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

[Quill]

I must have overlooked the detail about the photograph of the unidentified girl found at the shed. I've read some speculation that the photo was unrelated to Asha, or was some kind of stock photo, but it's a little coincidental that a photo of an elementary school-aged African-American girl was found there. If it was Asha's, why did she leave it behind? I suppose it's possible she lost it in the dark when she was getting the other stuff out of her backpack.

I believe LE investigated the photo and determined that her parents had not ever seen the photo before and no one in her family knew the identity of the girl in the photo. It is just another one of the side notes in this case that is a true mystery.

 

[Sweetluv]

Happy Birthday Asha!!! You are not forgotten!

 

[GrandmaKittyLovesMLE]

Is there proof that her father went out for candy that night? TIA.

 

[GrandmaKittyLovesMLE]

Is it truth or rumor that Asha’s parents were cleared by the FBI?

 

[Seratonin]

So Asha went missing in the early AM hours of Monday, Feb 14...just coming off a 3 day weekend (there was no school that Friday) IMO, something was "planned out" over the course of that weekend. She was apparently at a sleep over, basketball practice, and church during that time frame. The police arrived at her home when she was reported missing with tracking dogs, who could not find a scent. Could this mean a car pulled and Asha got right in...would explain loss of a scent and not grabbing a coat.
Then there is two highway sightings...did Asha get out of the car somehow...ran to the shed for cover?? So many scenarios!!

This is the most likely scenario. Someone mustve picked her up from home.. either got scared to go thru with it and let her out on the highway. Or asha was able to jump from the car which explains her running away from the person tryin to see what was goin on. Then the person who initially took her came back around to grab her up again!

 

[cherrymeg]

Is it truth or rumor that Asha’s parents were cleared by the FBI?

I thought it was the truth. Normally parents are the first looked at in a case where a child is missing. If LE didn’t verify that the father was out at a store or somewhere, that would be an epic fail on their part. It seemed like they ruled out Asha’s parents. I hope that is true. If her parents aren’t cleared then LE has wasted time on letting people think they were. I don’t think her parents killed her. I hope they had their alibis checked out. Once parents are ruled out people know to be cautious and look out for predators.

 

[dotr]

Sept 9 2022

 

[BethAnn777]

This is the most likely scenario. Someone mustve picked her up from home.. either got scared to go thru with it and let her out on the highway. Or asha was able to jump from the car which explains her running away from the person tryin to see what was goin on. Then the person who initially took her came back around to grab her up again!

She gets picked up at home or near home, but then shortly thereafter she is trying to escape? What could have happened that quickly to make her go from yes I will get in your car to I’m going to try to escape? I don’t see a perpetrator striking so quickly. Best to reassure her, get her a good distance from home so she doesn’t know where she is, and then strike.

 

[Sweetluv]

The bookbag..buried as if to hide it, but wrapped as to preserve it. To me, this is significant.
And track dogs loosing the scent out front of the home..IMO, she entered a vehicle.
Did she get out of the vehicle and run...was that why she was spotted twice walking alone?
Took cover in the shed..?
I keep going back to that sleepover.
Cold case detectives need to re examine the people who were there..as well as the basketball team.

 

[Quill]

The bookbag..buried as if to hide it, but wrapped as to preserve it. To me, this is significant.
And track dogs loosing the scent out front of the home..IMO, she entered a vehicle.
Did she get out of the vehicle and run...was that why she was spotted twice walking alone?
Took cover in the shed..?
I keep going back to that sleepover.
Cold case detectives need to re examine the people who were there..as well as the basketball team.

I agree with you. At a time when there was way less internet access for/to children, someone had access to Asha and they need to look at how. The sleepover and the basketball team and or game attendees are both great places to start

 

[Sweetluv]

The tracking dogs lose scent of Asha outside the house....IMO, that tells me she entered a vehicle, but whose? So I assume it was planned...backpack ready to go. This might put a crimp in the theory of how a young girl would have the courage to walk alone in the dark, cold, and light rain...she wasn't planning too. Would explain lack of coat also. Maybe, in the car, she began to feel something wasn't right, and was able to get out. Then being spotted by 2 people and hiding in the shed. But then what occurred??

 

[Sweetluv]

The sealed bookbag bothers me...
You would think the person would want to destroy the evidence , not preserve it.
And, what did they do with her body?
This case needs to be solved!

 

[Sweetluv]

To my recollection, the 2 people who spotted Asha along the highway made no mention of a bookbag....did she leave it in the car? The person buried it to get rid of it?
What about the shed..how did those items get in there? Did someone try to throw LE off?
Sorry to ramble...just trying to piece this together. I guess the real focus is where Asha could be. I'm not familiar with that area..
Woods, creeks, ect?

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

The tracking dogs lose scent of Asha outside the house....IMO, that tells me she entered a vehicle, but whose? So I assume it was planned...backpack ready to go. This might put a crimp in the theory of how a young girl would have the courage to walk alone in the dark, cold, and light rain...she wasn't planning too. Would explain lack of coat also. Maybe, in the car, she began to feel something wasn't right, and was able to get out. Then being spotted by 2 people and hiding in the shed. But then what occurred??

There was heavy wind and rain the night she disappeared, so the conditions were unfortunately not ideal for a canine search.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

To me, burying the backpack like this is so odd. You'd think a suspect would just throw it in a faraway dumpster or just keep it close to their home. Burying it off the side of a highway in plastic bags - seems they wanted to come back for it, but after a year-and-a-half still had not done so. (A contractor uncovered Asha's book bag, which has her name and telephone number written on it, buried off Highway 18 in August 2001, 18 months after she disappeared. The item had been double-wrapped in black plastic trash bags. Asha Jaquilla Degree – The Charley Project )

I wonder if that means a truck driver buried the backpack. Perhaps not wanting to be caught with it in the truck and then not having the opportunity to go back for it, or changing their mind later about retrieving it. Just an idea. JMO.

 

[Sweetluv]

I actually took the rain and wind into consideration with the tracking dogs and read up on this. Heavy rain possibly could, but light rain more than likely will not. Some articles I came across stated wind is actually helpful because it can stir up scents.
I cannot find anything pertaining to the basketball coach or anyone from the sleepover being questioned...does anyone know the outcome of that?

 

[BethAnn777]

Regarding the backpack being buried, what kind of details do we have? I’m wondering-

1. Was the bag buried in a man made hole?
2. How deep/wide was the hole?
3. Was it not a man made hole and instead a natural depression in the earth?
4. Was the bag covered in dirt?
5. How much dirt?
6. I read it was buried near a creek. How close was it buried to the creek?
7. How close was the bag from any road?

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but is it possible the bag was not intentionally buried???

I know the bag was found in double trash bags. As I mentioned before, Asha could have done that herself. It was raining the night she left.

Could the bag have been in the creek and washed downstream? Or been thrown from a car window? Or by some local throwing trash in the woods? The bag could have been accidentally buried by leaves or debris from the creek bank, flooding, wind, etc.

Is there news anywhere that is more specific with details that answers any of my questions?

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Regarding the backpack being buried, what kind of details do we have? I’m wondering-

1. Was the bag buried in a man made hole?
2. How deep/wide was the hole?
3. Was it not a man made hole and instead a natural depression in the earth?
4. Was the bag covered in dirt?
5. How much dirt?
6. I read it was buried near a creek. How close was it buried to the creek?
7. How close was the bag from any road?

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but is it possible the bag was not intentionally buried???

I know the bag was found in double trash bags. As I mentioned before, Asha could have done that herself. It was raining the night she left.

Could the bag have been in the creek and washed downstream? Or been thrown from a car window? Or by some local throwing trash in the woods? The bag could have been accidentally buried by leaves or debris from the creek bank, flooding, wind, etc.

Is there news anywhere that is more specific with details that answers any of my questions?

Some contemporary news coverage has some of the answers. It was found about 20' off the road by a man clearing land for a driveway. This land was formerly woody/swampy, but muddy and graded at the time of the discovery, with the creek 20' down an embankment, with this area where the bag was found sandwiched between it and the road. I will note that the bag was supposedly about 40 miles away from where she was last seen, which is quite a distance for a 9 year old girl to walk without attracting any more attention.

Article clipped from The Charlotte Observer

Clipping found in The Charlotte Observer published in Charlotte, North Carolina on 8/7/2001.

www.newspapers.com

Asha Degree - Aerial search set for Asha part 1

Clipping found in The Charlotte Observer published in Charlotte, North Carolina on 8/7/2001. Asha Degree - Aerial search set for Asha part 1

www.newspapers.com

 

[BethAnn777]

Some contemporary news coverage has some of the answers. It was found about 20' off the road by a man clearing land for a driveway. This land was formerly woody/swampy, but muddy and graded at the time of the discovery, with the creek 20' down an embankment, with this area where the bag was found sandwiched between it and the road. I will note that the bag was supposedly about 40 miles away from where she was last seen, which is quite a distance for a 9 year old girl to walk without attracting any more attention.

Article clipped from The Charlotte Observer

Clipping found in The Charlotte Observer published in Charlotte, North Carolina on 8/7/2001.

www.newspapers.com

Asha Degree - Aerial search set for Asha part 1

Clipping found in The Charlotte Observer published in Charlotte, North Carolina on 8/7/2001. Asha Degree - Aerial search set for Asha part 1

www.newspapers.com

Thank you for this information.
I agree, no way she walked that distance herself.

 

[Ozoner]

To my recollection, the 2 people who spotted Asha along the highway made no mention of a bookbag....did she leave it in the car? The person buried it to get rid of it?
What about the shed..how did those items get in there? Did someone try to throw LE off?
Sorry to ramble...just trying to piece this together. I guess the real focus is where Asha could be. I'm not familiar with that area..
Woods, creeks, ect?

They need to check those items from the shed for DNA. They might have been planted by someone other than Asha.