NC NC - Asha Degree, 9, Shelby, 14 Feb 2000 #2

[Scruffydog2]

I'm pretty sure the Police stated that she left on her own accord. However I'm pretty sure that it was also said she was either afraid of the dark or storms. So that doesn't make much sense.

My opinion-purely speculative- is that she was invited to maybe a "sleepover" and told to leave at that time so it would be a secret. You know her age was not that different from that of the youngest daughter of the Dedmonds.

 

[tara83]

My opinion-purely speculative- is that she was invited to maybe a "sleepover" and told to leave at that time so it would be a secret. You know her age was not that different from that of the youngest daughter of the Dedmonds.

With the parents feelings about mixing races doubt Asha would be invited to their home.

 

[Scruffydog2]

With the parents feelings about mixing races doubt Asha would be invited to their home.

It didn't have to have anything to do with the parents actually

 

[pokerowan]

It didn't have to have anything to do with the parents actually

I think you may have misunderstood the above. I'm pretty sure 'the parents' here refers to Roy and Connie Dedmon - Roy Lee Dedmon being the principal of a segregationist school. They have both been named as suspects.

 

[MesquiteO21]

In case anyone else missed it, because some of the reporting was confusing, the girl who was 13 years old at the time and the individual who died in 2004 are NOT considered suspects at this time. They are named because their DNA was found on Asha's belongings (the inference being that it was transfer DNA)

source-- 'Why did it happen?' | Asha Degree's great-uncle says he's had unanswered questions for 24 years

 

[Scruffydog2]

I think you may have misunderstood the above. I'm pretty sure 'the parents' here refers to Roy and Connie Dedmon - Roy Lee Dedmon being the principal of a segregationist school. They have both been named as suspects.

Oh I get it....I know they are POIs....

 

[Quill]

Hi, I admit I haven't delved into this case much, so my opinion is subject to change. Asha's disappearance is one that has always stayed in the back of my mind. Bit of a long post.

I'm not sure what the general consensus here is of why she left that day, but I see a lot of people putting into stock that there had to be a huge catalyst for her to leave with the storm/rain outside. It isn't that uncommon for children/tweens, after getting into an argument or simply because they are bored, to pack some of their things and run off as an "I'll show them"... or all the heightened emotions just make them want to run. Many kids have personal stories in their childhoods having done it or attempted it. I'm not saying her family was mistreating her either, there's no evidence for that, but in her child mind there could have been something that set her off.

Well, leaving while in a rainstorm in the middle of the night, when said child was much afraid of the dark? Certainly less likely, but not impossible by any means. I never really believed that she was lured away or had been communicating with someone who told her to leave. I definitely think she intended to be back, and I also consider the possibility that this wasn't the first time she had run away or snuck out undetected. She may have just always returned home before her parents noticed? Additionally, I imagine a 9-year-old wouldn't be very good with risk assessment and was simply going off her instincts of wanting to bail. But it is certainly mind boggling to read about the environment she must have put herself into that night. If she really did plan to run away, then why during those conditions, and at that time? I'm sure there was a reason, so what exactly was it?

Also about the DNA match, I too think that it could be like a LISK situation where the hair got there through transfer and was important solely because it made the familial connection -- not necessarily pointing towards any involvement on the teen's end. I am hopeful that there will be answers for Asha's family, I never expected to see so much movement in this case... I am happy there may be a resolution soon for everyone who loved her.

This is a good post. I keep wracking my brain on the why and I have for many years because I have been following this case for just about as long as Asha has been missing. It kind of haunts me. I have also wondered if this might not have been the first time she took a little adventure without anyone knowing. She was a bright child who was athletic and could have felt a bit hemmed in by her very loving and protective family. Children often get ideas in their heads and do things on a whim. What I just cannot fathom as I try and relate to her with my own childhood mentality, is why she would have chosen on her own to go out int he dark and especially the rain/wind. It just seems like the worst time for "fun" and mischief. So I come right back to some type of extreme motivation. I still use cannot make it make sense. I'll add that I do think that sharing a room with her brother would make repeated little adventures really hard to do without him ever having a clue. Thanks for listening to my meandering! I'm all over the place.

 

[MesquiteO21]

I'm pretty sure the Police stated that she left on her own accord. However I'm pretty sure that it was also said she was either afraid of the dark or storms. So that doesn't make much sense.

it certainly doesn't, and is what made me consider sleepwalking. It just seems a little far-fetched to me that a child who was asleep at 12am (when Harold checked on them) would wake herself up 2- 2.5 hours later to leave, especially in a storm.

i sleepwalked a lot as a kid and even unlocked and opened our backdoor one time, only reason i was stopped was because our alarm went off. I believe sleepwalking incidents only last from 5-15 minutes but that would've been enough time for her to pack her bag, leave the house, and walk down the road. Then by the time she woke up she was far from home and scared and confused.

***JMO**

 

[mst]

The nkotb really hit the height of their popularity near the end of the 80s. Of the 3 sisters, I would say it probably belonged to the oldest. Even at 16 in 2000, that's pushing it.

 

[Mysteries1974]

This is a good post. I keep wracking my brain on the why and I have for many years because I have been following this case for just about as long as Asha has been missing. It kind of haunts me. I have also wondered if this might not have been the first time she took a little adventure without anyone knowing. She was a bright child who was athletic and could have felt a bit hemmed in by her very loving and protective family. Children often get ideas in their heads and do things on a whim. What I just cannot fathom as I try and relate to her with my own childhood mentality, is why she would have chosen on her own to go out int he dark and especially the rain/wind. It just seems like the worst time for "fun" and mischief. So I come right back to some type of extreme motivation. I still use cannot make it make sense. I'll add that I do think that sharing a room with her brother would make repeated little adventures really hard to do without him ever having a clue. Thanks for listening to my meandering! I'm all over the place.

I agree. I have never believed Asha left her house for any specific reason

 

[lonewanderer]

The nkotb really hit the height of their popularity near the end of the 80s. Of the 3 sisters, I would say it probably belonged to the oldest. Even at 16 in 2000, that's pushing it.

I found this odd, too.

NKOTB was very old news by then

 

[mst]

Was there anywhere that Asha would have known this other family from? Basketball, church, etc?

 

[Mysteries1974]

Autopsy results of man involved in Asha Degree case leave questions

Russell Underhill has been named in a search warrant which allege his DNA was found on items belonging to Asha Degree. What do we know about him?

www.shelbystar.com

 

[YouthSleuth98]

Hi! Just wanted to input that it wouldn’t be that off for the teens daughters to have the shirt. It could’ve been seen as “vintage”. I was born at the tail end of the 90s but I do know that teens even still today will wear old band tees for style. JMO

The nkotb really hit the height of their popularity near the end of the 80s. Of the 3 sisters, I would say it probably belonged to the oldest. Even at 16 in 2000, that's pushing it.

 

[Quill]

it certainly doesn't, and is what made me consider sleepwalking. It just seems a little far-fetched to me that a child who was asleep at 12am (when Harold checked on them) would wake herself up 2- 2.5 hours later to leave, especially in a storm.

i sleepwalked a lot as a kid and even unlocked and opened our backdoor one time, only reason i was stopped was because our alarm went off. I believe sleepwalking incidents only last from 5-15 minutes but that would've been enough time for her to pack her bag, leave the house, and walk down the road. Then by the time she woke up she was far from home and scared and confused.

***JMO**

The problem with sleep walking, and I say this as someone who also sleepwalked as a kid, is that the door was locked from the inside. She could not have gone out the front door. When I was sleep walking, people in my home were awakened by me being up 99% of the time because I wasn't exactly trying to be quiet.

I also just want to add that the NKOTB shirt in question isn't a t-shirt as in a concert tshirt. It's a little girl's nightgown type of garment like you might have bought at a w*l m*rt or Km*rt or such type store. Just to give a little context to that I think helps a bit since there are so many here who are new to this case.

 

[YouthSleuth98]

The problem with sleep walking, and I say this as someone who also sleepwalked as a kid, is that the door was locked from the inside. She could not have gone out the front door. When I was sleep walking, people in my home were awakened by me being up 99% of the time because I wasn't exactly trying to be quiet.

I also just want to add that the NKOTB shirt in question isn't a t-shirt as in a concert tshirt. It's a little girl's nightgown type of garment like you might have bought at a w*l m*rt or Km*rt or such type store. Just to give a little context to that I think helps a bit since there are so many here who are new to this case.

Oooh I did not know that! I always assumed that those were two separate articles of clothing. She had packed the bag and the night gown was in it and the NKOTB shirt was found with her belongings (to include the night gown)

 

[Quill]

Oooh I did not know that! I always assumed that those were two separate articles of clothing. She had packed the bag and the night gown was in it and the NKOTB shirt was found with her belongings (to include the night gown)

There is a picture floating around on this thread of the backpack contents. It has been reposted in the last couple of days. McElligott's Pool was the book.

 

[HeartOfGranite]

I almost wonder if there are two separate things going on here, and it's hard to connect them. One is why a little girl would have gone out on a cold, stormy night. Was she lured with the promise of something (could be anything from the promise of a gift or activity from an adult with nefarious motivation to a clandestine meetup with a friend)? Could she have sleepwalked (it's not common but can happen that people leave their homes doing it). Could it be something as simple as she woke up, maybe from a dream, and thought it was much later in the morning than it was and got ready for school, perhaps realizing that it was too early but deciding to walk to school anyway not realizing HOW early, maybe to play on the playground? I know I've woken from a dream thinking, 'oh no, I'm late' and it taking a few minutes to realize that's not the case.

The second is what happened to her after, and while sadly it looks more and more like she was killed not long after she left the house, or at least was taken and died/was killed later. But how that happened, again, could have multiple answers. It could be that someone lured her with malicious intent, either an adult (pedophile?) or another kid (angry about something and wanting to fight or worse). But it also seems like it could have been accidental (hit her with the car and she was seen alive being pulled into it but later passed from injuries? If it was a teen driving, they might have panicked and taken her home instead of to a hospital or to her own house, and once there, she either died or was killed to cover it up). Or, it could have been a crime of opportunity by someone who saw her and took her for the purpose of harming her, a cruel coincidence after she left her house for an unrelated reason.

With our something to connect the POI's family and Asha, it seems more like it could be two separate events that culminated in her death.

MOO, of course, and just thinking out loud to see if anything sounds like it makes sense.

 

[MesquiteO21]

The problem with sleep walking, and I say this as someone who also sleepwalked as a kid, is that the door was locked from the inside. She could not have gone out the front door. When I was sleep walking, people in my home were awakened by me being up 99% of the time because I wasn't exactly trying to be quiet.

I also just want to add that the NKOTB shirt in question isn't a t-shirt as in a concert tshirt. It's a little girl's nightgown type of garment like you might have bought at a w*l m*rt or Km*rt or such type store. Just to give a little context to that I think helps a bit since there are so many here who are new to this case.

Do we happen to know how she left, if not through the front door?

 

[MesquiteO21]

The nkotb really hit the height of their popularity near the end of the 80s. Of the 3 sisters, I would say it probably belonged to the oldest. Even at 16 in 2000, that's pushing it.

I think they were still decently popular into the 90s. I was born in ‘85 my sister in ‘81 and I remember we both had one of the nkotb Barbie dolls lol. I don’t recall what year that was maybe ‘91 or ‘92? Boy bands seem to always be popular with young girls so I think the night shirt could belong to any of them honestly

***JMO***