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

[sunflowermomma]

I am hopeful we will find out even if LE has been concealing it all this time (to preserve the case.) The family needs all the details. I don't want to judge, but if my 15 & 16 year old daughters were brazen enough to be out in the middle of the night driving drunk and at house parties being drunk, I put nothing past them. I will be most fascinated to read the book that someone will ultimately write. The dynamics of the family, who knew, who kept everybody in line not to tell, how did this secret affect each member of the family over the years? Did they think they would ever be caught? Where is Connie in all this?

Agree, and to add to this, I'm very curious about the youngest sister who was 13 in 2000 and was the first one (of the sisters) to be interviewed by the police, but did not have her phone subpoenaed (I think)

 

[jennytrevor]

Agree, and to add to this, I'm very curious about the youngest sister who was 13 in 2000 and was the first one (of the sisters) to be interviewed by the police, but did not have her phone subpoenaed (I think)

Maybe they felt she’d unwittingly reveal information if she wasn’t involved in any crime/concealment.

 

[Bounceycat]

I'm sorry, but how stupid do you have to be to put all this in texts after your family is already in the spotlight as potential suspects? I can't help but feel at least one of them wants to get this off her chest and out in the open. Whatever happened must be terrible to live with for over 25 years for anyone with even a small bit of conscience.

 

[Cedars]

i’m aware — just curious on what the context Asha had for being outside at 2 am while it was storming.

Sure, everyone wishes they knew that. Especially her parents. For 25 years I bet they've been asking themselves that question.

But police have said they don't believe she was abducted, ie she left voluntarily. Unless she told a member of this suspect family, and that person explains it all, it's unlikely we'll ever know.

JMO

 

[maamager]

ALL MOO, NOT A CONFIRMATION OF INFO. I did a deep dive on this family, here's what I found:

•According to Cleveland County GIS tax records, the home was originally owned by Lizzie-Lee Dedmon, who passed away in April 2002 at age 88—just two months after Asha went missing.
•Property records are a bit tangled, as the land seems to have been divided among heirs

Current residents (per voter records):

• Roy Lee Dedmon (80) & Connie Dedmon (74)
• Connie Dedmon owns North Brook Rest Home, which had an earlier location that was condemned and shut down in the 1990s.
• Roy Lee Dedmon was previously accused of animal neglect in 2012 for allegedly starving a horse, but the charges were dropped due to an improperly executed search warrant. I have newspaper articles on both incidents.
• He was also the headmaster of a segregationist school established after desegregation (found an article confirming this—attached).

Other Notable Details:
• Roy & Connie have three daughters, the eldest being 41—just a few years older than Asha.
• Roy was charged with simple assault in 1998, with 621 Cherryville Rd listed as his address.
• His record also includes a 1998 charge for “Simple Assault Cs Fee/Not Go On Prem Of Methodist Home Park (Np).”
• Methodist Home Park has two listings in Charlotte: one is a 10-acre outdoor park, and the other is an assisted living facility.
• Roy owns several other properties in Shelby, mostly land with no structures.
• One is a secluded property in Casar.
• He also owns 601 Cherryville Rd, where Google Street View (2008 & 2012) shows an old car resembling the one linked to Asha’s case. That car does not appear in the garages at 621 Cherryville Rd.
• He is one of the heirs of AV Dedmon Trucking

621 Cherryville Rd – Previous Ownership:
• A Joseph Dedmon also lived at 621 Cherryville Rd at some point.
• He inherited Dedmon Trucking, never married, and had no children.
• Records show he lived at the property from 1989-2011 (he passed in 2011).
• His obituary mentions he enjoyed working on cars.
• He was affiliated with AV Dedmon Trucking International (800 Cherryville Rd).
• He previously owned 709 Cherryville Rd.

Connection to Asha’s Disappearance:
• Asha’s home at the time of her disappearance was approximately 4 miles from 621 Cherryville Rd—a 7-minute drive.
• The Dedmons owned a trucking company.
• Asha’s backpack was found at a construction site in Morganton.
• The most direct route from Dedmon Trucking to Morganton follows Hwy 18, which passes Asha’s street.
• They also owned an assisted living facility that required traveling on Hwy 18, possibly early in the morning.

 

[CuriousWhiskers]

IMO, based on their text messages and the fact that the girls were minors at the time, it seems like the dad wants them to hide the truth so he doesn't face charges for hiding the body. MOO.

 

[NCnancydee]

I wonder which one of them will talk first??https://www.qcnews.com/asha-degree/...sible-admission-of-guilt-in-asha-degree-case/

 

[Cedars]

IMO, based on their text messages and the fact that the girls were minors at the time, it seems like the dad wants them to hide the truth so he doesn't face charges for hiding the body. MOO.

Yes, it seems like that to me.

For eg:
Foster to Dedmon Caple: The theory is I did it. Accident. Covered it up
Dedmon Caple to Foster: No(!) Why would it be you(?)

That sounds to me like the other sister is kind of shocked by this conclusion by police. ie that's not the way it happened.

Also her insistence "This is NOT YOUR FAULT", ie, it's someone else's fault. maybe Dad's fault?

and
"Foster to Dedmon Caple: I mean, I wanna do what dad says. But damn
Dedmon Caple to Foster: And maybe we should have let you do what you originally wanted to do
Foster to Dedmon Caple: Idk, I really don’t know
Dedmon Caple to Foster: Right. You don’t want something we do or say to impact him (Dad) but we also can’t be living like this either.

So, being quiet to protect father, rather than protect themselves.

JMO

 

[faithx]

Here is the full search warrant for Roy Lee Dedmon's iPhone 11 Pro, published by Wise News Network.

 

[scrimpies]

Yes, it seems like that to me.

For eg:
Foster to Dedmon Caple: The theory is I did it. Accident. Covered it up
Dedmon Caple to Foster: No(!) Why would it be you(?)

That sounds to me like the older sister is kind of shocked by this conclusion by police. ie that's not the way it happened.

Also her insistence "This is NOT YOUR FAULT", ie, it's someone else's fault. maybe Dad's fault?

and
"Foster to Dedmon Caple: I mean, I wanna do what dad says. But damn
Dedmon Caple to Foster: And maybe we should have let you do what you originally wanted to do
Foster to Dedmon Caple: Idk, I really don’t know
Dedmon Caple to Foster: Right. You don’t want something we do or say to impact him (Dad) but we also can’t be living like this either.

So, being quiet to protect father, rather than protect themselves.

JMO

One way to read it is "I was drunk. I called dad. Dad hit Asha when picking me up. Therefore it is my fault"

What was that weird description of the car? Occupied by two people twice?

Was the trucker that said he stopped for Asha confirmed to not be a Dedmon?

 

[Cedars]

One way to read it is "I was drunk. I called dad. Dad hit Asha when picking me up. Therefore it is my fault"

I agree, it could be something like that.

Some people (like me) have an excess of conscience. Especially when we are close to someone without a conscience, we will feel guilty for things someone else did.

Especially if that person, abusely, blames us, and refused to admit they're at fault.

I hope these sisters have hired their own lawyers and therapists, too!

JMO

 

[DS2021]

https://www.qcnews.com/asha-degree/new-search-warrants-reveal-texts-possible-admission-of-guilt-in-asha-degree-case/

Court documents state on Sept. 18, 2024, a man came to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office for an interview regarding the Degree case.

He stated that around the mid-2000s he was in his 20s and occasionally frequented bars and house parties with the Dedmon girls. He recalled to authorities a time when he was at a house party with two of the daughters when he saw one of them “sobbing and balling” while reportedly extremely intoxicated. The man told authorities that she then made several statements admitting to killing Asha Degree.

Specifically, he stated that one of the daughters said, “I killed Asha Degree.

Following the possible admission of guilt, court documents state the man claimed the other sister came up to her, became stern and angry, and told her to “shut the * up,” while she grabbed her head. The man said the behavior was not normal for them and he was confident in his memory and how he was “100% positive in those moments” of what he remembers.

Authorities said this man later passed a polygraph test to verify the information he gave.

 

[RoseTree]

I'm sorry, but how stupid do you have to be to put all this in texts after your family is already in the spotlight as potential suspects? I can't help but feel at least one of them wants to get this off her chest and out in the open. Whatever happened must be terrible to live with for over 25 years for anyone with even a small bit of conscience.

I think they deleted the messages because the messages were found on iCloud. The father’s messages weren’t available because he doesn’t back To icloud

 

[BexLuth0r]

ALL MOO, NOT A CONFIRMATION OF INFO. I did a deep dive on this family, here's what I found:

•According to Cleveland County GIS tax records, the home was originally owned by Lizzie-Lee Dedmon, who passed away in April 2002 at age 88—just two months after Asha went missing.
•Property records are a bit tangled, as the land seems to have been divided among heirs

Current residents (per voter records):

• Roy Lee Dedmon (80) & Connie Dedmon (74)
• Connie Dedmon owns North Brook Rest Home, which had an earlier location that was condemned and shut down in the 1990s.
• Roy Lee Dedmon was previously accused of animal neglect in 2012 for allegedly starving a horse, but the charges were dropped due to an improperly executed search warrant. I have newspaper articles on both incidents.
• He was also the headmaster of a segregationist school established after desegregation (found an article confirming this—attached).

Other Notable Details:
• Roy & Connie have three daughters, the eldest being 41—just a few years older than Asha.
• Roy was charged with simple assault in 1998, with 621 Cherryville Rd listed as his address.
• His record also includes a 1998 charge for “Simple Assault Cs Fee/Not Go On Prem Of Methodist Home Park (Np).”
• Methodist Home Park has two listings in Charlotte: one is a 10-acre outdoor park, and the other is an assisted living facility.
• Roy owns several other properties in Shelby, mostly land with no structures.
• One is a secluded property in Casar.
• He also owns 601 Cherryville Rd, where Google Street View (2008 & 2012) shows an old car resembling the one linked to Asha’s case. That car does not appear in the garages at 621 Cherryville Rd.
• He is one of the heirs of AV Dedmon Trucking

621 Cherryville Rd – Previous Ownership:
• A Joseph Dedmon also lived at 621 Cherryville Rd at some point.
• He inherited Dedmon Trucking, never married, and had no children.
• Records show he lived at the property from 1989-2011 (he passed in 2011).
• His obituary mentions he enjoyed working on cars.
• He was affiliated with AV Dedmon Trucking International (800 Cherryville Rd).
• He previously owned 709 Cherryville Rd.

Connection to Asha’s Disappearance:
• Asha’s home at the time of her disappearance was approximately 4 miles from 621 Cherryville Rd—a 7-minute drive.
• The Dedmons owned a trucking company.
• Asha’s backpack was found at a construction site in Morganton.
• The most direct route from Dedmon Trucking to Morganton follows Hwy 18, which passes Asha’s street.
• They also owned an assisted living facility that required traveling on Hwy 18, possibly early in the morning.

View attachment 564984View attachment 564985

I'm relatively new to this case so thank you for putting this together. It is certainly very helpful as I was listening to a podcast and the amount of addresses that were being mentioned just threw me off. Thank you.

Is it normal for the police to publish search warrants etc in America? I know here you don't see them very often but I'm curious as to whether it's a tactic by the police in this particular case or if its a standard procedure.

 

[maamager]

Is it normal for the police to publish search warrants etc in America? I know here you don't see them very often but I'm curious as to whether it's a tactic by the police in this particular case or if its a standard procedure.

you’re absolutely welcome, i’m an extremely visual person so i know it helps me to have it all written out!

In the U.S., search warrants are usually public unless sealed by a judge. they’re often routine court filings but can be strategically released in high-profile cases to justify actions, shape narratives, or apply pressure. depending on the timeline and/or context, it might be standard or a tactical move

fwiw moo is that law enforcement is putting pressure on the daughters to get to the father — Roy.

 

[dotr]

Feb 18, 2025
New search warrants were released Tuesday in the search for Asha Degree, the 9-year-old Shelby, North Carolina, girl who went missing on Valentine's Day night 25 years ago. The warrants show that law enforcement took the cellphone of Lizzie Foster, the daughter of a Cleveland County man whose property was searched by federal agents last September. Foster was 16 at the time of Degree's disappearance, according to the warrants.

 

[joyelle]

‘I caused this’: Warrants reveal text messages after recent search in Asha Degree case

The new warrants show texts between family members of a man whose properties were searched in September 2024.

www.wsoctv.com

Is km a reference to what I think it’s a reference to? If so, is anyone detained?

This is such a high profile case I wouldn’t be surprised if the perpetrator takes the cowards way out.

I could see someone justifying this by thinking this effectively “solves” the case, and may even lessen the charges on anyone who helped them.

Apologies if this has already been answered, but the full quote of that text message is "I guess km in shock". It's a typo of "im". Perhaps it wasn't addressed by autocorrect as "km" is commonly used around here in text shorthand for Kings Mountain.

 

[ekardh]

Even if her body is found and the appropriate parties charged for their involvement in her death, I wonder if we will ever find out why Asha snuck out that night. To me that’s 100x more baffling than a stupid family panicking and covering up a crime.

Also, the photo of the mystery schoolgirl found in the shed.

 

[Joslyn]

I have a bit of a silly theory which I haven't seen mentioned in the thread yet, so I'm going to put this out there... please be nice; I'm new lol.

I think most of us are baffled why Asha went outside in terrible weather, without a coat. It's become more of a mystery than what happened to her at this point, because nothing fully makes sense.
I wonder whether the fact it was her parents' wedding anniversary accounted for her late night jaunt. Maybe she wanted to get them something from the convenience store (I'm not sure how close it was, but I think I read it was on the highway) before they woke. Maybe something for breakfast, and it couldn't wait until morning because she had to go to school. Perhaps the lights going down affected whatever plan she initially had, or her parents had, and she thought she could save the day?

I don't think she sleepwalked - we'd have probably heard if she had history of it - and without a clock in her room, mobile phone or the Internet, she wouldn't easily be able to arrange secret rendezvous with friends. It doesn't sound as though she was trying to run away as such; her home life doesn't sound bad, and surely she'd have at least taken her coat if she was planning to be away a long time, and say goodbye to her brother or leave him a note as they were close.

I think she was intending to return, perhaps grabbed her book bag as it had her key in it (perhaps it still had pyjamas leftover from the sleepover which she was yet to unpack) and headed out thinking it was a quicker walk than it was.

Does this sound stupid? Does anyone know how far the convenience store is from her house? Was it a 24-7 kind of place?

In any event, I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure why she left, but with luck the Dedmon sisters will cave soon, and hopefully give Asha's family some closure about her last moments

 

[maamager]

I have a bit of a silly theory which I haven't seen mentioned in the thread yet, so I'm going to put this out there... please be nice; I'm new lol.

I think most of us are baffled why Asha went outside in terrible weather, without a coat. It's become more of a mystery than what happened to her at this point, because nothing fully makes sense.
I wonder whether the fact it was her parents' wedding anniversary accounted for her late night jaunt. Maybe she wanted to get them something from the convenience store (I'm not sure how close it was, but I think I read it was on the highway) before they woke. Maybe something for breakfast, and it couldn't wait until morning because she had to go to school. Perhaps the lights going down affected whatever plan she initially had, or her parents had, and she thought she could save the day?

I don't think she sleepwalked - we'd have probably heard if she had history of it - and without a clock in her room, mobile phone or the Internet, she wouldn't easily be able to arrange secret rendezvous with friends. It doesn't sound as though she was trying to run away as such; her home life doesn't sound bad, and surely she'd have at least taken her coat if she was planning to be away a long time, and say goodbye to her brother or leave him a note as they were close.

I think she was intending to return, perhaps grabbed her book bag as it had her key in it (perhaps it still had pyjamas leftover from the sleepover which she was yet to unpack) and headed out thinking it was a quicker walk than it was.

Does this sound stupid? Does anyone know how far the convenience store is from her house? Was it a 24-7 kind of place?

In any event, I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure why she left, but with luck the Dedmon sisters will cave soon, and hopefully give Asha's family some closure about her last moments

not silly at all. i think you're cooking on this one with grease. the question is why AD was out alone. yes, it was AD's parent's anniversary, but moreover, Valentine's Day. would she be shopping for her parents or herself?

if I can depart here and add my own hypothesizing...

regardless of whether Underhill was truly responsible/ an accessory, or just a convenient scapegoat, why didn’t anyone mention him to the cops in 2000?!

i can think of only two reasons:

1. he wasn’t directly responsible but knew the truth, making him too much of a risk to expose.

2. the Dedmons needed him alive—possibly to collect his social security or disability payments. maybe both.

at the very least, the second reason seems likely. wasn’t RD his power of attorney or the beneficiary of his will? and wasn’t his wife administering his medication while working as a receptionist? something about that setup always seemed shady.

is it possible that he was coerced into something—maybe even told to dispose of the backpack? if so, why not burn it? was it his form of insurance, or was he hoping someone would find it? maybe he was genuinely scared for his own life.

lastly, it's my opinion that the Dedmons felt like no one would care about a missing black girl. oftentimes, it feels like that's the truth in cases like this. but their time has come and oh how wrong they were.