Images courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Information courtesy of The Charley Project.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

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ABOUT ASHA

Asha Jaquilla Degree was born on August 5, 1990, to her parents, Harold and Iquilla Degree. She was the youngest of two children, her older brother O’Bryant having been born the previous year.

From all accounts, Harold and Iquilla did their best to provide a positive environment for their children. The children were not allowed to watch much television, and they didn’t own a computer. Instead, Asha filled her days with school, church, and basketball. She was a fourth grader at Fallston Elementary School, where she was the point guard for her school’s team, and she was described as an intelligent girl who loved math and science. Since both of her parents worked during the day, Asha and O’Bryant had to let themselves in, and their parents expected them to either work on homework or have it completed before they came home.

Though their lifestyle seemed strict to some, Asha seemed content to stay within the boundaries outlined by her parents, likely due to her shy, cautious nature. She was reportedly uneasy around strangers, thunderstorms, dogs, and the dark.

In the days leading up to her disappearance, her school had a three-day weekend between Friday, February 11, and Sunday, February 13, 2000. Harold and Iquilla still had to work on the 11th, so the children spent the day with their aunt, who lived nearby. On Saturday, both Asha and O’Bryant had basketball games. Reportedly, Asha fouled out at her game, and the team ended up losing. For the star point guard, this was upsetting news, and she cried with her teammates afterwards. However, by the time her brother’s game started, she seemed to feel better.

DISAPPEARANCE

On February 13, the power went out at 9 PM due to a nearby car accident. A car crashed into a utility pole, knocking out power for the whole neighborhood. Iquilla, who had wanted to bathe the children before bed, instead decided to put the children to bed and wake them up early to bathe them.

It’s unknown exactly when Harold came home after work. However, by 12:30 AM, he came home, checked on the children (who shared a room), and noted that the power had returned. Some sources say that he then left to buy Valentine’s Day candy, and others say that he watched television until approximately 2:30 AM. (As a side note, Harold and Iquilla’s wedding anniversary was on February 14th- Valentine’s Day.) Before he went to bed around 2:30 AM, he checked on the children. At this point, both were asleep in their beds, and he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

A little while later, O’Bryant heard noises from Asha’s bed. Sources vary on the exact sound, but many have described it as a “squeak.” At first, he thought she was just tossing in her sleep, so he didn’t give it a second thought.

Iquilla went to the children’s room at 6:30 AM, only to find Asha missing. Realizing that something was wrong, she called several family members, but no one knew where Asha was. Once it was clear that her daughter was gone, Iquilla called the police, who showed up at 6:40 AM. From there, they started searching for the child, along with hundreds of volunteers.

Meanwhile, witnesses came forward, believing that they saw a girl matching Asha’s description. However, the details about what she was wearing varied. All of the reports placed the girl on Highway 18 (about a mile from her home) between 3:30 and 4:15 AM. One passing motorist circled the area three times after seeing her, and they stopped to see if she needed help. This frightened her, and she allegedly ran into the nearby woods, dropping out of sight.

Three days later on February 17th, the owners of a local business (Turner’s Upholstery) came forward after they found a pencil, a marker, a Mickey Mouse hair bow, and a picture of an unidentified girl in the doorway of their tool shed. According to the owners, these items were discovered on February 15th, one day after Asha was last seen. The shed was located along Highway 18 in the same area where Asha was last seen. Her parents viewed the items and confirmed that they belonged to her. It’s believed that she took shelter in the shed after running away from the motorist. Although the items were confirmed to be Asha’s, the girl in the photo remains unidentified.

The next lead came 18 months later, in August 2001, when a construction contractor found Asha’s backpack. It was double-wrapped in plastic bags and left abandoned on Highway 18, 26 miles north of Asha’s home. Authorities have never released a full inventory of the items found in her bag. However, unofficial sources have stated that the following items were recovered:

• Jeans with red stripes down the side
• a long-sleeved white nylon shirt
• a red vest with black trim
• a pair of black overalls with a Tweety Bird image on them
• a black and white long-sleeved shirt
• a lime green Tweety Bird purse
• a pair of black shoes
• Asha’s wallet
• a copy of Dr. Seuss’s McElligot’s Pool
• A New Kids on the Block T-shirt
• a basketball uniform
• three family photos
• a house key

Authorities believe that almost all of the items were Asha’s, but they were unsure about the New Kids on the Block T-Shirt and the Dr. Seuss book. It’s unclear what other items were found in the bag.

In 2016, the FBI received a tip that a girl matching Asha’s description was seen getting into a 1970s-model dark green car. It was noted that there was rust around the wheel wells, and the car is thought to be a Lincoln Mark IV or a Ford Thunderbird.

There have been no additional breaks as of this writing. Her case remains unsolved.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Asha Degree is incredibly heartbreaking and confusing. A young girl seemingly runs away, and yet she never comes home. With all of the information we have available, you would think that the authorities would be closer to finding her, yet they seem as far away as they were on day one. All the while, everyone has one question on their mind: What happened to Asha Degree?

When looking at this case, people generally discuss the following three theories:

1. Asha ran away, either to meet up with someone or go alone, and something happened that prevented her from going home.
2. Asha was groomed, either by a stranger or someone she knew, who lured her out that night.
3. Asha was sleepwalking.

Let’s address these one by one.

To start, we have the theory that Asha was sleepwalking. For many, this is the thinnest theory. According to the Mayo Clinic, sleepwalking most often occurs in children, but it usually occurs within 1-2 hours after falling asleep, and it often only lasts for a few minutes. According to Iquilla’s statements, she put the children to bed shortly after 9 PM. If Asha sleepwalked, it would’ve likely happened around 11 PM that night, instead of 2:30 AM when she was suspected to have woken up. The only thing that keeps me from ruling this out is the fact that people can do complex behaviors while sleepwalking, such as leaving the house or driving.

However, in order for this to be a sleepwalking case, it would have to be a strange and unusual one. It would’ve had to occur outside the 1-2 hour window after she fell asleep, she would’ve had to stay in that state for hours, and she would’ve had to walk at least a mile. Bear in mind, Asha has no disclosed history of sleepwalking as well. While we can’t rule this out completely, we have to make several big assumptions to get this theory to work. Because of this, this theory is unlikely.

Next, we have the theory that was groomed, either by a stranger or someone she knew, who lured her out that night. For me, the stranger theory seems unlikely. Harold and Iquilla were very careful about their children’s media consumption, to the point where they didn’t have a home computer because of their fear of predators. Not only that, but the children were often with their parents, whether they were at church, basketball games, or visiting family and friends. Predators don’t typically choose victims who have involved parents. They usually choose victims who have unstable home lives, such as foster kids, domestic violence victims, and kids with abusive/neglectful parents. From all accounts, Harold and Iquilla were involved in their children’s lives, to the point where there wouldn’t be many opportunities for a predator to strike.

That being said, we’re missing some information. For example, did she have access to a computer at school or friends’ houses? If so, was she supervised? This is the only way I can see a stranger being responsible. I’d also like to know if she was ever consistently alone with another adult, such as a teacher, neighbor, or a friend’s parent. Someone in that position would be able to gain the trust of Asha’s parents and let her go without supervision. Without all of this information, we can’t rule this theory in or out.

Finally, we have the theory that Asha ran away (either alone or to meet someone), and something happened along the way. For most people, myself included, this is the most likely explanation. For starters, Asha left with a bag that had clothing, money, shoes, and her house key, all things that she would’ve needed for a few days away from home. O’Bryant reportedly never heard any noises other than her bed squeaking, meaning that she likely packed her bag at some point before that night.

And yet, she hasn’t been seen since. If she had disappeared as an adult, it would be plausible that she ran away to start a new life. But she was nine. Nine-year-olds don’t have the developmental capacity to survive on their own for extended periods of time. They’re usually found after a few days at most by their parents, a loved one, the authorities, a good samaritan, or someone with bad intentions.

Given that her belongings (along with the unidentified picture) were found so close to where she was last seen, and her bag was found double-wrapped in plastic, I suspect that she was taken that night. For what reason, I can’t say for sure. However, one possibility was a hit-and-run accident. It would explain why her bag was found double-wrapped. It could be that someone was trying to preserve it or memorialize it out of guilt. That’s purely speculation on my part, but it’s a possibility nonetheless.

Depending on the lighting, it could’ve been really dark, to the point where it would’ve been impossible to see anyone, especially if you’re not expecting it. Time after time, there have been cases where people accidentally struck and killed someone on lonely stretches of road in the middle of the night, and instead of calling the police, they choose to dispose of the body and never tell anyone.

Unfortunately, I think it’s going to take someone with the right information to come forward and fill in the gaps. Someone knows something, and they have the power to bring closure to a family who has gone without it for more than 20 years.

Asha Degree was nine years old when she disappeared from her home in Shelby, North Carolina. In all that time, her family and friends have wondered what her life would’ve looked like if things had gone differently that day. She could’ve graduated high school and college, gotten married, and had kids. She could’ve become a writer and illustrator, like she dreamt of. Regardless, her family has vowed to keep fighting until Asha comes home.

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If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Asha Degree, there are many articles, YouTube videos, and podcasts available. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

• Wikipedia
• Charley Project
• Wcnc.com
• The Crime Wire

If you have any information about the disappearance of Asha Degree, please call the Cleveland County Sherriff’s Office at 704-484-4822 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.