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

[Proud Country Gal]

You shouldn't have to post a video, google maps is readily available. Its a little frustrating to see people throwing in their two cents without even doing that minimal amount of research. In my mind, the first thing you do is get an understanding of the landscape if you are actually serious, but thats just me.

It is different driving it vs traveling through the internet webpage... and at night it's downright scary. I used to drive it to go to work and to go visit family.

 

[ffaely]

It is different driving it vs traveling through the internet webpage... and at night it's downright scary. I used to drive it to go to work and to go visit family.

Same here.

I live in rural Australia and I have to drive down a similar road to get to work every morning. It is so dark out that you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. Now, I’m a grown adult and let me tell you, there is NO WAY I could walk it let alone a little girl.

 

[Dr. Willy R. Salamander]

Can someone post a map and/or picture of the backpack location? I can't seem to find anything that is for certain.

My understanding is that it's right past hwy 18 sales and supply, but I haven't been able to find it either.

 

[Proud Country Gal]

My understanding is that it's right past hwy 18 sales and supply, but I haven't been able to find it either.

Go back one page and I posted a google map of where it was found.....

 

[T rex]

Go back one page and I posted a google map of where it was found.....

Well that's not the remote and rugged terrain that they described it as being.

 

[sleuther0192837465]

I can’t remember so can anyone describe Asha’s book bag? TIA

 

[Proud Country Gal]

Well that's not the remote and rugged terrain that they described it as being.

Oh it's out of the way.... it may look tame on google maps but it's way out in the country and ain't somewhere you would end up, you have to be going somewhere. And the land was being cleared for a driveway/house to be built or a trailer to be moved onto. It's older growth and was dense. Just before it is abandoned house and semi-trailers. NOT somewhere I would want to be. I'm headed up that way soon and will go take pictures if anyone wants. I am gonna try to video the road from her house, to where she was last seen and then to where her book bag was found. (IF I HAVE TIME) If not I am going back in a couple of weeks.

Added pics of the discovery site...

 

[Proud Country Gal]

I can’t remember so can anyone describe Asha’s book bag? TIA

I know it was black or black and beige.....I have a picture somewhere on my old hard drive

 

[sleuther0192837465]

I know it was black or black and beige.....I have a picture somewhere on my old hard drive

So it was not brightly colored or showing a character on it like most book bags for children?

 

[dotr]

Asha Jaquilla Degree – The Charley Project
rbbm.
''Asha's fourth-grade class at Fallston Elementary School read the book The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman in February 2000. The book centers around the story of a prince and a commoner child who receives lashes on the royal's behalf. The children proceed to run away and the book details their adventures. Both boys return safely to the kingdom at the story's end. It is not known if the book served as a catalyst for Asha's disappearance.

Asha's black book bag and black Tweety Bird purse were missing from her room after her disappearance, along with a pair of blue jeans with a red stripe, black sneakers, a long-sleeved white shirt with purple lettering, a red vest with black trim, black overalls with Tweety Bird on them, and a long-sleeved black and white shirt. All the doors to the house were found locked; Asha kept her house key in the bookbag.

Asha's pencil, marker and Mickey Mouse hair bow were discovered on the ground in the doorway of a tool shed at Turner's Upholstery on Highway 18 on February 17, 2000, three days after her disappearance. Her belongings were found near the stretch of road where Asha was seen walking in the early morning hours of February 14. A search of the area failed to produce additional evidence. The items were discovered more than one mile from Asha's residence.

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 and was found more than 26 miles from her family's home and in a different direction from where she'd been walking. Nearby some animal bones and a pair of men's khaki pants were found.

The bag was sent to a federal laboratory for testing, but, citing the pending investigation, authorities never released the results. Unconfirmed reports state the bag contained Asha's name on a piece of paper, as well as clothing and a pencil case. In October of that year, a plastic trash bag similar to the one Asha's bookbag was wrapped in was found. The bag was sent to a police lab for analysis.

Investigators announced that they considered Asha's disappearance to be a criminal matter and foul play was suspected after the bookbag's discovery. The surrounding area was thoroughly searched afterwards, but additional evidence was reportedly not located. ''

 

[T rex]

Oh it's out of the way.... it may look tame on google maps but it's way out in the country and ain't somewhere you would end up, you have to be going somewhere. And the land was being cleared for a driveway/house to be built or a trailer to be moved onto. It's older growth and was dense. Just before it is abandoned house and semi-trailers. NOT somewhere I would want to be. I'm headed up that way soon and will go take pictures if anyone wants. I am gonna try to video the road from her house, to where she was last seen and then to where her book bag was found. (IF I HAVE TIME) If not I am going back in a couple of weeks.

Added pics of the discovery site...

I agree it's way out there, I just thought it would be more hills and all from one of the accounts I remember seeing but thats flat land.
So all these places were abandoned at that time? I wonder how long they had been that way.
Someone was awful brave to pull back there for that reason.

 

[sleuther0192837465]

Thank you so much for the information @dotr Did Asha pack her own book bag daily or did mom/dad help/double check to make sure she had all the items she needed for school, sleepovers, etc? It’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to look over the details in Asha’s case. It’s been so long my memory can’t keep up.
I asked my 9 yr old daughter what she might take with her on a pretend adventure without me. She was not thinking about clothing, or keys. She mentioned her cell phone and snacks, a drink and favorite toy. Was Asha a latch key kid? MOO

 

[BethAnn777]

Oh it's out of the way.... it may look tame on google maps but it's way out in the country and ain't somewhere you would end up, you have to be going somewhere. And the land was being cleared for a driveway/house to be built or a trailer to be moved onto. It's older growth and was dense. Just before it is abandoned house and semi-trailers. NOT somewhere I would want to be. I'm headed up that way soon and will go take pictures if anyone wants. I am gonna try to video the road from her house, to where she was last seen and then to where her book bag was found. (IF I HAVE TIME) If not I am going back in a couple of weeks.

Added pics of the discovery site...

Whoa…abandoned semi trailers…. Coincidence or could that hold any meaning?
I’d be real curious to know if there are any company names or identifying markers on those trailers.

 

[BethAnn777]

Google Maps

Her bag was found between Hwy 18 and Laurel Creek... They set up in Smart's Grove Church... Let me know if that link doesn't work....

Do we know if her bag was found near water? If so, does this source of water flow downstream from where Asha disappeared? I made a comment many pages back about the fact that Asha’s backpack was double bagged in trash bags. Could she have done this herself before leaving her house? It was a rainy night. She could have wrapped her own backpack in trash bags to protect it from the rain. Could her backpack have ended up in a creek or a river, etc. and flowed downstream to the location where it was found? That location could have flooded its banks at some point pushing the backpack out and then been buried naturally with dirt and debris. Do we know how far down into the ground her backpack was found?

 

[Proud Country Gal]

Her bag was found near, but not at, a small creek, it had been buried on the property and had not washed down. It was doubled bagged and in really good condition. The man clearing the trees with a bulldozer scraped it up and then ended up opening it because it was a black trash bag. He read her name and phone number in the bag and mentioned it to his wife when he got home and she remembered the name and had him call the police.

 

[Dr. Willy R. Salamander]

Go back one page and I posted a google map of where it was found.....

Oh ok, yeah wth? That's up there. So what's the explanation for that? I agree with another poster on here, you'd have to be pretty brave to venture up there.... unless you were from the area, jmho.

 

[Proud Country Gal]

Whoa…abandoned semi trailers…. Coincidence or could that hold any meaning?
I’d be real curious to know if there are any company names or identifying markers on those trailers.

No marks on the semi-trailers, they have been there for a very long time. I have tried to check and see if there was a business there but gonna have to do some more snooping. Around here people use the trailers for storage because they are quick, simple and cheap than building a new building and can be resold if need be. My uncle stored his antiques in them, heck I am building a house in one. (There is also a house that is falling down near the trailers too.) When I am up I will stop by and take pictures and or see if I can screenshot one from maps.

 

[Dr. Willy R. Salamander]

I drove it this morning, not from her house, but from just inside Cleveland County near the Lincoln County line on Fallston Rd.(Hwy 18) to the bookbag discovery site (thanks again, ProudCountryGal!) and noticed something. Might be something, might be nothing, but, two things:

1. The two closest roads due south of the bookbag discovery site are Mineral Springs Mountain Road & Miller Bridge Road, respectively. Both are right at one mile south of the site, both are six mile long, direct routes from Hwy 18 to Interstate 40(Exits 112 and 113 respectively), and both take about 8-10 mins driving time at the posted speed limit. If you continue to travel north on Hwy 18, you will also reach Interstate 40(Exit 105) in 7.8 miles, the driving time is also 8-10 mins at the posted speed limit. I don't know that this has any bearing on the case, just something that stood out to me.

2. There are also two elementary schools less than ten minutes drive from the disposal site, George Hildebrand Elementary at 3.4 miles south and Mull Elementary School at 7.7 miles north. Drexel and Icard Elementary School are also close, just a bit longer drive away. Again, idk that this has any bearing on the case. Just an observation.

 

[Dr. Willy R. Salamander]

Wanted to post some thoughts, gonna try to post pics taken today, also.

I KEEP going back to the backpack being buried and not the distance of the location from Fallston/Shelby, but the location itself. There used to be a trailer park there and I don't see how you'd get in there to but it without someone noticing you(#1). There's nowhere to park except on the side of the road or in the church parking lot across the street. On top of that, the why. Why bury it, double wrapped, in the woods, at a trailer park(#2). And lastly, The location in relation to Interstate 40(#3). These are all just observation, may mean something, may not mean a thing, just stuff I've noticed and wonder if anyone feels the same.

#1.(a) Something that stands out to me is the fact that the trailer park has one vehicle entrance/exit. Today the trailers have been demolished and oddly enough, there's a bulldozer and dumpster sitting right where the bag was discovered. One thing that stands out is that cleared out path with power lines that runs right through the lefthand side of the former park. If you follow it on foot, you'll come out on River Rd. which is FAR less traveled than Hwy. 18, and could have been used by someone sneaking in to bury something, or at least they could park there less noticeably.

(b) This may be a reach, but I'm wondering how widespread the outage was in Shelby that night, more specifically, from what areas where the linemen called in from. Could the perpetrator have lived in another county and been in Shelby for work? Could someone have used their professional knowledge of the area to decide where they'd bury evidence? It could also explain how you could be digging or "working" in an area without anyone thinking you were out of place.

#2.(a) If the bag was being disposed of, why bury it? You could burn it, discard the ashes in some body of water, many options there. If the purpose was disposal, the one thing I'd think of is maybe they didn't bury it on a build site to be discovered, but instead, because they thought it'd be built on top of and never exposed again. Double bagging it for disposal would likely be mask scent. But what if instead of after burial, the scent was being masked prior to disposal? Again IF DISPOSAL was the goal, the shallow depth of burial could indicate that it was done hastily. So maybe the plastic bags weren't meant to purposely preserve the bag, but were left on bc the perpetrator was in a hurry to bury it. Maybe the bag was being stored elsewhere prior to disposal, so they needed to mask the scent until they felt safe enough to transport it. To me, this would indicate that it was originally somewhere much, much closer to initial search area.

(b) If preservation was the intent of the perpetrator, with the hope is be discovered, why bury it somewhere that it could just as easily be covered up by construction equipment? If it was placed prior to construction, it'd be in the woods with little hope of ever being found, so most likely it was placed after construction began. If it started at a much later date than her disappearance, it could point to the suspect traveling that area somewhat frequently. There again, it's 50/50 whether it'd be discovered instead of buried/destroyed, which to me, would make it more likely to be "trophy" behavior. AGAIN, IF PRESERVATION was the intent.

3. Lastly, thanks for bearing with me, I-40. The first two roads due south of the site are Mineral Springs Mtn. Rd. and Miller Bridge Rd.. Both roads are six miles(give or take a few hundred feet) from Exit 112 and Exit 113, respectively. Traveling north on Hwy. 18 also leads to I-40, Exit 105, in about 7.8 miles. Many people base how far they're driving based on travel time rather than distance. In this case, all three routes take roughly 8-10 minutes travel time, at the posted speed limits. Again, this may mean something, maybe not, just a geographical attribute of the disposal site that I've noticed.

I know this is kinda long, but I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I hope this case is resolved soon!

 

[dotr]

Wanted to post some thoughts, gonna try to post pics taken today, also.

I KEEP going back to the backpack being buried and not the distance of the location from Fallston/Shelby, but the location itself. There used to be a trailer park there and I don't see how you'd get in there to but it without someone noticing you(#1). There's nowhere to park except on the side of the road or in the church parking lot across the street. On top of that, the why. Why bury it, double wrapped, in the woods, at a trailer park(#2). And lastly, The location in relation to Interstate 40(#3). These are all just observation, may mean something, may not mean a thing, just stuff I've noticed and wonder if anyone feels the same.

#1.(a) Something that stands out to me is the fact that the trailer park has one vehicle entrance/exit. Today the trailers have been demolished and oddly enough, there's a bulldozer and dumpster sitting right where the bag was discovered. One thing that stands out is that cleared out path with power lines that runs right through the lefthand side of the former park. If you follow it on foot, you'll come out on River Rd. which is FAR less traveled than Hwy. 18, and could have been used by someone sneaking in to bury something, or at least they could park there less noticeably.

(b) This may be a reach, but I'm wondering how widespread the outage was in Shelby that night, more specifically, from what areas where the linemen called in from. Could the perpetrator have lived in another county and been in Shelby for work? Could someone have used their professional knowledge of the area to decide where they'd bury evidence? It could also explain how you could be digging or "working" in an area without anyone thinking you were out of place.

#2.(a) If the bag was being disposed of, why bury it? You could burn it, discard the ashes in some body of water, many options there. If the purpose was disposal, the one thing I'd think of is maybe they didn't bury it on a build site to be discovered, but instead, because they thought it'd be built on top of and never exposed again. Double bagging it for disposal would likely be mask scent. But what if instead of after burial, the scent was being masked prior to disposal? Again IF DISPOSAL was the goal, the shallow depth of burial could indicate that it was done hastily. So maybe the plastic bags weren't meant to purposely preserve the bag, but were left on bc the perpetrator was in a hurry to bury it. Maybe the bag was being stored elsewhere prior to disposal, so they needed to mask the scent until they felt safe enough to transport it. To me, this would indicate that it was originally somewhere much, much closer to initial search area.

(b) If preservation was the intent of the perpetrator, with the hope is be discovered, why bury it somewhere that it could just as easily be covered up by construction equipment? If it was placed prior to construction, it'd be in the woods with little hope of ever being found, so most likely it was placed after construction began. If it started at a much later date than her disappearance, it could point to the suspect traveling that area somewhat frequently. There again, it's 50/50 whether it'd be discovered instead of buried/destroyed, which to me, would make it more likely to be "trophy" behavior. AGAIN, IF PRESERVATION was the intent.

3. Lastly, thanks for bearing with me, I-40. The first two roads due south of the site are Mineral Springs Mtn. Rd. and Miller Bridge Rd.. Both roads are six miles(give or take a few hundred feet) from Exit 112 and Exit 113, respectively. Traveling north on Hwy. 18 also leads to I-40, Exit 105, in about 7.8 miles. Many people base how far they're driving based on travel time rather than distance. In this case, all three routes take roughly 8-10 minutes travel time, at the posted speed limits. Again, this may mean something, maybe not, just a geographical attribute of the disposal site that I've noticed.

I know this is kinda long, but I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I hope this case is resolved soon!

Excellent, thought provoking post!