. # ...weekend. # Friday, Friday. # Gettin' down on Friday. Vodafone Fantastic Fridays, with movies, music and sports experiences or pre-pay deals. # Partyin', partyin'. # Welcome back. So, Rachel has confessed and, in fact, seems relieved that the truth is out there and no longer eating away at her. But without a body or any physical evidence, the police can't yet arrest anyone. Back in Star City, the Neese family is holding a vigil on what would have been Skylar's 17th birthday. They are finally told the news they've been dreading ` Skylar has been murdered. I was outraged. I was a mess. All these emotions running through my head at once. The search for Monongalia County teenager Skylar Neese is over. Soon the news breaks publicly... Father, we thank you for joining us here today. ...but not the identities of the killers. And immediately, Shelia Eddy takes to Twitter to join the chorus of grief. But what Shelia doesn't know is that authorities get their biggest break yet ` conclusive evidence linking her to the murder. A DNA match confirms that blood from the trunk of Shelia's car is Skylar's. Finally, with enough evidence to arrest Shelia, Gaskins closes in and tracks her to the Cracker Barrel where she is having breakfast with her mother. I advised them she was being charged with the murder of Skylar Neese. It's also a huge victory for that young cop who wouldn't quit, Jessica Colebank. Elation. Pure joy. What did you say when you brought her to jail? Home sweet home. And then we shut the door with a big old grin on my face. Case closed for Colebank. But for Skylar's parents, Dave and Mary,... Sicko. ...learning the killers' identities not only brought more heartache and devastation but also fury. Skylar trusted those two little witches, and it cost her her life. Best friends like that, you don't want any enemies. That's for sure. How could they do that to their best friend? And the reason Rachel gave ` that they just didn't like her? That's the biggest line of crap I've ever heard in my life. There has to be a reason. You don't do stuff like that for no reason. After months of secrecy, the truth is revealed ` Skylar Neese's best friends, Rachel and Shelia, were actually her worst enemies. The shocking news ` they had lured her into the woods and brutally stabbed her to death. Kelly Kerns has known one of the killers, Rachel, since the day she was born, considering her like a daughter. When someone tried to tell me that they stabbed them, I... I,... 'No way in heck.' And it wasn't until I opened the paper when I saw 'guilty' and her picture. Today, looking at the photograph of Rachel taken just hours after she murdered her friend, Kelly is floored by that smiling face. What strikes me about this picture is I don't see anything on her face that reflects what she did. It just makes you feel, you know, 'What did you miss?' I think it was because Skylar knew stuff about 'em that they didn't want out. Stuff he says that was hidden in Skylar's diary, where he says she wrote about a sexual relationship between Shelia and Rachel which she witnessed at a sleepover at Rachel's house. Several weeks after the sleepover, Skylar tweets... Then one month before she is murdered, there is another tweet from Skylar. But the Neeses say that Skylar never would have acted on the veiled threats. She had a lot of gay and lesbian friends. It didn't bother her. You know, she didn't care if you were pink, purple, yellow. That was just Skylar. A year and a half after the murder, Rachel faces justice. She pleads guilty to second-degree murder, a lesser charge based on her cooperation. Finally, in court, she directly addresses the Neese family. I am so sorry. I don't know if there is a proper way to make this apology, because there are not even words to describe the guilt and remorse that I feel each day for what I've done. The person that did that was not the real me ` > not the person I am, not what I'm made of and not what I believe in. > She can take her apologies and everything else and sit on 'em, because that's about what they're worth to me and my wife. She has done nothing but make our lives a living hell since day one. At her arraignment, a defiant Shelia Eddy pleads not guilty... Shelia Eddy, how do you plead? Shelia Eddy, how do you plead? Not guilty. ...but later, in a surprise development, she changes her plea. Shelia Eddy, how do you plead to the offence of murder in the first degree? > Guilty. Guilty to first-degree murder. She offered no words of remorse. Why do you think that Shelia has never apologized? Cos she's not sorry. You don't apologize for murdering somebody in cold blood, cos she meant to do it. It's a good thing she didn't give an apology. People think it's horrible because she didn't. I commend her. Don't stand up there and lie to me and tell me you feel guilty. Rachel's family described her actions in a statement as... She is now at a juvenile facility, sentenced to 30 years in prison. She will soon be transferred to adult prison ` The same prison, in fact, where Shelia, the girl she turned in, is now serving a life sentence. If you could say anything to Shelia and Rachel right now, what would you say? Rot in hell. Today, on a hidden road deep in the woods of a town called Brave, there is a silent shrine. They say this is pretty much where she was found. The site of Skylar's murder has been transformed into a memorial. On this visit, a stranger had written a note to Skylar. This one says,... (READS) 'Rest in peace, sweet Skylar. Soar with the angels.' (EXHALES) TEARFULLY: Baby, I'm so sorry. POIGNANT MUSIC If there's one lesson to be learned in here and one lesson only, know who your friends are. Now, if you want to see any of tonight's stories again, including that one, head to our website. We're at... Or you can also go to our Facebook page. We're at... And let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. Well, next week we bring you a special programme celebrating the life of Robin Williams.