NC ASHA DEGREE: Missing from Shelby, NC - 14 Feb 2000 - Age 9

Asha Jaquilla Degree (born August 5, 1990; first name pronounced AY-shuh[1]) went missing at the age of nine from Shelby, North Carolina, United States. In the early morning hours of February 14, 2000, for reasons unknown, she packed her bookbag, left her family home north of the city and began walking along nearby North Carolina Highway 18 despite heavy rain and wind. Several passing motorists saw her; when one turned around at a point 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from her home and began to approach her, she left the roadside and ran into a wooded area. In the morning, her parents discovered her absence. No one has seen her since.[2]

An intensive search that began that day led to the location of some of her personal effects near where she was last seen. A year and a half later, her bookbag, still packed, was unearthed from a construction site along Highway 18 north of Shelby in Morganton. At the point where she ran into the woods, a billboard now stands appealing for help finding her. Her family hosts an annual walk from their home to the billboard to draw attention to the case.

While the circumstances of Degree's disappearance at first seemed to suggest she was running away from home, investigators could not find a clear reason she might have done so, and she was younger than most children who do so. They have speculated that she might have been abducted instead. The case has drawn national media attention. In 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) joined state and county authorities in a reopened investigation, offering a reward for information that could help solve the case.

Disappearance of Asha Degree - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Why was ASHA DEGREE seen walking on a highway at 4AM? Missing from Shelby, NC since 14 Feb 2000 - Age 9

Asha was last seen by her family sleeping in her bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. At 4:00 a.m., she was seen by motorists walking along North Carolina Highway 18 in Shelby, North Carolina. More than a year later, Asha's book bag was discovered...

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[Mel70]

there weren't the kind of contacts through games, or kindles and you name it.

You mean "Tinder". "Kindle" Is for books. AHAHAHAAA!!! I had to mess with you on that my very dear friend. LMAOOOOO.

 

[Mel70]

This is another one I don't seem to have see or known of (maybe a time when I wasn't on for some months) so i skimmed the posts and basics.

From 2000? A nine year old went missing in the dark in the middle of the night? I am thinking back and my oldest would have been graduting that year and my youngest for years younger and internet was JUST become a thing or even understood by many of us and cell phones had only for a couple of years been something many started turing onto. So WHO got her away or why did she run away, she was NINE. Ant there weren't the kind of contacts through games, or kindles and you name it.

And to pack up and run away in the dark? There very much had to be a reason.

I read the posts but have not went into the links. How is it and how did did it come about they found her book bag buried 30 miles away?

The ones who maybe saw her on the highway, etc. all seems to be eyewitness testimony?

What GOOD person does not stop for a child in the dark in the middle of the night?

There aren't any serous questions here? I sure have them.

This case is now 24 years old. Nowadays we ask who LAST saw her other than family, that's a common one today with what we see. Apparently there are some supposedly that did but did not sto to help her? A clear CHILD?

I know we all have had it different and times change, and kids are older (but also younger in some ways) in each generation at a younger age. What's everyone else's stories? I never ran away but at the age of like five I said I was going to and I was not happy about someting. My mom said okay. Then I almost didn't know what to do. I said it as I was not happy with some decision for a five year old, who knows, maybe I wanted ice cream. no idea. But I recall all else. So I went to my dresser with a bag and put some stuff in it. And felt in a naive 5 year old's mind what do I do now. She will come stop me surely. Nope. I went out the door and made sure the door shutting was heard or tried to. I went uphill our short rural driveway (I'm sure she could see me no window easily I was right in front of the living room she was in. It was getting dusk and I was near our mailbox (at the top of the gentle short drive just waiting for someone to come tell me an demand you get in here now, where do you think you are going), I didn't want to go, I just was wanting whatever it was that had me saying I was running away/leaving and by now that thought was entirely gone. I never got to our mailox and all of this we are talking close and short and within view. My bluff was called. I was scared to leave and had no idea, young, childish, and I turned around with my bag of clothes and entered the house and went in trying to save some face. Mom was in the living room reading and I felt as if she was just fine with my decision as If I were some adult that knew what I was doing and she was letting me and I tried to save face and tell her it was getting dark and I'd go tomorrow. She nodded, said okay and went back to her book.

Now don't take me wrong, in later years and reminiscing, she knew where I was and was watching. When I came back in she sat down with the book. I never go to the end of our very short driveway. I never threatened to or did it again. I tried t save a little face as a small child would but man theyk knew. It was really kind of stupid and not as big as it sounds. When you get older and realize exactly that your parents knew you wouldn't and were watching. I wasn't nine I think I was five or so but no way was I birave enough to really do it. I expected I'm sure to get my way on something or was just upset over some child's minor thing that was a big deal to me.

I realize this sidetracks but and times change and this child was older, etc. but still a single digit child and this girl did not run away at night for no reason. Just out of the blue. NO WAY. I wasn't sacred of the dark like as to go to bed or anything but to leave home and keep going? I can remember it all to this day in detail and I didn't get how many feet away from our home and was still right here on the property.

Maybe someone set something up or lured her but i the middle of the night before kids were running into such things on the internet etc. and at her age in the year 2000? I have trouble with that. 15 maybe. 9 no.

And I'm not accusing family. Something caused this and her to brave that, do that or have a need to do it and seemed like her only choice to her.

I don't know what is wrong here but something is from the get go with the packing and leaving.

I've been baffled by this case since the beginning like everyone else. I am always skeptical when it comes to a child being reported missing from in the middle of the night. Her backpack was found, But in it a T-shirt that wasn't hers. It was buried. A business found some items in a shed on their property of hers. Power outage, So a parent had a perfect opportunity to get her body out of the house. So could an abductor. Or she could have left without being seen. But this is all confusing. Three contradictions. What throws it off is the man who stated he saw her. Then tried to turn around, But she then ran into the woods. What other little girl would it be?. Why didn't any of the other people who saw her get involved?!!!? I'm going by what I remember.

 

[GrandmaBear]

there weren't the kind of contacts through games, or kindles and you name it.

You mean "Tinder". "Kindle" Is for books. AHAHAHAAA!!! I had to mess with you on that my very dear friend. LMAOOOOO.

No I meant Kindle. I remember way back when parents cut a teen I believe off from internet etc. and all she was allowed was her Kindle, reading, doing homework, etc. and little did most parents know at that time that a Kindle could be used otherwise. Think about it if it has internet access to get books, it can be used for other, rooted or routed or whatever they call it and that's exactly what happened. They thought they kept her safe and had her with no access to, I can't recall, a bad man, friends or bf or some such.

So although you had a good attempt and thought you got me, lol, you didn't. I don't recall every detail but I recall it well. It freaked me out as a parent at the time of teens. Mine did not have a kindle thank goodness, etc.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I've been baffled by this case since the beginning like everyone else. I am always skeptical when it comes to a child being reported missing from in the middle of the night. Her backpack was found, But in it a T-shirt that wasn't hers. It was buried. A business found some items in a shed on their property of hers. Power outage, So a parent had a perfect opportunity to get her body out of the house. So could an abductor. Or she could have left without being seen. But this is all confusing. Three contradictions. What throws it off is the man who stated he saw her. Then tried to turn around, But she then ran into the woods. What other little girl would it be?. Why didn't any of the other people who saw her get involved?!!!? I'm going by what I remember.

Yeah in reading through it it doesn't add up and it is no explained how they found buried things, etc. or knew to dig or where to look. I don't like that the only proof that it was here were "eyewitness" accounts As far as I can tell. No facts about the surrounding days or life in general or of that day even.

It was 24 years ago. Cell phone tracking, GPS, none of it was what it is now.

Again I am not accusing but I'm not sold on her running away at her age in the middle of the night and if she did, then why and who from and what from? And if she was running to someone HOW did they have contact to begin with?

A child that age does not pack, leave in the middle of the night and not freak out before they get far imo and at minimum sit down and fall apart or try to go back, get help, etc. If they do, again they were feeling something OR trying to get to someone or someone's house, etc. Jmo.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Sheriff says technology could lead to answers in the disappearance of Asha Degree

Sheriff says technology could lead to answers about Asha Degree

www.shelbystar.com

Sheriff says technology could lead to answers in the disappearance of Asha Degree​

As a somber anniversary approaches, Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman says his team still plans to solve the mystery of “Shelby’s Sweetheart.”

Though Asha Degree disappeared 24 years ago, Norman said he does not classify hers as a cold case.

“There is movement in the case. It is not a cold case,” he said.

Asha was 9 years old when she vanished after leaving her Fallston home before dawn on Feb. 14, 2000.

Investigators have periodically given updates to the public and continue to field tips and offer a $45,000 reward for information that leads to finding her.

Norman said as technology advances, investigators have more tools now than ever to solve the case. He also mentioned that new evidence has been collected in the past 24 months.

He also encouraged whoever is responsible for Asha’s disappearance to come forward.

“There's someone in greater Cleveland County that knows where Asha is, and we are going to continue to aggressively identify you, in order to bring closure to this family that’s long overdue,” he said. “My advice to you would be, you’ve lived with this long enough. And it’s time to cleanse your conscious and come forward before we find you first.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘No one has forgotten’: Search for Asha Degree continues 24 years after disappearance

Asha Degree was nine years old when she went missing on Valentine’s Day in 2000.

www.wbtv.com

‘No one has forgotten’: Search for Asha Degree continues 24 years after disappearance​

Wednesday marks 24 years since Asha Degree disappeared from her home near Shelby in Cleveland County. She was just nine years old.

A billboard stands alongside Highway 18 near where someone reported seeing her walking on Valentine’s Day in 2000.

The case is ingrained in the memories of so many people, especially Asha’s family and the investigators that say they will not ever give up the search for her.

“No one has forgotten about Asha,” Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman said. “Not myself, not the sheriff’s office, not the community.”

The FBI, SBI and the sheriff’s office released a new video highlighting Asha’s case, talking about a team dedicated to finding her.

Investigators said the then 9-year-old didn’t have a cell phone and there are no surveillance cameras that captured any photos or video of her the night she disappeared.


All these years later, Sheriff Norman, who was a lieutenant the night Asha disappeared, said there is new technology that may help in the case.

“We actually have things that aid us now that we didn’t have 24 months ago, much less 24 years ago,” he said. “But I can tell you there have been so many cases not only here, but across the nation, that have actually recently, within the past days to a couple years, that have actually been solved due to new technology.”

The FBI said Asha may have gotten into a dark green car the night she disappeared. There’s still a $45,000 reward for any information leading to where she is.

 

[Sunburst]

9 year olds do not pack up and leave in the night without a good reason.
I am hoping LE and FBI talked to Asha's friends and teachers at school, especially her BFF. Asha may have said something to one of her friends.
Possible scenarios:
1) home life not what is seemed

2) someone tells Asha to come over to their house, but wait until parent leaves for work or is asleep to come over. Either Asha's parents or Someone's parents, or both.

3) was there a male classmate or older student that Asha liked or that liked her? she was at the age where kids start becoming aware of classmates, starting to like a person, and teasing each other about "You like So and so"; " So and so really likes you, he sent me to ask you do you like him?" or "Asha has a boyfriend, Asha has a boyfriend" etc.

4) Predator just happens to be driving down the road where Asha is walking and picks her up.

5) someone tells Asha to leave home at a certain time, walk down the road, and "I/We will pick you up. I'll be driving a green car ". How hard would it be for LE to get a list from the DMV of all the green cars within the county or a certain number of counties?
By green car, did LE mean the teal color that was so very popular for vehicles back then? There was a teal blue, and there was a teal green. Or did they mean dark green, like a forest green? The car in the link above does not look dark green.

6) what recently paroled predators lived in the county or near Asha's home??

Her disappearance haunts me.It is like one of those locked room mysteries.

 

[Sunburst]

One more thing: A 9 year old leaving around 4 a.m. with a nightgown that wasn't hers. and a school library book. Could she have been trying to return the nightgown and the library book to the place the slumber party had been held or to the original owner, thnking she could walk to either place easily and not realizing just how far those places actually were from her home? I can easily see little girls at a slumber party trading books to read and even clothes. NKOTB, at the time, were in the "teen idol" category with fanzines, publicity, etc. Almost all of their fanbase was high school age and younger females.

IIRC the Dr. Seuss book was from her school library, but someone else had checked it out from the library, not Asha.

 

[Kimster]

One more thing: A 9 year old leaving around 4 a.m. with a nightgown that wasn't hers. and a school library book. Could she have been trying to return the nightgown and the library book to the place the slumber party had been held or to the original owner, thnking she could walk to either place easily and not realizing just how far those places actually were from her home? I can easily see little girls at a slumber party trading books to read and even clothes. NKOTB, at the time, were in the "teen idol" category with fanzines, publicity, etc. Almost all of their fanbase was high school age and younger females.

IIRC the Dr. Seuss book was from her school library, but someone else had checked it out from the library, not Asha.

I don't know that someone didn't entice her out, or take her. None of this makes any sense otherwise.

 

[GrandmaBear]

9 year olds do not pack up and leave in the night without a good reason.
I am hoping LE and FBI talked to Asha's friends and teachers at school, especially her BFF. Asha may have said something to one of her friends.
Possible scenarios:
1) home life not what is seemed

2) someone tells Asha to come over to their house, but wait until parent leaves for work or is asleep to come over. Either Asha's parents or Someone's parents, or both.

3) was there a male classmate or older student that Asha liked or that liked her? she was at the age where kids start becoming aware of classmates, starting to like a person, and teasing each other about "You like So and so"; " So and so really likes you, he sent me to ask you do you like him?" or "Asha has a boyfriend, Asha has a boyfriend" etc.

4) Predator just happens to be driving down the road where Asha is walking and picks her up.

5) someone tells Asha to leave home at a certain time, walk down the road, and "I/We will pick you up. I'll be driving a green car ". How hard would it be for LE to get a list from the DMV of all the green cars within the county or a certain number of counties?
By green car, did LE mean the teal color that was so very popular for vehicles back then? There was a teal blue, and there was a teal green. Or did they mean dark green, like a forest green? The car in the link above does not look dark green.

6) what recently paroled predators lived in the county or near Asha's home??

Her disappearance haunts me.It is like one of those locked room mysteries.

When looking at it from so many cases we see nowadays, what is the true last independent sighting of her?

Did she even leave or run away and if she did what was she leaving or running from or whoi was she running to?

The green car certainly does not appear to have enough details as to, as you ask, what kind of green is it and so on...

Imo something was wrong at home so she ran, she never ran off at all, or somene convinced her to leave...

I'm not saying they should know or maybe there wasn't much evidence but 24 years later and this is where it stands? T-W-ENTY FOURRRR yrs later.

I think they need to be taking a full new look at it. It sounds like they are or may? I'd sure hope so.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Investigators making 'significant progress' in search for Asha Degree, FBI says

Asha Degree disappeared from her bedroom in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day 24 years ago. The case remains a mystery to this day.

www.wcnc.com

Investigators making 'significant progress' in search for Asha Degree, FBI says​

Investigators in Cleveland County say they're making "significant progress" to find out what happened to Asha Degree, the 9-year-old girl who disappeared in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day 24 years ago.

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office and FBI posted a new video on social media to mark National Missing Children's Day and their effort to find Asha. Detectives have vowed to never stop looking for her.

"There's an individual within the bounds of Cleveland County that knows where Asha's at," Sheriff Alan Norman said. "We're asking you to come forward because eventually we're going to find you and we're going to bring you to justice if you don't come forward first."

 

[Sunburst]

Investigators making 'significant progress' in search for Asha Degree, FBI says

Asha Degree disappeared from her bedroom in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day 24 years ago. The case remains a mystery to this day.

www.wcnc.com

Investigators making 'significant progress' in search for Asha Degree, FBI says​

Investigators in Cleveland County say they're making "significant progress" to find out what happened to Asha Degree, the 9-year-old girl who disappeared in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day 24 years ago.

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office and FBI posted a new video on social media to mark National Missing Children's Day and their effort to find Asha. Detectives have vowed to never stop looking for her.

"There's an individual within the bounds of Cleveland County that knows where Asha's at," Sheriff Alan Norman said. "We're asking you to come forward because eventually we're going to find you and we're going to bring you to justice if you don't come forward first."

That " bring you to justice " quote sounds like they know Asha is deceased. I hope not, but if she was alive she would be in her 30s and would probably have come forward by now.

Could LE have taken this to the Vidocq Society for their perspective and that is why there is suddenly so much progress being made?

 

[GrandmaBear]

Skimmed through a few older posts to reach the new ones and they said in one just a few back someone in the greater Cleveland area and in this one they said someone WITHIN THE bounds of Cleveland County knows... KNOWS where she is. Now that might not seem like much but it is imo. This child could have went to meet someone or been abducted and in either case taken anywhere and in either case it could have been someone from out of town, out of state, out of county, etc. AND in all these years since if were in the area could have long since moved or died.

This is pretty specific. Imo they are telling SOME specific person they know and to just wait, the day is coming your freedom will end.

 

[Sunburst]

Skimmed through a few older posts to reach the new ones and they said in one just a few back someone in the greater Cleveland area and in this one they said someone WITHIN THE bounds of Cleveland County knows... KNOWS where she is. Now that might not seem like much but it is imo. This child could have went to meet someone or been abducted and in either case taken anywhere and in either case it could have been someone from out of town, out of state, out of county, etc. AND in all these years since if were in the area could have long since moved or died.

This is pretty specific. Imo they are telling SOME specific person they know and to just wait, the day is coming your freedom will end.

That was my interpretation- that what LE said was directed at one specific person or maybe two. That LE is pretty sure they know what happened and they almost have enough evidence for an arrest. That they are very close.

Asha's subforum on reddit is pretty active.

 

[GrandmaBear]

That was my interpretation- that what LE said was directed at one specific person or maybe two. That LE is pretty sure they know what happened and they almost have enough evidence for an arrest. That they are very close.

Asha's subforum on reddit is pretty active.

I don't get time to look at a lot of other but I have never figured out how to navigate Reddit. I've tried in many a case through the years. Good to know though.

I think too it is directed and they know. And that person/people better be making their plans to go away for a long time, saying their good byes, etc.

And watching their every step and holding their breath every single moment....

But yeah, they pretty much put the perp in a box of the county...

 

[Sunburst]

I don't get time to look at a lot of other but I have never figured out how to navigate Reddit. I've tried in many a case through the years. Good to know though.

I think too it is directed and they know. And that person/people better be making their plans to go away for a long time, saying their good byes, etc.

And watching their every step and holding their breath every single moment....

But yeah, the pretty much put the perp in a box of the county...

https://www.reddit.com/r/AshaDegree/

Her reddit forum has 11,000 members. She is not forgotten.

 

[Kimster]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AshaDegree/

Her reddit forum has 11,000 members. She is not forgotten.

That’s great! Thank you for the link.

 

[GrandmaBear]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AshaDegree/

Her reddit forum has 11,000 members. She is not forgotten.

That's awesome, good to know.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

@Sunburst

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article292429589.html

Case of missing girl Asha Degree led to Shelby property search, Cleveland sheriff confirms
Sheriff Alan Norman of Cleveland County confirmed on Friday that the large-scale search in Shelby this week related to the 2000 disappearance of 9-year-old Asha Degree, a case that has haunted the region and never been forgotten by the community.

No human remains were found at the Cleveland County property on Cherryville Road, where multiple law enforcement agencies were seen working on Tuesday and Wednesday, a statement from the sheriff said.

The statement said multiple items of interest were taken from more than one site to be analyzed.

People gathered to watch on Wednesday as the sheriff’s office, along with the FBI and the State Bureau of Investigation, searched the Cherryville Road property with police dogs on hand. Law enforcement at that point had not confirmed any details about the search other than multiple search warrants were obtained.

“The search warrants were obtained based on physical evidence directly connected to Asha’s disappearance,” Norman’s statement said.

On Wednesday, authorities towed a green 1960s-model car from the property.

The Charlotte Observer previously reported that the FBI and Cleveland County received information that someone matching Asha’s description may have been seen getting into a “distinctive vehicle” along N.C. 18, where she was last seen.

The vehicle was described as an early 1970s Lincoln Mark IV or possibly a Ford Thunderbird, dark green, and with rust around the wheel wells.

The sheriff’s office said in its press release that authorities wanted to dispel rumors that human remains were found.

No other details were released Friday.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

This is BIG news. I really think they're onto something here. Especially with the vehicle.