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

[Benthic Depths]

It would make sense for the perp to put a shirt they believe had Asha's DNA into the backpack*. But if someone is taking Asha someplace with dry clothes, and she is alive/conscious enough to change clothes, we are no longer talking "Hit and Hide"*, we are talking abduction. Which has implications for who (access to the vehicle, clothing, privacy from a search that begins a few hours later, the ability to handle those items without leaving contact/trace dna) and for why she left her home that night in the first place.
(Hit and Hide seems, to me, like an attempt to put Lizzie in the frame, but I can't make it work in my mind. Ruhee(sp?) describing Asha running from him when he approached her struck me as girl aware of her surroundings- add-in the absence mutual transfer evidence on Hwy 18, and I just can't get there.)
ETA: Horses. The backpack contained a red vest and black overalls. Where other people saw Valentines Day in the vest, that pair, together, make me think of a child's idea of Cowgirl, wonder about what access or interest Asha had in horses. As a way to lure young girls, intentionally or otherwise, it is potent. That (redacted) had a starving horse would be irresistible to certain girls.

 

[dotr]

September 20, 2024

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article292626279.html

''In 2001, Asha’s backpack was found buried along N.C. 18 in Burke County, with some belongings inside — a New Kids on the Block concert T-shirt and a “McElligot’s Pool” by Dr. Seuss book. The book had been checked out of her school library.'

 

[Benthic Depths]

September 20, 2024

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article292626279.html

''In 2001, Asha’s backpack was found buried along N.C. 18 in Burke County, with some belongings inside — a New Kids on the Block concert T-shirt and a “McElligot’s Pool” by Dr. Seuss book. The book had been checked out of her school library.'

I don't know if you ever perused the August 2001 search plan map, but it seems to suggest, to me, that the person may have used a much less well-known back road to approach the burial site, rather than the 18. The absence of the Laurel Haven area from subsequent discussion felt odd, given someone knew it and felt comfortable hiding trophies there. (But not the Tweety purse...) Asha Degree - Google My Maps

 

[dotr]

Feb 12, 2025
A group of over 50 people gathered to walk the same path that Asha Degree, a 9-year-old who vanished in 2000, was last seen. She disappeared in Shelby, North Carolina, on Valentine's Day 25 years ago. Her family, including mother Iquilla, father Harold, and brother O'Bryant, continue to wait for news of her whereabouts. The search for Asha has been ongoing, and new clues have emerged, but the case remains unsolved.

 

[Quill]

It would make sense for the perp to put a shirt they believe had Asha's DNA into the backpack*. But if someone is taking Asha someplace with dry clothes, and she is alive/conscious enough to change clothes, we are no longer talking "Hit and Hide"*, we are talking abduction. Which has implications for who (access to the vehicle, clothing, privacy from a search that begins a few hours later, the ability to handle those items without leaving contact/trace dna) and for why she left her home that night in the first place.
(Hit and Hide seems, to me, like an attempt to put Lizzie in the frame, but I can't make it work in my mind. Ruhee(sp?) describing Asha running from him when he approached her struck me as girl aware of her surroundings- add-in the absence mutual transfer evidence on Hwy 18, and I just can't get there.)
ETA: Horses. The backpack contained a red vest and black overalls. Where other people saw Valentines Day in the vest, that pair, together, make me think of a child's idea of Cowgirl, wonder about what access or interest Asha had in horses. As a way to lure young girls, intentionally or otherwise, it is potent. That (redacted) had a starving horse would be irresistible to certain girls.

Can you link where you read about the red vest and black overalls? I've been following this case for years and have never heard this before. How on earth did I miss this? I thought the backpack only contained the NKOTB nightshirt and the Dr. Seuss book.

 

[Cedars]

The detail about the bookbag being wrapped in plastic is, I believe, fairly new. It was revealed as part of the search warrants released when the Dedman's property was searched:

"The girl’s belongings were “wrapped in two sealed black plastic garbage bags” and were found along North Carolina Highway 18 near Morganton, court documents read Monday."

Asha Degree: Warrants reveal new details in case of girl missing for decades

A sheriff's office in North Carolina now believes Asha Degree was a victim of homicide.

www.wwnytv.com

ETA I believe the person who found the bag was, from the beginning, reported as saying it was in plastic, but that wasn't confirmed by police, nor the two trash bags described.

 

[Quill]

The detail about the bookbag being wrapped in plastic is, I believe, fairly new. It was revealed as part of the search warrants released when the Dedman's property was searched:

"The girl’s belongings were “wrapped in two sealed black plastic garbage bags” and were found along North Carolina Highway 18 near Morganton, court documents read Monday."

Asha Degree: Warrants reveal new details in case of girl missing for decades

A sheriff's office in North Carolina now believes Asha Degree was a victim of homicide.

www.wwnytv.com

No, that has been out there from as soon as they released the info about it being found. That's been out there for years.

 

[Cedars]

No, that has been out there from as soon as they released the info about it being found. That's been out there for years.

Yes, I realized that and added an ETA that it was reported by the guy who found it, but not confirmed by police, nor the 'two sealed trashbags' precision...which is quite interesting btw - why double bagged?

 

[Quill]

Yes, I realized that and added an ETA that it was reported by the guy who found it, but not confirmed by police, nor the 'two sealed trashbags' precision...which is quite interesting btw - why double bagged?

Yes all of this has been out in the open for years. They didn't immediately confirm what was in the backpack for some time, if I recall correctly. But the book bag, how and where it was found etc has been written about with factual info since at least 2009. The links are out there.

 

[Cedars]

Can you link where you read about the red vest and black overalls? I've been following this case for years and have never heard this before. How on earth did I miss this? I thought the backpack only contained the NKOTB nightshirt and the Dr. Seuss book.

All I found was Asha's mother said her basketball uniform was in the bag.

"Iquilla told NewsNation her basketball uniform was also inside, which is information that was never released by law enforcement."

https://www.newsnationnow.com/missing/town-not-giving-up-hope-in-case-of-girl-missing-22-years/

ETA: we also know, because of the Dedman girl's hair, that Asha's undershirt was in the bag.

 

[scrimpies]

The detail about the bookbag being wrapped in plastic is, I believe, fairly new. It was revealed as part of the search warrants released when the Dedman's property was searched:

"The girl’s belongings were “wrapped in two sealed black plastic garbage bags” and were found along North Carolina Highway 18 near Morganton, court documents read Monday."

Asha Degree: Warrants reveal new details in case of girl missing for decades

A sheriff's office in North Carolina now believes Asha Degree was a victim of homicide.

www.wwnytv.com

ETA I believe the person who found the bag was, from the beginning, reported as saying it was in plastic, but that wasn't confirmed by police, nor the two trash bags described.

I wonder if it was preserved and stashed as collateral. It would make more sense to get rid of it. But then again they didn't get rid of the car either.

 

[Cedars]

I wonder if it was preserved and stashed as collateral. It would make more sense to get rid of it. But then again they didn't get rid of the car either.

Yes; double-bagging seems an intent to preserve it.

 

[Shade13]

<modsnip: Reddit is not an approved sourced>

from: Crawford says first timer not sexual pred

The part by the former sheriff Crawford is very interesting. Seems to shut down the hit and run theory.

 

[horselightning]

The part by the former sheriff Crawford is very interesting. Seems to shut down the hit and run theory.

View attachment 566604

some one in that Dedmonds family a sex offender?

 

[Shade13]

some one in that Dedmonds family a sex offender?

The way I took it, he was suggesting the suspect, was not an offender in the sense that...they had been caught doing something before. Instead probably had been thinking about it for a long time at that point. And for whatever reason, was going by that morning and randomly saw Asha out, and did it there. And then started freaking out, realizing it was big mistake and knew she had to be silenced.

it doesnt explain how the daughters knew though.

 

[horselightning]

The way I took it, he was suggesting the suspect, was not an offender in the sense that...they had been caught doing something before. Instead probably had been thinking about it for a long time at that point. And for whatever reason, was going by that morning and randomly saw Asha out, and did it there. And then started freaking out, realizing it was big mistake and knew she had to be silenced.

it doesnt explain how the daughters knew though.

dad

 

[maamager]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

attached below all the Asha related articles from the Charlotte Observer below. Scroll down to 2001. You will find information about the bag’s discovery.

It states:

“The black and beige bag was spotted 20 feet off the road and nearly 40 miles north of where two truck drivers last reported seeing Asha walking before dawn Feb. 14, 2000.”

The article goes on to detail the area where the bag was recovered. Seemed to be a big drainage ditch.

Blank 26 | PDF Host

PDF Host read free online - Blank 26 - undefined

pdfhost.io

TL;DR - I think we can all agree the bag was poorly hidden.

 

[Benthic Depths]

Can you link where you read about the red vest and black overalls? I've been following this case for years and have never heard this before. How on earth did I miss this? I thought the backpack only contained the NKOTB nightshirt and the Dr. Seuss book.

Here is a list from a theory blog post, but they did their due diligence with citations of primary source documents. What the Bookbag Contents Tell Us: Their Important Significance in the Case

ETA: We must stop thinking Asha encountered someone by happenstance. In the earliest coverage, the truckers are crystal clear that they announced a female child wandering alone, with landmarks on 18 for location on the cb. They probably didn't understand the peril they placed her in, announcing her vulnerability to the world like that.

ETA2: Which only now makes me wonder as to the Cb or Scanner interests of both Dedmon and Underhill.

 

[Quill]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

attached below all the Asha related articles from the Charlotte Observer below. Scroll down to 2001. You will find information about the bag’s discovery.

It states:

“The black and beige bag was spotted 20 feet off the road and nearly 40 miles north of where two truck drivers last reported seeing Asha walking before dawn Feb. 14, 2000.”

The article goes on to detail the area where the bag was recovered. Seemed to be a big drainage ditch.

Blank 26 | PDF Host

PDF Host read free online - Blank 26 - undefined

pdfhost.io

TL;DR - I think we can all agree the bag was poorly hidden.

I don't know why the book bag being buried is being disputed after all this time or why. I think that there are so many reports that the facts get distorted. I have followed this case since it began and they have always said it was buried in the ground and discovered by a heavy equipment operator who was grading a new house site. Other than bloggers, I don't think I have ever seen one official report that says the bag appeared to have been tossed into a ditch on the side of the road. Some will use the terms "along Hwy 18" but it's important to note that it has been stated anywhere from 20 to 50 yards off that road. Now, whether or not this fact "matters" in the grand scheme of things or whether or not it "matters" here as opposed to a future court of law, I do not know. All I know is that this case and another that I follow that are years old begin to become distorted in the long game of "telephone" that gets played with the facts.

FBI Seeking New Tips on 13th Anniversary of Girl’s Disappearance

archives.fbi.gov

 

[Quill]

Here is a list from a theory blog post, but they did their due diligence with citations of primary source documents. What the Bookbag Contents Tell Us: Their Important Significance in the Case

ETA: We must stop thinking Asha encountered someone by happenstance. In the earliest coverage, the truckers are crystal clear that they announced a female child wandering alone, with landmarks on 18 for location on the cb. They probably didn't understand the peril they placed her in, announcing her vulnerability to the world like that.

ETA2: Which only now makes me wonder as to the Cb or Scanner interests of both Dedmon and Underhill.

Not to be ornery, but I had already seen that blog and I just read it again. I don't see any verifiable citations anywhere in the link you shared. Help me out if I'm missing them.