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

[Sweetluv]

Feb 14, 2000..remembering Asha!

 

[cr1menerd]

Asha has been on my mind a lot today. I hope 2026 will bring answers for her family

 

[beubeubeu]

Asha has been on my mind a lot today. I hope 2026 will bring answers for her family

Same with me...

 

[mayimagpie]

I think about her all time time Praying for some more movement in her case

 

[Mr. Crime Scene]

I can't figure out why see left her home that night. She didn't seem to have any reasons. Though I do wonder if she was groomed or not. I wonder if someone she sort of knew convinced her to leave. Or maybe she had a secret pen pal. of course, how she would keep the letters secret from her parents would have to come up. I've heard some people say that's what the picture of the unidentified girl was for. Asha thought she was talking to someone her age but it was really an adult luring her. How it would have started though could be confusing itself.

Also, does anyone know if the school have told the cops the Asha had the Dr Seuss book? That way they could look for that. Surely they knew she had it as it should have been in the records. Unless it was cleared before they could notice.

 

[moonglow123]

I’m surprised not much movement has happened in the past year … I was so hopeful when everything started emerging and it seemed like pieces were coming together a year ago.

Praying and hoping for justice and a resolution for her.

 

[Ladyotm]

I can't figure out why see left her home that night. She didn't seem to have any reasons. Though I do wonder if she was groomed or not. I wonder if someone she sort of knew convinced her to leave. Or maybe she had a secret pen pal. of course, how she would keep the letters secret from her parents would have to come up. I've heard some people say that's what the picture of the unidentified girl was for. Asha thought she was talking to someone her age but it was really an adult luring her. How it would have started though could be confusing itself.

Also, does anyone know if the school have told the cops the Asha had the Dr Seuss book? That way they could look for that. Surely they knew she had it as it should have been in the records. Unless it was cleared before they could notice.

From all I've read of the case, police believe she planned to leave that night. I don't think we will ever know the reason. The book information was discovered/shared so long after she disappeared they were unable to determine who checked it out and when.

I think it she had a secret pen pal she would have taken the letters with her and they would have been in her book bag. I also think the mail carrier would have come forward to report if letters had been delivered for her.

For a long time I suspected the people who owned the furniture repair shop. With recent developments I'm not so sure.

I do feel the case was not investigated as it should have due to connections and power. And this is such a disgrace and miscarriage of justice. MOO

 

[moonglow123]

From all I've read of the case, police believe she planned to leave that night. I don't think we will ever know the reason. The book information was discovered/shared so long after she disappeared they were unable to determine who checked it out and when.

I think it she had a secret pen pal she would have taken the letters with her and they would have been in her book bag. I also think the mail carrier would have come forward to report if letters had been delivered for her.

For a long time I suspected the people who owned the furniture repair shop. With recent developments I'm not so sure.

I do feel the case was not investigated as it should have due to connections and power. And this is such a disgrace and miscarriage of justice. MOO

Really is sick and sad to read about all the connections and power the potential patriarch involved has. If they were involved, I wish they’d just talk and let this little girl finally have justice.

I could never figure out why she left either. I guess I’ve settled on her just wanting to run away from home. It does happen. Few kids would do something as drastic as she did, but strange things happen all the time.

Just very sad and unfair tragedy had to befall her instead of someone being able to stop and help her.

 

[beubeubeu]

Also, does anyone know if the school have told the cops the Asha had the Dr Seuss book? That way they could look for that. Surely they knew she had it as it should have been in the records. Unless it was cleared before they could notice.

I have no idea but wonder if that was the only book she got from library then.
I dont remember ever borrowing a single book in library. Even in school library where it was just two minutes "away" Im pretty sure I was always taking the maximum limit (yet I dont remember what the limit was).
It would be very odd if anything got "cleared" before anyone could notice. Libraries keep their records well, and it should be good few years before they switched from paper cards and registry to digital.
And depends on the library size and the amount of "customers" librarians are expected to make the summaries and statistics: how many books were borrowed, which are most popular (so what to buy in the future), who gets over time with returning borrowed books.
Should be absolutely clear when exactly Asha borrowed not only that book, but every single book before, how long it took her to bring it back and get other ones. That could possibly MAYBE even tell something, a tiny bit about her mindset.
Was she a regular? How long she kept her books? Ever had troubles with returning them in time?
Cause like... come on, if she WAS a regular in the library, always very particular about bringing them back in time vs. her taking the book with her as she was expected to return it next Monday or Tuesday... wouldnt that strongly indicate that she had no plans of running away anywhere?

I cant imagine her being reckless and disregarding about borrowed things. Unless maybe that was her first time ever borrowing a book, or that specific book being ultra super important for her... then maybe it could not cross her mind. Maybe. But still gives me the vibe of wanting to share this book, read it to or with another kid, with full intent of coming back home, going back to school and returning the book to library in time.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I just wish the Dedmon family would reveal what they knew about Asha’s disappearance. As much as I wanna learn why she left home that night…. I’d also like to know why this family’s DNA was found on her items and why they’ve been so tight lipped about it all.

The Dedmon family seems to know what ultimately happened to Asha after she left her house that fateful early morning.

 

[moonglow123]

I just wish the Dedmon family would reveal what they knew about Asha’s disappearance. As much as I wanna learn why she left home that night…. I’d also like to know why this family’s DNA was found on her items and why they’ve been so tight lipped about it all.

The Dedmon family seems to know what ultimately happened to Asha after she left her house that fateful early morning.

Really hoped it would go somewhere when it was first mentioned last year.

Seems like they’re refusing to talk or reveal what they know. I wish they’d just give it up and let this poor girl have justice. They’ve already had 26 years of freedom after what they (potentially) did. Let Asha’s family have closure…

 

[Thunder Falcon]

What’s up everyone? I have posted on this site before, about the green car in the lake. A few friends and I have been going over the warrants and found some interesting information. I posted on Reddit but wanted to see what you guys thought about Asha possibly being on her way back home when she was abducted. I attached the excerpts from the warrants along with a map at the bottom. Please let me know what yall think!

Was Asha possibly walking back home when she was abducted?

The warrants state that the last known sighting of Asha Degree was on Wallace Grove Rd., which is circled in red on the map.

The warrants also state that Asha was seen being pulled into a green Thunderbird, Lincoln or other vehicle. The location is not specified.

These must be referring to the same sighting, because if she was pulled into a vehicle, then I doubt anyone else saw her again. So that would mean she was witnessed being pulled into the green Thunderbird or Lincoln on Wallace Grove Rd., where the warrrants state she was last sighted.

Jeff Ruppe spotted Asha around Turners Upholstery, which as most of us know, is well beyond Wallace Grove Rd and further South along HWY 18 (purple circle on map). But Jeff Ruppe isn’t mentioned as the last known sighting. This would mean that Jeff Ruppe saw Asha at a location farther away from her home than where she was abducted. The only conclusion I can draw from that, is she was walking back towards her house after Ruppe possibly frightened her. So Asha leaves home then is spotted by Ruppe around Turners Upholstery, Asha is scared and runs off into the woods before heading back towards her home where she is unfortunately abducted on Wallace Grove Rd.

If this is true I believe it could possibly affect several other things we think we know about this case. The point of this post is to hopefully have some good, interesting, respectful discussion about the possibility I outlined and any other conclusions that could possibly be drawn from this information. If someone spots an error in what I posted, please point it out! Just be respectful, I’m not a law expert, not LE, and I don’t want to be. But I do want this case solved and hopefully this will spark some good discussion on a case that has gone way too quiet.

Light Blue: Mulls Baptist Church, which is located close to Asha’s house

Red: Asha’s last known sighting

Purple: Jeff Ruppes sighting of Asha

 

[dotr]

Feb 12, 2026
On Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 it will be 26 years since Asha Degree disappeared.

 

[truecrimel]

I haven’t commented on this thread before, but I have been following Asha’s case for as long as I can remember. She went missing several months before I was born, but I saw her case on something when I was very young and it was one of the first cases that drew me into true crime. It has bothered me endlessly WHY she would’ve left her house that night and what could’ve happened to her!

IMO the Dedmon family knows. DNA doesn’t lie. And their behavior over text is pretty telling MOO.

I am of the personal opinion that the hit and run is a red herring. There was no evidence in the road following her disappearance of an accident, and if teenagers were behind an accident of that caliber, I cannot imagine them loading a deceased or dying child into their vehicle and managing to cover all their tracks well enough in complete darkness; vs. just leaving her at the scene. Additionally, the warrants explicitly state IF this was a hit and run, the girls would’ve likely needed help from a parent to conceal what happened. I feel as though any rational adult would call for help in that scenario, or at least take Asha to a hospital. We are to believe that instead of allowing their minor children to face consequences for an accident, they would decide to either hide a child’s body OR kill Asha themselves? Sure, you don’t want your kid to go to jail, but an accident by a teenager behind the wheel is likely to get a decent amount of leniency in the eyes of the court. Hiding a body or killing a child to “protect your kid” is a huge jump to get them out of some legal trouble IMO.

My theory and MOO: The girls were out partying, encountered Asha who had ran away from home, and took her home to RD because they couldn’t leave her there. OR RD and/or RU were out, saw Asha, and abducted her. I lean towards the first theory more, as I imagine Asha would run away from the vehicle (like she did with the witness) if it was men in the car. She was more likely to go with teen girls IMO. Either way, I believe one or both of the adult men encountered Asha someway that night. I believe what happened to Asha was intentional, either for SA purposes or for a hate crime (RD has a history of extreme racism if you look into him IMO).

I believe it is most likely RD was the main perpetrator involved, RU either was an accomplice or was responsible for disposing of evidence, and I think it’s probable the girls have no idea what ended up happening to Asha - but I think they have a strong feeling their father is responsible. IF they brought Asha home that night for whatever reason and RD did something to her, it’s possible the girls didn’t see or hear anything but had their suspicions. Or they might possibly feel guilty for bringing them back to their house.

One more thing: IMO, the “disposal” of the backpack was hardly a disposal. If you truly wanted to destroy evidence of a crime or cover up for an accident, why on earth would you pick double wrapping it in trash bags and dumping it off the highway? Not even a dumpster by a gas station or something? Double bagging it is what preserved the evidence well enough to trace it back to the Dedmons. Dumping it where they did was suspicious enough that someone looked inside. IMO preserving it like that somewhere isolated but away from the family home is reminiscent of BTK and his secret stashes of trophies from crimes. I would be interested in what others thought about that.

I do not believe Asha survived past that night. I feel like whatever happened to her was not an accidental hit and run, but something nefarious. I do not think whatever led her to leave her house that night is in anyway connected to what happened to her, nor do I think we will ever know why she left that night. I believe this was a crime of opportunity where someone with sick perversions saw a child and took advantage of the situation. I do not believe the girls directly killed Asha, but they might feel guilty for not speaking up about their suspicions sooner. All MOO.

It has been 26 years since Asha disappeared. Her family has been searching for answers for literally my entire life. It is unimaginable to me to imagine a family just minutes away knowing what happened to their child and letting them suffer through this for decades. They just want their baby back. May 2026 be the year Asha’s family gets the answers they deserve, and the year someone faces accountability for their suffering.

ALL JMO & MOO.