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I hadn't heard of this case before, but I just read the whole thread... Man, the thought of that little girl walking off into the darkness by herself and never being seen alive again just gives me the chills. It does sound as if there was something strange going on at home too, though. Perhaps she decided to run away because she was was unhappy at home, then a random stranger picked her up. The suspicious fire in her room is strange, but it sounds like the room had already been searched and all her bedding and everything had been removed by LE by then anyway, so it seems a bit late for anyone to be trying to destroy evidence.
I remember little Asha Degree and the first reports of her disappearance as I didn't live very far from her family at that time. I still think of her often and wonder where she is, if she's still alive. I've never given up hope that there would someday be answers for her family. Regarding her family, I don't recall anything negative or derogatory being mentioned. I think this was just one of those things that happens, a parent's worst nightmare, and she unfortunately crossed paths with some unsavory characters that morning. I may be wrong, but I really don't think her parents played a part in Asha's disappearance in any way. They were completely devastated at her disappearance and have never given up, never stopped looking. I can't begin to imagine what that must feel like.
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Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot. I just realised that I conflated Asia's case with another one I just read about, where the stepfather seemed suspicious and the girl's room mysteriously burned down after she disappeared - that was the Heaven Ross case. Not this case at all.
:blush: :blush: :blush:
In August 2001, Asha's bookbag was unearthed during a construction project off Highway 18 in Burke County, near Morganton, about 26 miles (42 km) north of Shelby. It was wrapped in a plastic bag[SUP][11][/SUP] and contained several sets of clothes, including her basketball uniform, and photos of her family.
Just heard about this case a few days ago from reddit and was hoping to find a thread here.
Still have some more reading to do, but it's odd to me that there is so little information in this case that is actually VERIFIED.
Everything that we're going off of is based on eyewitness accounts: the dad claiming he saw her at 2:30, mom saying she was missing by 6:30, the brother claiming he heard her bed squeak but didn't look/get up to see (could it have been someone else?), the two witnesses that claim they saw her on the road at 3:30 and 4:15, someone finding items in their shed/barn and the parents "telling" LE the items were Asha's.
Not any FACTS in this case are based on any concrete material evidence, just all based on what people said they saw and that have been given the benefit of the doubt because... well, because why? Just because there was nothing else to go on?
I like real evidence, and I haven't found any. It is the eyewitness accounts that make this so hard to follow and/or understand, so I'm going to start over and throw out "evidence" that is just based on someone saying it was so. Even thinking about doing that, I'm nervous about the conclusion I'll come to, but Occam's Razor is gonna have to prevail for now. We've been led in a lot of directions, but I think this is much simpler than it seems.
From wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Asha_Degree
bbm
I'm trying to relate the two bold items, above.
AD bringing along her basketball uniform could imply any of the following primary reasons:
1) sentimental, keepsake.
2) simply comfortable clothing.
3) AD intended to play basketball in the then-near or distant future.
4) AD did not act on her own thought, someone enticed her to leave home/meet them.
The first reason plays well to a "runaway" scenario, especially noting the family photos. This reason plus the photos could indicate AD planned for short-or-long-term or even permanent separation from her family. What is lacking is motive. Multiple changes of clothes found in the backpack likely indicate for longer than an "overnight" separation.
The second reason is simply one of practicality. This still plays well with a "runaway" scenario, especially nothing the family photos. The main difference between the first and second reasons goes to AD's thought process: practicality first or sentimentality first. Did AD reluctantly "run away" or did AD simply pack for practicality and "sentimentality" was simply what one plans for in the future: "Yes, I used to play basketball." and "This was my family." The significance of the difference is AD's mindset; one way she reluctantly performing a life-changing act, the other is simply matter-of-fact with no hesitation of what she is doing.
The third reason plays more to a short-term absence from her family (short-term, but long enough for AD to want to have photos as reminders or encouragement) with the intent of focusing on her game, becoming better as bball, honing her sport-craft until such time she was satisfied that she was ready to once again make her family proud of her (noting her school team's game loss earlier in the day she left her home).
None of the above three reasons relate to a planned abduction, the reasons assume AD was acting fully on her own. The fourth reason assumes AD is susceptible to suggestion or is very trustful. This fourth reason relates directly to a planned abduction, likely by someone she or her family knew and whom she trusted.
The significance of the backpack being buried as opposed to having been tossed in to a deep body of water, burned or otherwise destroyed leads to a few possibilities:
1) the person who buried the backpack wanted to ensure they could once again relive the moment they happened across or otherwise met up with AD, by being able to dig up the backpack and sift through the items for a brief period then pack it all up and bury it again, repeat, etc. This way they keep themselves separate from the evidence (no one discovers it in their possession) but they maintain access to it.
2) to misdirect LE away from a crime scene or local-to-the-perp community... 26+ miles is quite a distance.
3) no other intent except to be rid of the items at a particular moment, buried in the ground ensured no items could eventually float to the surface of a creek, river or lake and buy enough time unless/until someone might eventually dig in the area for whatever reason.
I'm leaning toward the first possibility because it is known that certain perps like to relive their crime experience in some way, either through keepsakes (victim's clothing, jewelry, photos, etc.) or through ritualistic metaphor behavior.
This was either a crime of opportunity or planned, neither of which can be 100% determined as of yet but I think I'm leaning toward a planned abduction: the fact the FBI believes AD had been packing items over a period of days (but I must admit that seems strange to me but, IIWII) and some candy wrappers were found in the open barn: I believe the perp instructed AD to meet him/her at that location... it is possible the person may have called out to AD while she was nearing the upholstery property and that is why she seemingly "took off running toward the woods".
In the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2000, police say Asha Degree left her family home on Oakcrest Drive near Fallston. She walked from the home onto N.C. 18 and was never seen again. The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office has kept the investigation into Degree's disappearance open for the past 17 years, and her family continues to work to make sure people don't forget the tragedy that struck their family.
"This is a very active case," Sheriff Alan Norman said. "We have investigators who meet weekly with the FBI to discuss the case."
The most recent information in Degree's case came in 2016.
On May 25, 2016, the FBI updated the missing person profile for Degree to include the description of a vehicle she was last seen getting into on Feb. 14, 2000.
The FBI and the Sheriffs Office have received information that someone matching Degrees description may have been seen getting into a distinctive vehicle along N.C. 18, where she was last seen. The vehicle is described as an early 1970s Lincoln Mark IV or a Ford Thunderbird, dark green, with rust around the wheel wells.
Since releasing this new information in the case, the FBI has not seen an increase in call volume to their tip line, according to Shelly Lynch with the FBI office in Charlotte.
"We have been working hand-in-hand with the Sheriff's Office to go over the case again," Lynch said. "We are also re-interviewing people involved."
The new team of investigators focused on this case has met every week since February 2015, the 15th anniversary of Degrees disappearance.
Even after all this time, Norman is hopeful Degree will be found.
"There are people who have been discovered alive who had been missing for number of years, so we hold on to hope," Normand said.