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

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

NCMEC - http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/879788/1/screen

Asha's photo is shown age-progressed to 29 years. She was last seen by her family sleeping in her bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 14, 2000. At 4:00 a.m., she was seen by motorists walking along North Carolina Highway 18 in Shelby, North Carolina. NCMEC serves as a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of investigative leads and sightings of missing children to appropriate law enforcement agencies. NCMEC neither endorses nor assumes responsibility for this or any reward fund.


FBI - https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/asha-jaquilla-degree

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Asha Degree's disappearance.


Charley Project - http://charleyproject.org/case/asha-jaquilla-degree

Two truck drivers reported seeing her walking south on Highway 18 north of Shelby between 3:30 and 4:15 a.m. Asha was apparently near the intersection of Highway 180 at the time, about a mile from her home. She left the highway at this point and walked off into the darkness. It was the last confirmed sighting of the child.

Asha may have been sighted getting into a distinctive dark green early 1970s model car on the night she was last seen. The vehicle, which had rust around the wheel wells, is thought to have been either a Lincoln Mark IV or a Ford Thunderbird. Photos of similar cars are posted with this case summary.




NamUs - https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/2316

Asha was last seen by her family sleeping in her bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 14, 2000. 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 buried along North Carolina 18 in Burke County.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Looking for Asha | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Twenty years after the mysterious disappearance of 9-year-old Asha Degree from her home in North Carolina, the FBI and local investigators continue to actively search for clues in the case.

www.fbi.gov

Looking for Asha
Clues Sought in Case of 9-Year-Old Who Disappeared 20 Years Ago

It was 20 years ago today that Asha Degree, a shy 9-year-old North Carolina girl, went missing in the middle of the night. The spirited fourth-grader’s disappearance in 2000 shook her rural community of Shelby and remains an enduring mystery, even as police, the FBI, and her family continue to actively search for clues.

“After 20 years, I still believe my daughter is alive,” said Iquilla Degree, who, with her husband Harold, still harbors hope that Asha (pronounced Ay-shuh) might find her way home. “I do not believe she is dead. And I know someone knows something. I’m not crazy enough to think that a 9-year-old can disappear into thin air without somebody knowing something.”

The case remains an open investigation, with a local detective reviewing leads—old and new—and FBI investigators from the Charlotte Field Office consolidating and combing through case files for unexplored patterns or clues. Like Asha’s mother, investigators believe someone in area may hold the key that could unlock the case.

“We strongly believe that there is someone out there that may have a piece of information that will help her,” said Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Tim Adams, who came out of retirement in 2014 to lead the department’s probe. In 2015, the sheriff’s office teamed up with the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation in a top-to-bottom re-examination of the case, which has since generated more than 350 leads, including 45 in the past year.

“The fact that it was a small child that left on Valentine’s Day really caught everybody’s heart in this community,” Det. Adams said. “She’s been called Shelby’s Sweetheart, because she’s a child that’s one of our own that has gone missing, and we want to find out what happened to her.”

“We encourage anybody out there that if they have any information—no matter how small or minor it may seem—it might be extremely crucial to further us getting one step closer to Asha,” said FBI Special Agent Michael Gregory, who is leading the case now for the Bureau. “We will continue to pursue all avenues to find out what circumstances led to her disappearance, and we will continue to pursue this case at all costs.”

Working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the FBI has released multiple age-progressed photos of Asha, including a new version this month showing what Asha may look like now as a 29-year-old. The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward on top of $20,000 set aside by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the community. Three years ago, the FBI deployed its Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, which spent more than a week on location and generated still more leads and interview prospects.


Clues and potential leads include items discovered in Asha's book bag, which was recovered 30 miles from where she was last seen. They include a New Kids On the Block concert T-shirt and a Dr. Seuss book, which had been checked out of her school library.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I can't believe Asha has been gone for 20 years. What prompted her to leave her bedroom that night?
Was she being groomed by someone who asked her to leave that night?
Was she just a simple "runaway" who would have returned within several hours if a predator hadn't come across her?
So many questions. Not many 9 year olds would leave their homes in that weather for no reason.

 

[KareBear]

I can't believe Asha has been gone for 20 years. What prompted her to leave her bedroom that night?
Was she being groomed by someone who asked her to leave that night?
Was she just a simple "runaway" who would have returned within several hours if a predator hadn't come across her?
So many questions. Not many 9 year olds would leave their homes in that weather for no reason.

Great questions SheWho! I was asking myself the same questions, in that order as a matter of fact! Was she running 'from something/someone' or 'to something/someone? If it's the latter she must have known them..
Nine years old is so young! I have a neice that age and and she won't even go get something out of the car at night without someone with her. I couldn't imagine her just walking down the street ..
I wonder if phone records were pulled?

 

[Kimster]

I can't believe Asha has been gone for 20 years. What prompted her to leave her bedroom that night?
Was she being groomed by someone who asked her to leave that night?
Was she just a simple "runaway" who would have returned within several hours if a predator hadn't come across her?
So many questions. Not many 9 year olds would leave their homes in that weather for no reason.

I've always leaned on the being "groomed" theory. I wonder if there have been any non-related arrests in the last 20 years of people that were in her circle at the time?

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Inmate says he knows what happened to Asha Degree

For couples around the country, Valentine’s Day includes flowers, candy and expressions of love. For one...

www.shelbystar.com

Inmate says he knows what happened to Asha Degree​

For couples around the country, Valentine’s Day includes flowers, candy and expressions of love.

For one Fallston family, the day marks a painful anniversary - the day a 9-year-old girl vanished.

Local, state and federal investigators continue to try and solve the mystery of Asha Degree’s disappearance, and they may have a new lead.

A prison inmate recently sent a letter to The Star in which he says he knows what happened to the fourth-grader nearly 21 years ago.

Marcus Mellon wrote to the news outlet to say that the child was killed, and he knows how and where to find her.

Mellon, 53, was convicted of sex crimes against children in Cleveland County in 2014.

In his letter to The Star, Mellon says he has information and asked that it be passed along to the FBI.

Mellon asked investigators to come see him to find out what happened. Here is what he wrote:

Asha Degree has been missing for over 20 years. About four months ago I had found out her whereabouts and what had happen to her. She was killed and then took and buried. I do know how and what town she is in. I hope you get this letter and do come see me. It’s on the up and up.

Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman said the tip will be followed up on, but an obstacle will slow the process.

Mellon is serving nearly 14 years in prison and is housed at Alexander Correctional Institute where there currently is a COVID-19 outbreak. Norman said that investigators from his department and the FBI will interview Mellon when the situation at the prison is under control.

Though the child vanished more than 20 years ago, tips still get reported. According to the FBI, 45 came in last year.

Whether or not Mellon actually has knowledge of what happened to Asha, Norman said all tips are investigated. The sheriff did note that sometimes inmates have ulterior motives such as bargaining for preferential treatment during incarceration.

“We treat every piece of information that we receive as good information until we prove otherwise,” Norman said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘I still believe’: 21 years later, Asha Degree’s mom still holds out hope for missing daughter

Sunday will mark 21 years since 9-year-old Asha Degree vanished from her home near Falston in Cleveland County.

www.wsoctv.com

‘I still believe’: 21 years later, Asha Degree’s mom still holds out hope for missing daughter​

Sunday will mark 21 years since 9-year-old Asha Degree vanished from her home in Cleveland County.

But her mother isn’t giving up hope.

“I still believe that she’s alive,” she said.


The FBI believes that someone took Asha but has no suspects.

Iquilla Degree still looks outside expecting to see something that hasn’t happened in 21 years.

“My child, walking in the door,” she said. “Some days you get up and it seems like it just happened yesterday.”

Since Asha’s disappearance, her backpack has been found and a car was identified for a possible person of interest inside. No suspect has been found, no new leads have broken in the case, and Asha, who would be 30 years old, still has not been found.

 

[FightingCrime247]

Seeking Clues in Asha Degree's Disappearance 20 Years Ago | Federal Bureau of Investigation

The family of Asha Degree—along with FBI Charlotte and local investigators—continues to seek answers in the North Carolina girl's disappearance on February 14, 2000.

www.fbi.gov

I can't believe it's been 21 years and still no answers for her family. I have looked back on this case numerous times and it still baffles me what would compel a child to walk away from their home in the early morning hours in the dark and rain storm? So many unanswered questions after all these years, I truly hope that someone will do the right thing and come forward with reliable information to bring her home.

 

[Kimster]

Seeking Clues in Asha Degree's Disappearance 20 Years Ago | Federal Bureau of Investigation

The family of Asha Degree—along with FBI Charlotte and local investigators—continues to seek answers in the North Carolina girl's disappearance on February 14, 2000.

www.fbi.gov

I can't believe it's been 21 years and still no answers for her family. I have looked back on this case numerous times and it still baffles me what would compel a child to walk away from their home in the early morning hours in the dark and rain storm? So many unanswered questions after all these years, I truly hope that someone will do the right thing and come forward with reliable information to bring her home.

I agree with you! Sometimes young girls do crazy things when their hormones start kicking in, but she was too young for that!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

43 unsolved missing cases the FBI needs fresh leads on

While the search for Gabby Petito is over, thousands more cases need the same attention. Here's an FBI list of 43 unsolved missing persons cases.

www.usatoday.com

43 unsolved missing cases the FBI needs fresh leads on
Amid the disappearance of Gabby Petito that has captured the nation's attention, FBI officials say hundreds of thousands of people go missing every year. In May, the FBI conducted an internal audit and compiled a list of 43 unsolved cases of people under the age of 21 that the agency says need fresh leads. Some date back decades. Here's the list.

Asha Jaquilla Degree was 9 when she went missing from Shelby, North Carolina, on Feb. 14, 2000. More information and age-progressed photos here.
PROVIDED BY THE FBI

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

It’s been 22 years since the disappearance of Asha Degree

Asha Degree was last seen walking away from her home in Shelby on Valentine’s Day of 2000.

www.wsoctv.com

Monday marks 22 years since disappearance of Asha Degree​

Monday will mark 22 years since a 9-year-old girl vanished from her home in Cleveland County.

In 2020, the FBI put up billboards with an age-progressed picture of Asha in hopes of generating new leads.

The FBI said they believe someone took Asha but they do not have any suspects.

“Somebody knows something,” said Iquilla Degree, Asha’s mother. “A 9-year-old just don’t disappear off of the face of the Earth without a trace. No, there is no way.”

There is still a $45,000 reward for information about Asha.

22 years since the disappearance of Asha Degree, law enforcement hopes for renewed interest in the case

On the anniversary of a 9-year-old girl's disappearance, law enforcement officers are hoping for renewed interest in the case and clues that will help find “Shelby’s sweetheart.”

www.wbtv.com

22 years since the disappearance of Asha Degree, law enforcement hopes for renewed interest in the case​

On this day, 22 years ago, a girl vanished from her Shelby home.

It was Feb. 14, 2000. Asha Degree was 9-years-old. Family members last saw her asleep in her bedroom.

On the anniversary of her disappearance, law enforcement officers are hoping for renewed interest in the case and clues that will help find “Shelby’s sweetheart.”

WBTV’s Dee Dee Gatton spoke with Asha’s mother Iquilla Degree, earlier today.

It’s obviously a difficult day, but she seemed hopeful.

There are, of course, a lot of questions - like why did Asha leave her house to begin with on Valentine’s Day, which is her parents’ wedding anniversary?

Investigators say, right now, it’s less about where we think Asha could be and more about what we think someone in our area knows about where she is.


From Feb. 2021 to now, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has received 45 tips and the FBI has gotten 20.

“At this point, we’re always going to hold out hope that’s Asha’s alive, because we have not found evidence otherwise,” said Lynch.

FBI Charlotte couldn’t go into specifics, but told WBTV they’ve identified a number of people over the years who have been considered a “person of interest” for various reasons.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Our search for Asha Degree won't stop until we find her. Over the years since she disappeared, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation have followed hundreds of leads and conducted hundreds of interviews. Our goal has always been to uncover new information to help us find Asha. And we still need your help. During the next 30 days, teams of detectives and agents from the CCSO, the FBI, and the SBI may contact you for an interview. Our goal is to speak to anyone in the community who may have encountered Asha in her daily life. Even if you think you don't have information that is helpful, you may know something that could be a key to our case. 9-year-old Asha was last seen walking along Highway 18 on February 14, 2000. There is a combined reward of up to $45,000 for information to find her. We know our community cares deeply about Asha, help us bring her home.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Family still hopeful 23 years after Asha Degree, ‘Shelby’s sweetheart,’ disappeared

“I can’t give up hope and I won’t give up hope,” said Asha Degree’s mother, Iquilla Degree.

www.wsoctv.com

Family still hopeful 23 years after Asha Degree, ‘Shelby’s sweetheart,’ disappeared​

A family says they’re is still holding on to hope that they’ll find their loved one who vanished more than two decades ago at 9 years old.

The case, which opened 23 years ago, has captivated our community, leaving a lasting mark on so many people’s lives.

It all started on Valentine’s Day in 2000, when Asha Degree left her home and never returned.

“I can’t give up hope and I won’t give up hope,” said Asha Degree’s mother, Iquilla Degree.


Adams talked to Lemon about the information they’ve collected in just the last seven years.

“Since then, we are close to 600 individual tips that we follow up on,” Adams said.

Each of them has been documented in detail for review. He said they will run extensive tests on all of the physical evidence collected in this case, hoping new technology will yield helpful clues.

He also said time is usually a major barrier in a case like this, but investigators hope time will bring new opportunities.

“Someone that might have had a best friend 23 years ago that they know something about,” Adams said. “The relationship may change, so that person may feel more free to come forward and bring us that information.”

“We are just not going to give up until we find out what happened,” Adams said.

The same is true for Perry Davis. He still searches every time he drives through the area she was last seen.

“You spend every day hoping you are going to find her and bring her home,” he said.

They all worry for the family, who is holding on to hope with an unshakable faith.

 

[Miccistella]

Oh my goodness… that is almost creepy… I just watch a documentary in German and came here if there is a thread…

 

[Miccistella]

 

[Whatsnext]

Ich finde Insolito auch klasse!

 

[Miccistella]

Ich finde Insolito auch klasse!

Mensch, hab irgendwie nicht realisiert oder besser nicht erwartet eine deutsche Antwort zu erhalten…

I am glad that there are people here which basically understand this video….

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Cold Case Files: The disappearance of Asha Degree

SHELBY, N.C. (WNCT) — Nine-year-old Asha Degree went to bed like normal on the night of February 13, 2000. Her family would wake up the next morning and find her missing. February 13, 2000, w…

www.wnct.com

Cold Case Files: The disappearance of Asha Degree​

Nine-year-old Asha Degree went to bed like normal on the night of February 13, 2000. Her family would wake up the next morning and find her missing.


Asha’s case is still open to this day and is being investigated by former Gastonia Police Chief Tim Adams and another detective at the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with information can call

• Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office (704) 484-4822
• FBI at (704) 672- 6100
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or 1-800-843-5678

 

[GrandmaBear]

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.