The 20-Year Search For Missing Asha Degree
A 9-year-old North Carolina girl went missing 20 years ago in the middle of the night.
Asha Degree disappeared on the night of February 14, 2000. The fourth-grader lived in the Fallston neighborhood near Shelby, North Carolina and was believed to have left home hours before dawn.
20 years later, her family, along with FBI Charlotte and local investigators, are still seeking answers to her disappearance.
Valentine of 2000
Harold, Asha's father, had checked on Asha and her older brother around 2:30 am. When Iquilla, Asha's mother, went to wake the kids for school at 6:30 am, they found Asha missing.
According to the investigation, no sign of forced entry was found. There was also no promising scent trail for the search dogs to follow.
Investigators received two separate reports that afternoon. Two individuals had seen a young female walking along Highway 18 around 4 am. One person had gone back to check on the girl, but she had already disappeared into the woods. The highway was in the opposite direction of the Degree's home.
That was the last anyone had seen Asha.
August 3, 2001
In a Facebook video released by the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office in 2018, they announced two "new possible clues" that could help explain the disappearance of Asha Degree---and possibly find her.
The clues were items found on August 3, 2001, by construction workers in neighboring Burke County. The workers were digging an access road some 30 miles north from where Asha was last seen when they found a bag.
Investigators found a children's book by Dr. Seuss titled McElligot's Pool, as well as a T-shirt featuring boy band New Kids On The Block. The book was from the library at Fallston Elementary where Asha attended school. The shirt did not belong to Asha.
Investigators claim Asha had packed her bags before she left, as evident in the contents which they said: "looked like something a child would pack."
2015 Re-investigation
An anonymous tipper gave the investigators another possible lead to the case. According to the tip, Asha may have gotten into a car. The vehicle was said to be either a dark green 1970s-model Lincoln Continental Mark IV or a Ford Thunderbird. The FBI released images of the vehicle models in 2016 in a public announcement.
Asha at Present
FBI worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to create and release photos, including one showing how Asha may look like today.
"We encourage anybody out there that if they have any information-no matter how small or minor it may seem-it might be extremely crucial to further us getting one step closer to Asha," FBI Special Agent Michael Gregory said.
Investigators are offering a reward of $45,000 dollars for information on the case. $25,000 will come from the FBI, while the other $20,000 will be given by the Cleveland Country Sherrif's Office and the community.
The FBI continues to accept leads and information about the disappearance.
The Degree family continue to appeal to anyone who has information about their daughter's disappearance. They are also calling for anyone involved to come forward.
"That's my prayer every night, that God will get into their heart and let them come forward because it's got to be a weight on them," Iquilla, Asha's mother, said.
"If Asha walked in the door right now, I wouldn't care what I missed. All I want to do is see her."