Ivanic Family
Richard Ivancic and his wife Laura Ivancic had ‘made it’. The newly retired couple traded in harsh Ohio winters for fishing haven, Tarpon Springs, Florida. Making their retirement even sweeter was that their adult children decided to move south as well. Their adopted son Nicholas moved in with them and their adopted daughter Jaime and her newlywed husband Shelby Nealy just purchased a home with their two young children. For Richard and Laura, living close to their children and grandchildren was idyllic. Keeping Shelby and Jaime nearby allowed Laura and Rich to keep an eye on the young couple whose intermittent growing pains frequently interrupted their young, marital bliss. The Ivancic’s had a long history with Shelby; Shelby, Nicholas and Jaime were high school friends back in Ohio. The family always felt Shelby was a little... off, but nothing out of the norm. At the end of the day, their daughter made it clear that the two were “twin flames,” the spiritual other half of each other. By January of 2018, the family saw less and less of Shelby and Jaime who claimed that new jobs and the stressors of raising two young children left little time for the normal check ins. Shelby surprised everyone, especially Rich and Laura, when he announced that he secured a job in oil and was moving the family to Texas. As sad as it was to see the family go, they were excited for them to make some good money and have a little more time for each other. At least that’s what everyone hoped.
Eleven months passed and no one had seen or heard from Jaime. A few Snapchats and text messages from Jaime’s phone assured that all was well, just normal busy parent life getting in the way of a call or FaceTime. For Laura Ivancic, as the months passed without a visit from their daughter, her concern turned into panic. Laura coordinated with Shelby to organize a Christmas visit at their Florida home. This visit would ensure Jaime and the children were OK. During What was meant to be a family gathering to ensure Jaime and the kids were ok, turned into Shelby mercilessly killing his Father-in-Law, Mother-in-Law and Brother-in-law. The murder scene was discovered after a neighbor of the Ivancic’s called in a welfare check after seeing suspicious activity on the property. But, by that time, Shelby had fled to Ohio in Laura’s car. By tracking Laura’s stolen vehicle, police apprehended Shelby near his hometown in Ohio and charged him with the murder of Richard, Laura and Nicholas Ivancic. While in custody, Shelby shocked investigators with a stunning confession… his wife Jaime was not missing, she was dead, and had been since January of 2018 when he buried her in their Florida yard. Shelby Nealy is currently awaiting trial in Pinellas County for the murders of Richard, Laura, and Nicholas Ivancic. He has been charged for Jaime Ivancic’s murder in nearby Pasco County.