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

[Gloomy Bear]

One thing I've always found interesting about that green car info....

They say it had rust on the wheel wells. That is awfully specific. Wouldn't it be rather difficult to see that in rainy weather at 3:30 or 4 AM? That indicates to me that they have a very specific individual or individuals in mind who had that vehicle in 2000. I agree with those here who have said the FBI knows a lot more than what has been publicly released.

Oh that's true. Especially in the dark. I wonder if the vehicle info does not come from that night at all and has to do with some other day/time, a different event we don't know about. Maybe just a known car in the community even.

But her parents are fiercely defended by the majority of people who follow this case, so any possibility besides her leaving voluntarily is rarely discussed and usually dismissed quickly.

IMO it is rarely discussed and/or quickly dismissed because usually the FBI is pretty good about releasing to the public when the family is not cooperating or there are big inconsistencies within the family. Don't get me wrong, I do usually take what local LE says with a grain of salt, but the FBI takes these cases seriously and don't have the time, resources, or energy to play such games. If the FBI says the family has always been cooperative and have never been suspects, I believe them. I really don't think they are just saying this on account of things like the trucker sightings or the shed either. I think they have to have a good reason for not giving their usual spiels about "we can't rule anyone out" or "we have to dot all our i's and cross all our t's." I think they have a lot more circumstantial evidence and a lot more witnesses to other stuff that do not point to the parents being at all involved. That is all MOO. Discussing theories where the parents are culpable, I immediately think how could they have gone anywhere without the neighbors hearing their car? Ingoing or outgoing? I do not know but I figure they probably did not have a shred of privacy in those first few days or even weeks, so when would they have had the time to plant things in the shed? Or maybe family helped? That would be a big secret to keep among a lot of people for all these years.

It's mentioned in some reports, but left out in others. Apparently, Harold went out during the storm to a nearby store get a Valentine's Day present for his wife.
If you do a Google Search you'll find it. It's mentioned on some True Crime websites and also Reddit.

I don't remember if it was here, but someone researched the weather that day and said it was not a "storm." It was more like a drizzle. I will have to see if I can find this again.

 

[dotr]

How did Asha feel about moving, would that mean she would have to change schools, did she have any neighbours known and otherwise, who would particularly miss her if she and her family moved away?
speculation, imo.
February 12, 2021 By Ken Lemon
‘I still believe’: 21 years later, Asha Degree’s mom still holds out hope for missing daughter
''The morning Asha vanished, her parents had an appointment with a realtor to look for a new home. After Asha went missing, they stayed in the same house for two decades, holding on to hope that they would be there if Asha found a way back.''

'''Asha’s family has marched every year near the anniversary of the day she disappeared. They didn’t gather and march this year because of COVID-19, but her family is still pushing for help.

“All I can do is ask, beg, plead,” Iquilla Degree said. “I don’t know -- short of killing myself -- how to get you to come forward.”
There is still a $45,000 reward for information about Asha and a family waiting for the return of a missing child.''

Asha’s family wants anyone with information to call 704 484-4788. They still have an investigator working solely on finding Asha Degree with help from state and federal investigators.''

 

[Proud Country Gal]

How did Asha feel about moving, would that mean she would have to change schools, did she have any neighbours known and otherwise, who would particularly miss her if she and her family moved away?
speculation, imo.
February 12, 2021 By Ken Lemon
‘I still believe’: 21 years later, Asha Degree’s mom still holds out hope for missing daughter
''The morning Asha vanished, her parents had an appointment with a realtor to look for a new home. After Asha went missing, they stayed in the same house for two decades, holding on to hope that they would be there if Asha found a way back.''

'''Asha’s family has marched every year near the anniversary of the day she disappeared. They didn’t gather and march this year because of COVID-19, but her family is still pushing for help.

“All I can do is ask, beg, plead,” Iquilla Degree said. “I don’t know -- short of killing myself -- how to get you to come forward.”
There is still a $45,000 reward for information about Asha and a family waiting for the return of a missing child.''

Asha’s family wants anyone with information to call 704 484-4788. They still have an investigator working solely on finding Asha Degree with help from state and federal investigators.''

No Asha's family did not do their march this year....

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Sunday will mark 21 years since 9-year-old Asha Degree vanished from her home in Cleveland County.......
Asha’s family has marched every year near the anniversary of the day she disappeared. They didn’t gather and march this year because of COVID-19, but her family is still pushing for help.

“All I can do is ask, beg, plead,” Iquilla Degree said. “I don’t know -- short of killing myself -- how to get you to come forward.”

They want this year to be the last year of the searches. They want Asha returned home.

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

 

[Proud Country Gal]

Also how do we even know it was just constant constant storm and torrential rain the whole night long? Maybe when Harold went out the weather had subsided a bit. Same thing when Asha left the home, how do we know it was battering winds and rain at the exact moment she left? The weather may have eased up for an hour or so during the night

There had been a terrible T-storm that went through that night and then it rained/sprinkled off and on for the rest of the night.

 

[Proud Country Gal]

I get stuck on this, if this was opportunistic, how did her stuff end up in the shed? An opportunistic abductor who also just happened to know that shed was there or stumbled upon it? If the shed wasn’t involved it would be much easier for me to consider that she was grabbed while walking down the road. Why wouldn’t her abductor have just taken her away in their vehicle or brought her into their home? Since that shed was only a mile approx. from her house, I lean towards that not being the first time she was in that shed. She may have been meeting someone there. When I was a kid my friends and I had a secret “headquarters “ in which we would meet at certain times. No cell phones so all of these things had to be planned ahead of time. I also had a secret friend, another kid, and we would meet up to kiss, etc. We were both 10 and in 5th grade when this was taking place.
I think if she had been meeting other kids there someone would have said so. Which leads me to believe she was meeting an adult man there and this wasn’t the first time. Perhaps she was being groomed and had been meeting with her abductor for weeks/months. Or, she was never on that road or in that shed to begin with. My guess would be a family member, not anyone she lived with, or a family friend, even someone in the peripheral of a friend/family member.

I know there were supposedly eye witnesses, but eye witnesses can be wrong. Flat out wrong, innocently mistaken or purposely deceitful. Think of how many times eye witnesses, sometimes multiple eye witnesses, swear up and down they saw someone who we later find out was already deceased and there was no way they saw the person. They were wrong. Or maybe the girl these eye witnesses saw was the mystery girl in that photo found in the shed, or was it later found in Asha’s backpack, I can’t recall.

As for the shed. It was NOT used by the Turner's very often and there was a neighborhood of kids that lived closer than Asha that could have left those items in the shed. They all went to the same schools, received the same items, and wore the same type of accessories in their hair. So I do not believe that the item were dropped there by Asha.

 

[Proud Country Gal]

One thing I've always found interesting about that green car info....

They say it had rust on the wheel wells. That is awfully specific. Wouldn't it be rather difficult to see that in rainy weather at 3:30 or 4 AM? That indicates to me that they have a very specific individual or individuals in mind who had that vehicle in 2000. I agree with those here who have said the FBI knows a lot more than what has been publicly released.

IMHO they know exactly who has done this and they know they have missed out on finding her remains because of bad policing. I grew up there and PD did not take this case seriously and figured she was a runaway. Then when it was too late they just let it slide because she wasn't important to waste resources on. CC PD just wasn't equipped to handle cases like this back in 2000. Small town and also thank God not that many bad cases had happened that WE know of. (My friend was kidnapped and left for dead back in 1988 and they so-called investigated but nothing ever came of it but a beautiful RICH girl who had to relearn how to walk and talk but is now a nurse) but what to expect from the same county that blew the Brend Sue Brown case)
Sorry, I LOVE Cleveland County but the PD leaves me knowing I need to defend myself when it comes down to it.

 

[squareandrabbet]

I think regarding the shirt it may help if they released the size and if it was in a kids, juniors, or women's size. I think it's an interesting take on if the perp gifted the shirt to her. I just realized I worded my post like a doofus (oops). I really was referring to if it was one of her cousins shirts but realize now I didn't clarify that. I think her cousin's were in the age range of 12-15 years old. NKOTB disbanded in 1994 six years earlier. If it was the oldest cousins shirt she would have been nine or so at the end of their popularity. I had an Nsync shirt at 9 years old myself.

Regarding it as a gift, that is a interesting take. It makes sense for someone to not know the difference when it comes to boy bands. My Dad is like that with metal. To him it's all just 'rough stuff' and no matter what it is he thinks I must like it.

With Asha getting kidnapped to be raised a la Carlita White. I never thought of that before! At this point we can only hope this is the case. But why bury the book bag? And since she's over 18 wouldn't she have trouble getting a license/ job background checks without using her SS#? Wouldn't she come forward after discovering she's a missing person? Once again, so many questions!

As to the origins of the possible perp, she was also really active in basketball. Another thing she did in the days leading up to her disappearance. Could be a coach, teammate's parent, etc. A theory I have made in the past is it could be someone with knowledge of her lost basketball game. Maybe they offered to give her lessons or practice with her. I do agree with @Eireboy though that it is possible she had no pre-set destination. It actually makes the most sense that way since how would she wake herself up on her own when she did leave in the middle of the night, especially if meeting someone at a set time?

My assumption is that the NKOTB tee was gifted or thrifted.

I can, for example, imagine someone finding it on a rack at Goodwill or the Salvation Army; which could explain why it was years out of step/date.

I can also imagine it being procured for someone by a grandparent type who had no idea who any of those singing groups were, and thought if it "looked young" that was enough.

I feel like the only assumption we can safely and guaranteedly make at this point about its provenance, is that it wasn't a "cool shirt" for or to the majority of 9-year-olds in America in the year 2000.

 

[annpats]

I feel like the only assumption we can safely and guaranteedly make at this point about its provenance, is that it wasn't a "cool shirt" for or to the majority of 9-year-olds in America in the year 2000.

Yes, it'd be 10 years out of date, and also, I don't think NKOTB really would have had much of an appeal for African-American adults or children.

 

[Backabeyond]

I wasn’t aware of this @annpats
Can you please direct me to this information? Thank you

me, neither. Not for certain, but some of this doesn't strike me as true or the OP seems a little suspect. Also, from what i've read "awful thunderstorm" wasn't actually the case. but even if it was, the father is an adult. I find it ridiculous to say there is no way he went to a store while its raining. I also don't like the use of "unspecified" store. Sure, its unspecified to you, but probably not to the police. I just find a whole lot of far reaching assumptions being made in this persons ideas. also, their measurements of the distance of the shed are waaaaaaay off.

 

[Backabeyond]

It's mentioned in some reports, but left out in others. Apparently, Harold went out during the storm to a nearby store get a Valentine's Day present for his wife.
If you do a Google Search you'll find it. It's mentioned on some True Crime websites and also Reddit.

You're the one making the claim that almost no one else has heard of. Some of which is blatantly wrong to begin with. Why aren't you posting these links to back it up? BTW, Reddit isn't a credible source.

 

[Backabeyond]

I don't remember if it was here, but someone researched the weather that day and said it was not a "storm." It was more like a drizzle. I will have to see if I can find this again.[/QUOTE]
My understanding it wasn't "awful". The distance to the shed from the road is also not half a mile, it's much less. More like 200 yards. And even if its raining a little, the dogs would likely be hunkered down and/or asleep at that hour, and even the little rain could mask her presence.

 

[Backabeyond]

Yes, it'd be 10 years out of date, and also, I don't think NKOTB really would have had much of an appeal for African-American adults or children.

True. Couldve been just a nightshirt. Or the family may buy most of their stuff at goodwill, garage sales, or get hand me downs. My siblings and I were always out of fashion or outdated because my mom was a bargain shopper. We also had clothes that we didn't wear to school or anywhere else except around the neighborhood. Because my mom didn't want us ruining our "good" clothes in the dirt, which was rust colored and full of Iron ore and stained everything. Seems silly to be so heavily focused on the girls bedtime fashion.

 

[Backabeyond]

I get stuck on this, if this was opportunistic, how did her stuff end up in the shed? An opportunistic abductor who also just happened to know that shed was there or stumbled upon it? If the shed wasn’t involved it would be much easier for me to consider that she was grabbed while walking down the road. Why wouldn’t her abductor have just taken her away in their vehicle or brought her into their home? Since that shed was only a mile approx. from her house, I lean towards that not being the first time she was in that shed. She may have been meeting someone there. When I was a kid my friends and I had a secret “headquarters “ in which we would meet at certain times. No cell phones so all of these things had to be planned ahead of time. I also had a secret friend, another kid, and we would meet up to kiss, etc. We were both 10 and in 5th grade when this was taking place.
I think if she had been meeting other kids there someone would have said so. Which leads me to believe she was meeting an adult man there and this wasn’t the first time. Perhaps she was being groomed and had been meeting with her abductor for weeks/months. Or, she was never on that road or in that shed to begin with. My guess would be a family member, not anyone she lived with, or a family friend, even someone in the peripheral of a friend/family member.

I know there were supposedly eye witnesses, but eye witnesses can be wrong. Flat out wrong, innocently mistaken or purposely deceitful. Think of how many times eye witnesses, sometimes multiple eye witnesses, swear up and down they saw someone who we later find out was already deceased and there was no way they saw the person. They were wrong. Or maybe the girl these eye witnesses saw was the mystery girl in that photo found in the shed, or was it later found in Asha’s backpack, I can’t recall.

I always just assumed that she stopped by the shed(maybe the rain picked up for a second, or she stopped to think out a plan or something), before hitting the road again, at which point she was picked up. I don't buy her meeting other 8 yr olds at 4am or whenever in a shed. and you're right, kids are terrible at secrets, one of them wouldve said something. Especially if a friend went missing. Of course you can't account for whats going through someones mind, but I'm also doubtful the abductor wouldve stuck around, taken her to the shed and then left with her. Seems too risky to make that stop, especially when it was so easy to just snatch her off the road and continuing on away from the area. Also have to consider the fact that the perp wouldve had to park their car along the main road and carried her back there or driven back there, which wouldve alerted the dogs and the owners. Somebody else on here claimed that the shed was known and used by other local kids and that the business owners rarely used it. This person suggested that the stuff found in the shed may not have even been hers. Though I've never seen any of that confirmed or stated anywhere else, and I think the family is convinced it was her stuff. As far as grooming, you may be right, IDK. I know she was sheltered and that the opportunity to be groomed was very limited. Because grooming takes time, and it usually requires parents to put complete trust in someone who they are willing to give responsibility for their child over to on a regular or extended basis. If there was someone like that in her life, I'd like to think the FBI wouldve been all over that person. And given how sheltered she was or at least how i understand it, I just don't see that happening. From what I can tell, this is a very tight knit family that does everything together. I have buddy whose family is like this. I call them a cult, a school of fish, or a paramilitary group. They just move and operate like a single unit. But if there was grooming or some adult convinced her to meet, I'd lean towards a more peripheral person or family member rather than her immediate family. But even that doesn't make sense to me, because why would someone force her to walk over a mile in the dark and rain before picking her up? theres no reason for it that i can see. and it increases the risk of her being stopped by a cop or a good samaritan before she even gets to the meet, which then becomes a risk, because she is going to be questioned on what she was doing and where she was going. Why not just park around the corner? As of now, I'm still leaning towards opportunistic.

 

[Backabeyond]

I agree. If Asha willingly left her house that night, she was running FROM something.

Her parents got ahead of the game and immediately stated she was an extremely sheltered, shy, meek little girl who never disobeyed. 99% of people believe this wholeheartedly, yet also believe she left her home in the dark, during a thunderstorm, with a packed bag.

If this was reported today…”Nine year old disappears during the night, parents last to see her when she went to bed” what would immediate thoughts be? Certainly not “Oh, my, that little child must have packed a bag and ran away into the night in a thunderstorm!”

I’m just saying.

But her parents are fiercely defended by the majority of people who follow this case, so any possibility besides her leaving voluntarily is rarely discussed and usually dismissed quickly.

I understand why strangers would assume family. That the case a lot of the time. But these are people who know her and her family. They know if she was shy and sheltered and well behaved, and they would know if the family was full of BS when saying that, which would raise some eyebrows by those familiar. It's true she couldve been running from something, but this is a child. She could've easily been making a mountain out of a mole hill. Just because she ran from something doesn't mean it was something worth running from. I used to be really hard on myself as a kid. I was usually harder on me than my parents. If i screwed up, i would run into the woods and bawl, before going back to face the music. Oftentimes that music wouldnt be anywhere near as bad as crying alone in the woods. Regardless, the FBI is involved and they don't play around. They would likely figure out any deception, because honestly, most people are terrible liars, and it doesn't get better when you start adding people to the lying. And considering the family is always the first suspected, the FBI wouldve been laser focused on them and looking for the deception.

 

[Backabeyond]

IMHO they know exactly who has done this and they know they have missed out on finding her remains because of bad policing. I grew up there and PD did not take this case seriously and figured she was a runaway. Then when it was too late they just let it slide because she wasn't important to waste resources on. CC PD just wasn't equipped to handle cases like this back in 2000. Small town and also thank God not that many bad cases had happened that WE know of. (My friend was kidnapped and left for dead back in 1988 and they so-called investigated but nothing ever came of it but a beautiful RICH girl who had to relearn how to walk and talk but is now a nurse) but what to expect from the same county that blew the Brend Sue Brown case)
Sorry, I LOVE Cleveland County but the PD leaves me knowing I need to defend myself when it comes down to it.

You could be right. Definitely wouldn't be the first time a small town PD botched an investigation. Anytime i watch, read or listen to a crime story, I always wonder how some of these bumpkins are qualified to do much more than write a traffic ticket. I know they've dealt with very few, if any murders. And I wonder if they just took a 4 hour seminar online to get a certificate. I know I'm exaggerating but I'm from a small town, and some of the cops are people I grew up with. They were idiots as kids and getting a badge and gun didn't change that one bit. I'd trust myself to investigate a murder long before id trust many of them. Though I think it's a little unfair to compare the investigation by small town PD in the 60's(Brenda Brown) to a more modern PD investigation.

 

[Backabeyond]

Yes the Sundrop driver turned around more than once to check on her. The road isn't very wide, almost no usable shoulder in most places, and not a whole lot of places to turn around. I have a video of the road I will post on YT when I can get it edited. (Or I will go re-record a video of it when I can while I am up here this week.) I grew up riding and driving that road, it is a nightmare on a dark rainy night!
BTW I believe this is the size of the "Sundrop truck" It's not as large as a big rig and I believe that is why he was able to turn around to check on her.

You shouldn't have to post a video, google maps is readily available. Its a little frustrating to see people throwing in their two cents without even doing that minimal amount of research. In my mind, the first thing you do is get an understanding of the landscape if you are actually serious, but thats just me.

 

[Backabeyond]

Can someone post a map and/or picture of the backpack location? I can't seem to find anything that is for certain.

 

[Quill]

True. Couldve been just a nightshirt. Or the family may buy most of their stuff at goodwill, garage sales, or get hand me downs. My siblings and I were always out of fashion or outdated because my mom was a bargain shopper. We also had clothes that we didn't wear to school or anywhere else except around the neighborhood. Because my mom didn't want us ruining our "good" clothes in the dirt, which was rust colored and full of Iron ore and stained everything. Seems silly to be so heavily focused on the girls bedtime fashion.

BBM

The focus on this NKOTB shirt is due to the fact that it was found in Asha's backpack that was buried in garbage bags and eventually unearthed by a construction crew. If I recall correctly, the parents said that it did not belong to Asha. The shirt is a huge clue and part of the greater mystery.

 

[dotr]

Wondering if on the night Asha disappeared, she was in earnest trying to please somebody, even if it meant going out into the dark and the rain?
Apparently she was very upset about her team losing the bb. game, did anyone else take it badly and wanted to commiserate with Asha about it?
As a girl who played both basket ball and baseball, she must have been quite fit, good at running and maybe not quite as non-assertive as people may assume.
speculation, imo.

Vanished: Tips on Asha Degree's Disappearance Roll In Even 10 Years Later
''Asha's parents said their little girl was quiet like her father and was good at sports, playing both basketball and baseball.''
''Police immediately suspected foul play even though the little girl's family said she may have voluntarily gotten out of bed, upset about losing a basketball game that weekend.
"The theory is that some time during the night she gets up," Cleveland County Sheriff's Det. Pete Hamrick said.
Her mother, Iquilla Degree, said she believes her daughter packed her school bag and put clothes in it.''

"She would give you the shirt off her back, she never wanted anyone to be mad at her for anything, she wanted everybody to be her friend, she wanted everybody to be happy"
Feb 15 2021

FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation

 

[Proud Country Gal]

Can someone post a map and/or picture of the backpack location? I can't seem to find anything that is for certain.

Google Maps

Her bag was found between Hwy 18 and Laurel Creek... They set up in Smart's Grove Church... Let me know if that link doesn't work....