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NC ASHA DEGREE: Missing from Shelby, NC - 14 Feb 2000 - Age 9 (1 Viewer)

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Asha Jaquilla Degree (born August 5, 1990; first name pronounced AY-shuh[1]) went missing at the age of nine from Shelby, North Carolina, United States. In the early morning hours of February 14, 2000, for reasons unknown, she packed her bookbag, left her family home north of the city and began walking along nearby North Carolina Highway 18 despite heavy rain and wind. Several passing motorists saw her; when one turned around at a point 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from her home and began to approach her, she left the roadside and ran into a wooded area. In the morning, her parents discovered her absence. No one has seen her since.[2]

An intensive search that began that day led to the location of some of her personal effects near where she was last seen. A year and a half later, her bookbag, still packed, was unearthed from a construction site along Highway 18 north of Shelby in Morganton. At the point where she ran into the woods, a billboard now stands appealing for help finding her. Her family hosts an annual walk from their home to the billboard to draw attention to the case.

While the circumstances of Degree's disappearance at first seemed to suggest she was running away from home, investigators could not find a clear reason she might have done so, and she was younger than most children who do so. They have speculated that she might have been abducted instead. The case has drawn national media attention. In 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) joined state and county authorities in a reopened investigation, offering a reward for information that could help solve the case.

en.wikipedia.org

Disappearance of Asha Degree - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

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www.crimewatchers.net

Why was ASHA DEGREE seen walking on a highway at 4AM? Missing from Shelby, NC since 14 Feb 2000 - Age 9

Asha was last seen by her family sleeping in her bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. At 4:00 a.m., she was seen by motorists walking along North Carolina Highway 18 in Shelby, North Carolina. More than a year later, Asha's book bag was discovered...
www.crimewatchers.net www.crimewatchers.net
 

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Search for Asha Degree: New search on property formerly owned by Roy Dedmon, records show​

Property records confirm a connection between property searched Friday in the case of 9-year-old missing girl, Asha Degree, and a person whose name has come up before in the Degree case.

On Friday, Queen City News was there as investigators searched an old, abandoned school at the corner of Highway 274 and NC-182 in Lincoln County.

Detectives and SBI agents wrapped up their search Friday, not revealing what they found.


Records show Dedmon bought the property, an old school, in 1991 and sold it in October 2004, just over four years after Degree disappeared, leaving the community stunned.
 
www.shelbystar.com

'These parents deserve peace': Investigators gather again to search for missing Shelby girl

Investigators have once again convened to continue the effort to find Asha Degree who went missing 25 years ago.
www.shelbystar.com

The school was built in the early 1920s on 5 acres of donated land. It apparently was eventually replaced by a modern, much larger elementary school known as North Brook Elementary in a different location.
Interestingly, there are little to no mention of the 5 acres/old school on the internet. 5 acres is a lot. I wonder if there was a pond or two or small lake on the property? Is there an old well on the property behind the school that provided drinking water for students in the 1920s? That forest you see in the photo at the back of the picture provides a lot of possibilities.
The below photo is from the article. It sounds like investigators are a few steps closer to an arrest or arrests, but still have a ways to go. Kudos to them for not letting the case go cold.
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www.wcnc.com

Closure sought: Reward for missing Asha Degree case increased

The department announced the combined reward was raised to $75,000.
www.wcnc.com www.wcnc.com

Closure sought: Reward for missing Asha Degree case increased​

It's been over 25 years since Asha Degree disappeared from her home in Cleveland County, and the agencies involved in investigating the case announced an increase in the reward for information in connection to Asha.

On Friday, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office posted a video ahead of National Missing Children’s Day saying its office is committed to finding Asha.

"It's everybody's goal in the community to find out what happened to Asha Degree and bring her home," Lieutenant Jordan Bowen said. "With the tight-knit community; we all want the same resolution. We all want answers. We want to bring her home. Still, even today, especially 25 years later with the momentum, tons and tons of work, tons of resources, money, just thoughts, ideas, new technologies are going into play, and it's a good thing. Hopefully it brings us closure here soon."

The department announced in that video the combined reward was raised to $75,000. The FBI increased its reward to $50,000, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office and community continue to offer $20,000, and the State Bureau of Investigation just added an additional $5,000 to bring the combined reward to up to $75,000.

"It is the hope and desire of every employee here at the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office along with our federal and state partners to bring Asha home, to bring closure," Sheriff Alan Norman said.


The case has captured national attention since the beginning. If you have information and have not spoken to investigators, call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704-484-4822, the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
 
www.wbtv.com

Asha Degree: North Carolina offers reward for information in girl’s 2000 disappearance

Sheriff’s office also offering $75K reward in decades-old Degree case
www.wbtv.com www.wbtv.com
The North Carolina governor on Wednesday announced a $25,000 reward for information in connection with the 2000 disappearance of Asha Degree.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced Wednesday, June 25 that the state would offer a reward of up to $25,000 for information related to then-9-year-old Degree’s disappearance. The information would have to lead to an arrest and conviction of the “person or persons responsible” for Degree’s disappearance in order to qualify for the reward.

Wednesday’s announcement came about one month after the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office increased its reward for information in this case to $75,000. The sheriff’s office has led the 25-year investigation into Degree’s disappearance.
 
www.wcnc.com

Family linked to Asha Degree case shares their side of the story

New voices emerge in the long-standing investigation of Asha Degree's disappearance, with the Dedmon family now speaking through a spokesperson.
www.wcnc.com www.wcnc.com

Family linked to Asha Degree case shares their side of the story​

More than 25 years after 9-year-old Asha Degree disappeared from her Shelby home, new voices are stepping forward in the long-running investigation.

Last September, investigators searched five properties across Cleveland, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg counties. Among those properties was one that sparked intense public attention: a home and green AMC Rambler believed to be connected to the Degree case.

The family connected to those properties, Roy and Connie Dedmon, were named as suspects in search warrants released in 2024. Now, for the first time, they are speaking out through a family spokesperson.

"There's a courtroom — and then there's the courtroom of public opinion," Skip Foster, a spokesperson for the Dedmon family, said. "And there's only been one side of this story told."

According to Foster, the Dedmons did not own the vehicle at the time Asha disappeared. He points to public records showing the car wasn't titled or registered in their name until a full month after Asha's disappearance in February 2000.

The family says the intense scrutiny has taken a toll, bringing fear and frustration.

Still, beyond defending their name, Foster says the Dedmons want the same thing the Degree family does — answers.

"They want to find out what happened as much as anybody," he said. "But they want their story told."

The green AMC Rambler remains a key point of interest in the investigation, with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office confirming its relevance to the case.

As detectives continue to comb through evidence, Asha's family and the community are still waiting for the breakthrough that could bring closure.
 
www.wbtv.com

Asha Degree’s 35th birthday: Where case of missing Shelby girl stands decades later

Shelby’s Sweetheart disappeared in February 2000 -- more than 25 years ago
www.wbtv.com www.wbtv.com

Asha Degree’s 35th birthday: Where case of missing Shelby girl stands decades later​

Tuesday marks the 35th birthday of Asha Degree, a girl who went missing from Cleveland County decades ago and is now feared dead.

Asha Degree would be 35 years old on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. The then-9-year-old girl went missing from her home in Shelby on Feb. 14, 2000.


No body had been found, as of August 2025. No one had been arrested yet in connection with Degree’s believed death.

Still, authorities have recently revealed that they believe a local family is connected with Degree’s case.

Law enforcement didn’t have any new details about the case to share on Degree’s 35th birthday on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
 
www.wcnc.com

Asha Degree case: New billboards reflect increased $100K reward for information

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office also said the new signs have been set up near her church and where she was last spotted in 2000.
www.wcnc.com www.wcnc.com

Asha Degree case: New billboards reflect increased $100K reward for information​

It's now been more than 25 years since Asha Jaquilla Degree, known as "Shelby's Sweetheart", went missing at the age of nine from her home in rural Cleveland County, North Carolina. Her case has captivated the state and the country, with renewed calls for information about where she went.

The reward for information about her officially hit the six-figure mark earlier this year. Now, new signage reflects that.

On Friday, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook that new billboards to reflect that the reward for information to find her has been increased to $100,000 were now set up. The agency said signage along Highway 18, where she was last spotted, and along Highway 180, near her church in the Waco community, reflect the new reward, alongside photos of Degree.

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The mystery of Asha Degree's disappearance still unsolved​

By now she could be a mother, a career woman, a successful person in her community.

Instead, Asha Degree remains a mystery she never asked to be.

The bright-eyed child with a flashy smile who vanished from Cleveland County on Valentine's Day in 2000 still has not been found.

The community got a spark of hope in 2024 when search warrants focused on the property of a family in the area. Despite seized property, such as a car that matched a description linked to the predawn hours in which Degree vanished, no arrest warrants have been issued.
 
SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:

The mystery of Asha Degree's disappearance still unsolved​

By now she could be a mother, a career woman, a successful person in her community.

Instead, Asha Degree remains a mystery she never asked to be.

The bright-eyed child with a flashy smile who vanished from Cleveland County on Valentine's Day in 2000 still has not been found.

The community got a spark of hope in 2024 when search warrants focused on the property of a family in the area. Despite seized property, such as a car that matched a description linked to the predawn hours in which Degree vanished, no arrest warrants have been issued.
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Two years is a long time, since the search.
 
www.wcnc.com

'Somebody knows something': Asha Degree's parents plead for answers 26 years after her disappearance

It’s been more than 26 years since Asha Degree went missing. Her parents say they won't rest until the mystery is solved.
www.wcnc.com www.wcnc.com

'Somebody knows something': Asha Degree's parents plead for answers 26 years after her disappearance​

It’s been more than 26 years since anyone has seen or heard from Asha Degree. She disappeared from her Cleveland County home at the age of 10 years old on the night of Valentine's Day in 2000.

WCNC Charlotte sat down with her parents, who say they’re not going to rest until this cold case is solved.

Asha’s family is still holding out hope and praying that the $100,000 reward inspires someone to come forward about her disappearance.

Iquilla and Harold Degree haven’t seen their daughter Asha in more than two decades.

“Twenty-six years is a long time of not knowing," Iquilla Degree, Asha's mother, said. "We still haven’t gave up hope that she’s alive. But if they bring me proof that she’s not alive, then we’ll accept it."

Asha disappeared from her home during a rainstorm.

“It was just chaos, our world was turned upside down cause we had no idea where our daughter was and we still have no idea where she is,” Iquilla said.

“We know more than we did back then, but still no closure,” Harold Degree said.


Family members say they don’t know why Asha left her home that day.

“Only thing we knew, was she was upset about losing the basketball game that day, but other than that, couldn’t tell you,” Iquilla said.

The billboard placed near Asha’s home offering $100,000 for information is more than a sign; it’s a desperate cry for the public to bring Asha home.

“Somebody knows something," Iquilla said. "So we have to beg and plead for somebody to just have some compassion and just come, let it go, I know it’s eating you alive, let it go, guilt is a terrible thing.
 
I was really hoping that the activity that was going on last year would’ve brought an arrest in this case.
 
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