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

[CastlesBurning]

Blavity News & Politics

 

[dotr]

Blavity News & Politics

Nice article and good to see more attention paid to some of these under reported stories!

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

I am really curious to why LE assumes she is alive. Also curious about why the unknown picture was dropped very early in the investigation. In my opinion, the bookbag was buried to be found. It was found in a construction site and I have read before that it needed equipment to be dug up (will try to find where I have read that. Have been active in this case since 2007). I wonder if they questioned all of the workers. I never understood that if she was with someone then why was she seen alone and running into the woods off the highway? I wonder if they happened to find DNA on the shirt and fingerprints on the book. I have also read that the direction she was going was her school bus route. She had her basketball uniform in her bag as well. The route actually is the opposite way of her school but a kid might not notice that. Her parents say she was sheltered, so the outlets where she may have met someone were church, school, basketball practice, friends/classmates parents, family members friends/partners, etc. She had a basketball game right before, and also a family gathering. Could a family member had a shady boyfriend that might have talked to Asha? I have walked through the whole route to Turner Upholstery from her house on Google maps road view. It is a rural area with a few houses along the walk. Lots of wooded areas and fields. I have driven similar roads in NC in the middle of the night (NC native here) and they are pretty scary and very dark and isolated.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

I am really curious to why LE assumes she is alive. Also curious about why the unknown picture was dropped very early in the investigation. In my opinion, the bookbag was buried to be found. It was found in a construction site and I have read before that it needed equipment to be dug up (will try to find where I have read that. Have been active in this case since 2007). I wonder if they questioned all of the workers. I never understood that if she was with someone then why was she seen alone and running into the woods off the highway? I wonder if they happened to find DNA on the shirt and fingerprints on the book. I have also read that the direction she was going was her school bus route. She had her basketball uniform in her bag as well. The route actually is the opposite way of her school but a kid might not notice that. Her parents say she was sheltered, so the outlets where she may have met someone were church, school, basketball practice, friends/classmates parents, family members friends/partners, etc. She had a basketball game right before, and also a family gathering. Could a family member had a shady boyfriend that might have talked to Asha? I have walked through the whole route to Turner Upholstery from her house on Google maps road view. It is a rural area with a few houses along the walk. Lots of wooded areas and fields. I have driven similar roads in NC in the middle of the night (NC native here) and they are pretty scary and very dark and isolated.

 

[Moonwalker9]

A couple of thoughts after listening to this poddcst, perhaps it was mentioned before but I think it sums up what we know about the case so far.

011 - The Vanishing Of Asha Degree – Trace Evidence – Podcast

Sadly we know very little and there's been alot of speculations.

The Podd speculates the trip was planned and that's what LE also thinks, they doubt she was sleepwalking because she changed clothes and she packed her bag and left the house and then she started walking a road that she only passed by bus before. Most sleepwalkers dont tend to do advanced things or things that are not part of their routine.

There are many ideas why a 9 year old with a good family life would plan to run away from home in the middle of the night with a major storm outside and for what reason.

Most likely she had planned to see somebody. Asha lived a quiet life and she wasn't exposed to alot of people from the outside. No Cellphone or internet. She went to school, church and played basketball. If someone had planned to meet her it must have been someone from there. A teacher or coach?

So what happened to her?. There have been witnesses seeing her walking on the side of the road at that time. Someome said she saw a young girl get into a car. That car was mentioned in the poddcast but was never identified. I'm not sure it was here.

Another witness, a truck driver stopped his car to talk to her. Then she run into the woods. That was the last sight of her alive. I think this sight is accurate.

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. Not sure if this is close to where she was last seen alive, if she dropped them there by herself?. A contractor uncovered Asha's book bag, which has her name and telephone number written on it, buried off Highway 18 in August 2001.
Her belongings where foundon two diffrent places. The book bag was found in black pastic bags, so someone else must've put it there. But it wasn't burnedup or thrown off a cliff, it was put in a way for it to be discovered. Whoever put it there felt guilt perhaps. LE has never explained exactly what was found there or if they have more clues, but I believe they have something.

Donald Ferguson was named a suspect in the case, he was a known child molester and murderer. He lived in another town relativetely close to where Asha lived. He would probably be able to do this but unless he had met Asha before which I doubt it feels far fetched that Ferguson would be driving inthe storm at that time and see her by accident. It's possible but unlikely. He knew his previous victim before.

One possability is that she was hit by a car and died. But there is no evidence, no blood or car parts broken found. Ofcourse this is still possible but no evidence that it happened either.

This leads us to the idea that she met up with someone she knew or she met someone unplanned. Whoever met her had bad intentions and she was met with foul play. Maybe it wasn't planned to go down like that but it did and whoever did it felt great remorse afterwards, hence the explenation for how the book bag was found. I think its possible that LE did found something of value in the paperbag but they don't have something to match it up with. I think it's possible that the person who did it was a novice to it. Perhaps it was unplanned or it wasn't supposed to go down like this, so he's not in the system and whatever evidence LE found it can't be used at this points that's why they are so quiet.

 

[Proud Country Gal]

Turner Upholstery is about .4 of a mile if you are walking on the road from where she was last seen. I drove and videoed from her house to the last place she was seen, turned around and drove to where her book bag was found. I wondered if I put it on Youtube if anyone would want to see it? I can drive/video it in Jan or Feb when my job is over and post it to show the difference in the summertime drive I already did. Also, I can drive it in the dark which in Feb will be DARK.
I grew up near the area and I worked very close to Asha's house back in the late 80's.
Also I have seen questions about the "Sundrop semi" that stopped to speak to her I will post a pic of the trucks that may have been similar to the truck he was driving. It's technically a semi but it has a shorter, smaller trailer and easier to move. (God I miss drinking Sundrop). Also there are turn around points on both areas of the road where he could have turned around easy!

 

[T rex]

In this link it says the library records do not go back to the year of Asha' s disappearance. The book bag was found in 2001 so I think this rules it out because the school probably still had records of it at that time. It seems to me that the book must have been found more recently.
I know when I graduated high school and before they would give me my diploma that I had to pay back some money for such things as activity fees that I hadn't paid over the years and a few library and text books that never got returned. I had long since forgotten about them but the county school district didnt. When you don't return a book it goes on your personal record, so I wonder if LE thought to check out those records?


https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article219720915.html

I still think they should check all the permanent records to see who didn't return this book. It's the government, when you owe them money they don't just forget about it. Library records and permanent records are two entirely different set of records. If you can't find the one then look for the other. It's just that simple. Now of course they may have but unless I ever know for sure it's probably always going to bother me.

 

[SAMS]

Some great write-ups on this case in the thread. Just caught up and wanted to mention some things that stood out to me as I read....
*Harold-Asha's Dad- What store could he have went shopping for candy for valentines day at 11 pm? Locals may be able to answer this. I know some Walmarts and Walgreens are open 24/7 but just wanted to confirm that he wouldve had access to shop at that time. Just seemed weird to me.
*O'bryant stirred and thought he heard Asha moving around, possibly even going to the bathroom. They were very close. She often slept on the floor next to his bed. I wonder if she would've told him if she were going to meet someone? I was super close with my brother (he was 2 years older than me) and we attempted to run away together a few times but I would have told him if I planned to without him.
*Asha stayed over at cousin Catina's house Sat. night. Were there any male family members hanging around? The older cousin was 15. Did Asha look up to these girls and want to be "grown" and venture out on her own?
*Harold-Asha's dad- saw Asha in bed around 2:30 a.m. on his way to bed with Iquilla-Asha's mom. (I get Harold being up at odd hours, my spouse works 2nd shift too and it throws off normal sleeping habits for sure.) Iquilla went in to wake Asha up after 5:45 a.m., which means she went missing between those hours, approx. 3 hour time frame.
*Asha took at least a 2 hour nap after coming home from her grandmothers and church. That night she was so tired from her weekend events, including the sleep over with her cousin. Could be why she was up and moving around middle of night, bc she had napped and then went to bed shortly after....
*The front and back doors were found locked that morning. If Asha left voluntarily that night, would she have locked the door behind her? I understand her and Obryant were latchkey kids, but did they come home together? Unlocking the door to go into the home is a much different habit than locking the door behind you when leaving..
*Grandmas house was across the street. Did anyone else live with her? Did she hear/see anything that night? Maybe Asha was running away to her grandmas but noone answered the door so she kept walking?
*One of the witnesses (the trucker) claimed to see a young girl in a "little dress" walking down the hwy at a steady pace. Could that have been the white nightgown that wasn't accounted for and was thought to have been possibly taken that night?
*A photo of an unknown girl was found along with other items that her parents claimed as Asha's. Who was this girl? Was she someone she met from the other basketball team? A secret penpal? Or like others here have suggested, a pic given to her by a perp to lure her?

Just hashing out some questions, this case is definitely intriguing, not many with so much info to process. MOO

 

[SAMS]

Also, Asha was distraught at losing the game. She felt she was the cause of it and her mother claimed that she talked to her and she seemed better but never got over it throughout the weekend. This is detrimental in her leaving IMO. That game set this entire case in motion. She seemed to be a sweet, sensitive girl. She wouldve taken this personally and blamed herself, which is what has been said. Where was she running to? Was there a plan to meet another team member to run away, since others on the team were "crying and limping around the court?" A child may not reveal that they were supposed to meet her to run away. In a case like this, going back to question friends/team members/family/coaches/church members, etc; could be vital.
An old school mate of Iquilla's who was in and out of trouble, claimed he and another man hit Asha accidentally that night and dumped her body in the lake. Allegedly he passed a lie detector test and was dismissed as a POI. Who was this other man? Was he ever identified and questioned? What about family members/associates of these men? This scenario certainly makes sense. Another group of people to interview again. IMO MOO

 

[SAMS]

Forgive me for posting several times....so much to process and question.
I think it is safe to say that Asha did not bury her own bag. Who took the time to double wrap the book bag and bury it? And why? We've seen cases where the victim's items are tossed along the road or simply discarded, but not hidden. Odd. Perhaps a reminder for the perp, a "trophy" that he could revisit? Or did someone close to home want it never to be found? Or WAS it a hit and hide and this was getting rid of any evidence but then why wouldnt the bag be tossed into the lake too?

خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏

Above is the intersection where Asha was allegedly last seen by the witnesses that night, walking alone, headed north.

Not far from this location, the Turners (Rallie and Debbie) property, including the shed that was the location of some items believed to be Asha's.

خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏

IMO this would not be a busy road, especially at night. Speed limit couldn't be fast enough to miss someone walking roadside. The intersection would cause motorists to slow before stopping. IMO these witnesses saw Asha...notice the woods on both sides as well...was the convenient store there in '00? EBM MOO

 

[BethAnn777]

@SAMS - sorry my quote option isn’t working. It occurred to me a few weeks back that Asha could have double bagged her own backpack. It was raining the night she left.

Could she have buried her own backpack for safe keeping intending to go back for it later?

 

[SAMS]

@SAMS - sorry my quote option isn’t working. It occurred to me a few weeks back that Asha could have double bagged her own backpack. It was raining the night she left.

Could she have buried her own backpack for safe keeping intending to go back for it later?

Absolutely could have. Her bag was found approx 50 yards west of Highway 18. Wonder if the family had those kind of garbage bags in their home at the time? MOO

 

[SAMS]

I also wonder about the "few dollars" she had that she showed to some of her friends that were interviewed by LE. Where did the money come from? No money was found that I have read.

 

[SAMS]

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she was brave enough to take off at night in a downpour to go anywhere, let alone run into dark woods, bury a bag and hide in a dark shed with dogs close by. I read somewhere she was scared of dogs.

 

[BethAnn777]

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she was brave enough to take off at night in a downpour to go anywhere, let alone run into dark woods, bury a bag and hide in a dark shed with dogs close by. I read somewhere she was scared of dogs.

Same! The fact is, the whole scenario is just bizarre and doesn’t make sense no matter which way you spin it.

Here’s an out there thought, could she have been trying to escape from something inside the house? Maybe she had a bad dream there was a monster in the next room that was going to get her when she woke up for school? Sounds silly even to me, I just can’t wrap my mind around what possessed her to leave.

Or, when she stayed with her cousin, could the older kids played a joke on her and convinced her to leave on a dare? To prove she was cool enough and brave enough to hang out with them?

But then what? Even if one of those scenarios took place, how does she end up missing with her backpack buried so far away?

I think she had to of been groomed or someone in her family or church had to of been responsible.

 

[SAMS]

خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏

This is her missing billboard-I will attempt to post the image

 

[SAMS]

Im interested in the layout of their house.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3404-Oakcrest-Dr-Shelby-NC-28150/214070069_zpid/
Looks like the house sold in 2017, wonder if her parents bought it or moved way back when? 1701 Sq Ft is not a small house, although not too big either. We know there was a second level bc Iquilla went downstairs that morning to see if Asha had went down to the kitchen. Wonder how close the kid's bedrooms were to each other, for Obryant to hear her tossing and turning? MOO

ETA: It was a rented 2 bedroom duplex. So, did the two kids share a room? Is that why he heard Asha stirring? What else did he see? MOO

 

[SAMS]

Same! The fact is, the whole scenario is just bizarre and doesn’t make sense no matter which way you spin it.

Here’s an out there thought, could she have been trying to escape from something inside the house? Maybe she had a bad dream there was a monster in the next room that was going to get her when she woke up for school? Sounds silly even to me, I just can’t wrap my mind around what possessed her to leave.

Or, when she stayed with her cousin, could the older kids played a joke on her and convinced her to leave on a dare? To prove she was cool enough and brave enough to hang out with them?

But then what? Even if one of those scenarios took place, how does she end up missing with her backpack buried so far away?

I think she had to of been groomed or someone in her family or church had to of been responsible.

It truly is bizarre on so many levels. I read in an earlier post, that 2 pics of the family were found in the bag. Not sure if this is true or not. Would be interesting to know if it is. MOO

 

[SAMS]

Asha Degree's family thankful for support

"In the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2000, a then 9-year-old Asha Degree left her family home on Oakcrest Drive near Fallston, according to law enforcement. She is said to have walked from the home onto N.C. 18 and was never seen again. The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has kept the investigation into Degree’s disappearance open for the past 17 years, and her family continues to work to make sure her story is not forgotten.

Iquilla Degree said the last year has been a bit more difficult than years past.

“This year has been a little bit different for us. I’ve been off, but I know it’s going to get better,” she said.

Iquilla often finds solace in her grandchild, 7-year-old Naobi Degree, who she said looks very much like Asha did at that age.

“When you look at her, she looks so much like her dad (O’Bryant Degree) and like Asha. I look at her and have hope,” she said. “I hope one day they get to meet each other.”

 

[SAMS]

Turner Upholstery is about .4 of a mile if you are walking on the road from where she was last seen. I drove and videoed from her house to the last place she was seen, turned around and drove to where her book bag was found. I wondered if I put it on Youtube if anyone would want to see it? I can drive/video it in Jan or Feb when my job is over and post it to show the difference in the summertime drive I already did. Also, I can drive it in the dark which in Feb will be DARK.
I grew up near the area and I worked very close to Asha's house back in the late 80's.
Also I have seen questions about the "Sundrop semi" that stopped to speak to her I will post a pic of the trucks that may have been similar to the truck he was driving. It's technically a semi but it has a shorter, smaller trailer and easier to move. (God I miss drinking Sundrop). Also there are turn around points on both areas of the road where he could have turned around easy!

This would be great, yes! Please post here when you do?