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

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Grim anniversary highlights NC girl’s disappearance on Valentine’s Day[/h]

It has been 18 years since Asha Degree disappeared. Even with the passage of time, investigators say they’re still working the case.

The Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina office of the FBI has kept the investigation open, and her family continues to work to make sure people don’t forget her disappearance by holding a memorial walk each year.

“The three law enforcement agencies meet several times a month to go over the latest on the investigation. Even though it’s been nearly 18 years, this is not a cold case. It’s not sitting on a shelf,” said Shelley Lynch with the FBI.

The Degrees still live in the same home as they did when Asha went missing. Inside the living room is a testament to how important family is to the Degrees. Pictures of Asha, their son O’Bryant, a granddaughter and other family adorn the walls. Some of the age-progression photos created by investigators hang next to actual photos of Asha as a young child.

In recent months, the Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and SBI partnered with the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team. Special agents and deputies conducted more than 300 interviews of people connected to the case, said Shelly Lynch with the FBI.

“We were trying to see if anyone had left out anything or if they may have remembered something they had forgotten at the time of the original investigation,” Norman said.

This helped create new leads and put to bed others, he said.
“Progress really has been made in the case, but there is nothing that can be released to the public at this time,” Norman said.

http://www.goupstate.com/news/20180...ghts-nc-girls-disappearance-on-valentines-day

 

[T rex]

Bump Bump

 

[justinkjones1993]

I think there's 4 possibilities in this case, and I'll list them from most likely to least (IMO).

1. Asha's family is responsible for her disappearance. To me this is the only scenario that doesn't require all kinds of logical leaps of faith about why she left home that morning. The simple answer is she didn't. Whatever happened took place at home and the other evidence was staged to take attention away from home. I have pretty much no faith in the eyewitnesses until I hear more directly from them. Statistically speaking, young girls in Asha's age range that go missing do so because a family member has harmed them.

2. Asha was groomed, abducted and murdered. I definitely think she could have been in contact with someone older who had an agenda and carefully earned her trust. The person is almost certainly a local.

3. Asha ran away on an adventure and met with foul play from a stranger. Possible, but I think much less likely than the first two scenarios because 4 AM with 30 degree weather is extremely odd timing for an adventure.

4. Asha was abducted and sold to an underground adoption agency and may or may not still be living. Don't really buy this one but I've heard it floated out there. I think it's probably the only chance for Asha to still be alive.

 

[Andruw25]

I think there's 4 possibilities in this case, and I'll list them from most likely to least (IMO).

1. Asha's family is responsible for her disappearance. To me this is the only scenario that doesn't require all kinds of logical leaps of faith about why she left home that morning. The simple answer is she didn't. Whatever happened took place at home and the other evidence was staged to take attention away from home. I have pretty much no faith in the eyewitnesses until I hear more directly from them. Statistically speaking, young girls in Asha's age range that go missing do so because a family member has harmed them.

2. Asha was groomed, abducted and murdered. I definitely think she could have been in contact with someone older who had an agenda and carefully earned her trust. The person is almost certainly a local.

3. Asha ran away on an adventure and met with foul play from a stranger. Possible, but I think much less likely than the first two scenarios because 4 AM with 30 degree weather is extremely odd timing for an adventure.

4. Asha was abducted and sold to an underground adoption agency and may or may not still be living. Don't really buy this one but I've heard it floated out there. I think it's probably the only chance for Asha to still be alive.

Very well put justinkjones1993. I think number one is the most likely. And I just don't think this young girl went out in the cold and dark on her own. The parents should have been looked at as suspects, then ruled out. That could of happened.It is just most times someone close to the victim.

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[aThousandYearsWide]

1. Asha's family is responsible for her disappearance. To me this is the only scenario that doesn't require all kinds of logical leaps of faith about why she left home that morning. The simple answer is she didn't. Whatever happened took place at home and the other evidence was staged to take attention away from home. I have pretty much no faith in the eyewitnesses until I hear more directly from them. Statistically speaking, young girls in Asha's age range that go missing do so because a family member has harmed them.

I questioned this as well. Circumstantially it makes the most sense. I even wondered if it was an an accidental death and was concealed so her brother wouldn't be taken away. Like her tired father accidentally dropping her when he is carrying her to bed. He was the last person to actually see her. From what I read about the family the only way I can see them killing her if it was accidental. Terrible timing if true since it was on their anniversary!

And another thing interesting is if the bag was in fact staged they would be the first ones to know her favorite outfit, and the taking a picture of her family with her while running away seems more like an adult thought, not a child. A child wouldn't have that that planned out.

IMO they should look closer in Asha's family. In the days following her disappearance she visited relatives and also lived on the same street as some. I would look at uncle's, an adult cousins boyfriend, any new additions through marriage or dating generally. They would have more access to Asha then anybody and her guard wouldn't be up with them since they are family.

Regarding the parents, does anyone know exactly why they were ruled out so early on? In similar cases (child disappeared from their bed during the night) the parents were automatically suspect #1 and even were accused and taunted by the police/media. Why is Asha's case different? If it's the sightings, I have always wondered if it was a teenager/small woman they saw and mistaken it for Asha after the news reported her case. I feel if they believed at the time it was in fact a child then 911 would have been called immediately. And the outfit she was supposedly seen in wasn't the same thing she was last seen in as well.

So many questions...Hopefully soon we will have some answers..

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[justinkjones1993]

If it's the sightings, I have always wondered if it was a teenager/small woman they saw and mistaken it for Asha after the news reported her case.

Right. It's called confirmation bias. They could have seen anything that night, another person, a small animal, and so on but then they see on the news that a little girl from Shelby is missing and think "That must have been what I saw!"

Keep in mind there was rain coming down that morning, it was 4 AM, and as far as the eyewitnesses themselves are concerned, we've heard nothing directly from them. No names of these people, no interviews with the media, nothing. Yet the entire case is built around their alleged sightings of Asha.

I'm not saying they are mistaken, they very well may have seen her and she very well could have left home. But I'm going to need to hear more from them before I can accept their story. Until then, we have a little girl who went to bed one night, wasn't in bed the next morning, police dogs unable to pick up her scent past the driveway, hairbows scattered in a shed, and a buried backpack within driving distance containing items a child runaway generally does not pack.

What does that look like to you?

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

Right. It's called confirmation bias. They could have seen anything that night, another person, a small animal, and so on but then they see on the news that a little girl from Shelby is missing and think "That must have been what I saw!"

Keep in mind there was rain coming down that morning, it was 4 AM, and as far as the eyewitnesses themselves are concerned, we've heard nothing directly from them. No names of these people, no interviews with the media, nothing. Yet the entire case is built around their alleged sightings of Asha.

I'm not saying they are mistaken, they very well may have seen her and she very well could have left home. But I'm going to need to hear more from them before I can accept their story. Until then, we have a little girl who went to bed one night, wasn't in bed the next morning, police dogs unable to pick up her scent past the driveway, hairbows scattered in a shed, and a buried backpack within driving distance containing items a child runaway generally does not pack.

What does that look like to you?

I found a really good podcast on Asha's case that is more detailed then most case files on her. It says one of the motorist was a Sun Drop truck driver. They said she had a back-pack and was wearing a white long sleeve. I am still skeptical of course. I've driven down NC rural highways in the early morning hours and for me the mailboxes looked like people. It is extremely dark except for your headlights.

The podcast is a good read. Very detailed and mentions family members and the Asha's activities in the days following her disappearance.

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[aThousandYearsWide]

I found a really good podcast on Asha's case that is more detailed then most case files on her. It says one of the motorist was a Sun Drop truck driver. They said she had a back-pack and was wearing a white long sleeve. I am still skeptical of course. I've driven down NC rural highways in the early morning hours and for me the mailboxes looked like people. It is extremely dark except for your headlights.

The podcast is a good read. Very detailed and mentions family members and the Asha's activities in the days following her disappearance.

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Podcast link-
https://www.trace-evidence.com/011/

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[aThousandYearsWide]

Podcast link-
https://www.trace-evidence.com/011/

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This podcast answers several questions.

*Asha and her brother were latch key kids and were home alone together until their parents got home. So they weren't supervised 24/7. Although their aunt did live down the street.
*The motorist circled twice to find her since the first time he passed her. This was due to weather conditions, she was hard to find. He even pulled over and called out to her.
*The candy wrappers found at Turner Upholstery were identified by her basketball teammates that said they were the same kind they were given in Valentine's gift bags that Saturday. Candy wrappers were also found along Hwy 18 near where the sightings took place.
*Investigators believe she left on her own, while people involved in missing persons centers do not. Saying it is unlikely.
*Investigators did look to the parents and they took polygraphs.
*Asha's friends were interviewed.

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[findgarymathias]

This podcast answers several questions.


*The candy wrappers found at Turner Upholstery were identified by her basketball teammates that said they were the same kind they were given in Valentine's gift bags that Saturday. Candy wrappers were also found along Hwy 18 near where the sightings took place.

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This is the key to the case, IMO. I do not believe that Asha was running into the woods in a thunderstorm munching on candy, and that after the thunderstorm, days later, the wrappers she littered were conveniently still there.

Also the same candy was placed in an area where dogs couldn't track her scent, there is no physical evidence of her.

Someone who knew what was in the bags is my POI.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

This is the key to the case, IMO. I do not believe that Asha was running into the woods in a thunderstorm munching on candy, and that after the thunderstorm, days later, the wrappers she littered were conveniently still there.

Also the same candy was placed in an area where dogs couldn't track her scent, there is no physical evidence of her.

Someone who knew what was in the bags is my POI.

I'm skeptical of the items found at the shed too. The descriptions seem to vague to positively identify them as Asha's. The candy may be a popular brand and a Mickey Mouse bow seems common. Her name being on it or a hair linked to her would convince me otherwise, but they could very likely be unrelated.

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[findgarymathias]

I'm skeptical of the items found at the shed too. The descriptions seem to vague to positively identify them as Asha's. The candy may be a popular brand and a Mickey Mouse bow seems common. Her name being on it or a hair linked to her would convince me otherwise, but they could very likely be unrelated.

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I think that whoever was involved in her disappearance screwed up with the candy. It is too identifiable, it was planted on purpose in a few locations (how much candy was she eating, exactly, while walking and running along a highway?)

Even if she was the type to litter, why would those candies be there days later? And also in the shed? To me it reeks of how an adult would think in trying to stage this as a runaway.

 

[Deleted member 278]

Might the candy wrappers have also matched the candy her father bought that evening?

 

[cybervampira]

FBI highlights Graham, Patterson cases | Robesonian
[...]
Degree, who was 9 at the time, was last seen walking along N.C. 18 in Cleveland County shortly after leaving her home on Valentine’s Day 2000. Her book bag was discovered buried along the same highway in Burke County.

There was information that someone matching Degree’s description was seen getting into an early 1970s Lincoln Mark IV or possibly a Ford Thunderbird, dark green, with rust around the wheel wells.

The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information in that case. An additional $20,000 is being offered by a community group.

Anyone with information on any of the cases can call the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office at 704-672-6100.

 

[JerseyGirl]

ASHA JAQUILLA DEGREE — FBI

 

[JJBONES]

Has anyone seen any updates from the FBI regarding their renewed efforts last year?

 

[Denisa]

Why is it considered so far fetched that she left for some reason (maybe even slept walked) and a stranger picked her up on the way? Her case sounds eerily similar to Jacob Wetterling.

 

[dotr]

Why is it considered so far fetched that she left for some reason (maybe even slept walked) and a stranger picked her up on the way? Her case sounds eerily similar to Jacob Wetterling.

Welcome to Ws Denisa!
The possibility that Asha left of her own volition does not seem far-fetched to me, especially if she was meeting someone. imo, speculation.

 

[BethAnn777]

Why is it considered so far fetched that she left for some reason (maybe even slept walked) and a stranger picked her up on the way? Her case sounds eerily similar to Jacob Wetterling.

In what way is Asha’s disappearance similar to Jacob’s?

 

[Denisa]

In what way is Asha’s disappearance similar to Jacob’s?

It's similar because they both left at night and were picked up by strangers.
(presumably)