"I know if you ask them they will say it's not racial. “Even though she is 30 now, she is still our child, still the 9-year-old little girl that left.”, [ Cleveland County Sheriff, investigators remain committed to case 20 years after Asha Degree’s disappearance ]. https://t.co/uoocLY29Qj. A year and a half later, her bookbag, still packed, was unearthed from a construction site along Highway 18 north of Shelby in Morganton. [8][16] It was the only trace of her found during the initial search. Police dogs called to the scene could not pick up Asha's scent. To this day, no one knows why she left, or why she was walking along Highway 18 alone around 4 in the morning. Extensive investigation showed that Asha had packed her backpack, and left the home between the hours of 2:30am and 4am. [18], From Iquilla's account of what Asha had taken with her, investigators believed she had planned and prepared for this departure over the several days preceding her disappearance. [ Artist who created age progression photo of missing Asha Degree explains process ]. [2][19][20][21] The worker who found it said the bookbag contained Asha's name and phone number. In 2004, acting on a tip reportedly received from an inmate at the county jail, the sheriff's office began digging at an intersection in Lawndale. "[E]very time you turned on the TV there was some pedophile who had lured somebody's child away, via the Internet," Iquilla recalled in a 2013 Jet interview. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}35°20′47″N 81°30′27″W / 35.34647°N 81.50738°W / 35.34647; -81.50738, Asha Jaquilla Degree (AY-shuh; born August 5, 1990[1]) went missing at the age of nine from Shelby, North Carolina, United States. The parents tend to be painted as God-fearing uptight Puritans, leading some people to wonder if Asha were running away from stifling conditions at home. Growing up on Oakcrest Street in Shelby, North Carolina, she led a sheltered life, with her family placing an emphasis on education and church. [25] The walk starts at their home and ends at a missing person's billboard for Asha along Highway 18, near where she was last seen. The children let themselves in after school,[5] where their parents expected that they would either be doing their homework or finished with it by the time they returned. At the point where she ran into the woods, a billboard now stands appealing for help finding her. Not ever, never ever.” Although possible, it’s highly improbable that Asha was murdered by a family member. [9] He checked again shortly before he went to bed at 2:30 a.m. on February 14 and again saw them both. In February of 2000, a 9-year-old girl named Asha Degree packed her book bag and tucked it away, waiting for the right time to sneak out of her North Carolina home. Then he changed his story to say he went to the store at 11:30 to purchase candy and returned at midnight to see Asha lying on the … [15] Along with them were a pencil, marker, and Mickey Mouse-shaped hair bow that were identified as belonging to her. [4], Iquilla Degree lamented in a 2013 interview with Jet that her daughter's disappearance had not gotten as much media attention over the years as some subsequent cases of missing children because Asha was black. Still, investigators believed that was the most likely explanation for her departure, but that for some reason, she either got off track or was abducted. [12], Iquilla awoke at 5:45 a.m. to get the children ready for school. They have speculated that she might have been abducted instead. [6], They made sure their children were insulated from outside influences and had a life centered around their extended family, church, and school. They also released photos of potential suspect vehicles, but none of them led to any arrests. It was 20 years ago today that Asha Degree, a shy 9-year-old North Carolina girl, went missing in the middle of the night. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - © 2002-2021 Gray Television, Inc. Asha Degree's parents speak 21 years after daughter went missing, ‘Only thing we got is hope’: Family still seeking clues on 21st anniversary Asha Degree went missing. Degree’s parents, who had their 33rd wedding anniversary Sunday, believe there are still clues out there. With days before the high school football season kicks off, there is a continued push to change the current order only allowing 100 spectators at outdoor high school athletic events. [7] She told Harold she could not find their daughter. “We are definitely still actively investigating the case,” said Shelly Lynch, with FBI Charlotte. [22] To date, it is the last evidence found in the case. All rights reserved. By WBTV Web Staff | February 14, 2021 at 6:21 PM EST - Updated February 14 at 11:24 PM . When she opened the children's room to wake them up before their 6:30 alarm and call them to the bath, O'Bryant was in his bed; Asha was not, and Iquilla was unable to find her in the house or in the family cars. It is believed that Asha Degree went missing around 2.30 am on February 14, 2000. Apparently around this time, Asha got out of bed, taking a bookbag she had previously packed with several sets of clothes and personal items, and left the house. [5][4] Pictures of Asha, both real and those showing her as she might appear in later years created by investigators to help the search, still decorate the Degree house. [31][32], In November 2020, an inmate named Marcus Mellon, who was convicted of sex crimes against children in 2014, wrote a letter to The Shelby Star, claiming that Degree was murdered and he knows where to find her. [18], The media attention went national. An intensive search that began that day led to the location of some of her personal effects near where she was last seen. Oh, really? The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 218,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. It was wrapped in a plastic bag. Investigators heard from two people who said they saw a girl walking along N.C. 18 around 4 a.m. One person said when they went back to check on her, the child disappeared into the woods. [1] An investigator said the items are vital clues. [20], The Degrees took steps to keep Asha's memory, and the case, alive in the public's mind. 1.3 miles later, and in temperatures barely above freezing, she was spotted by a passing motorist, bu… If you know anything that could help investigators, call the FBI at 704- 672-6100 or the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704 484-4822. Both the FBI and North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) got involved and put her on their respective databases of missing children. The Degrees did not have a computer in the house. These claims are under investigation and have not yet been verified. [3] The Degrees raised both children in their house on Oakcrest Drive in a residential subdivision amidst a generally rural area north of Shelby, North Carolina, on the western edge of the Charlotte metropolitan area. Asha Jaquilla Degree has been missing from her home in Shelby, North Carolina, since February 14, 2000. Two people reported seeing a little girl walking along Highway 18 around 4 a.m. A year and a half later, her book bag was found 30 miles away in Burke County. Nine-year-old Asha was last seen in her home in an apartment on Oakcrest Street in Shelby, North Carolina at approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 14, 2000. America's Most Wanted and The Oprah Winfrey Show also devoted segments to it. In the morning, her parents discovered her absence. The bones that were found turned out to be from an animal. "[8], Asha was in fourth grade at nearby Fallston Elementary School, going into a three-day weekend on the second week of February 2000. Her father went to sleep around that time and told the police that Asha was asleep in her bed when he checked on her. "[26] A community group is offering an additional $20,000 reward. Maybe, although I suspect that either the parents are much more reasonable humans than they seem to be in media depictions, or they were a lot worse at keeping an eye on her than they thought. 1 Julian Price Pl.Charlotte, NC 28208(704) 374-3500. Asha Jaquilla Degree (AY-shuh; born August 5, 1990 ) went missing at the age of nine from Shelby, North Carolina, United States. Asha Degree, âgée de seulement neuf ans au moment de sa disparition, était une enfant joviale et brillante. Harold (Asha's father) first said something about staying up watching TV that night when the power went out waiting for kerosene heaters to cool. “You can go to a gravesite, or if you have the urn at home, but for us, we can’t mourn, we can’t give up. She was spooked and ran into the woods. 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 18despite heavy rain and wind. Her parents were both extremely hardworking to provide the very best for their family. He circled three times and saw Degree run into the woods by the roadside and disappear. Family members last saw her asleep in … One year later they became parents to O’Bryant Degree, and on August 5, 1990, they had their second child, Asha Jaquilla Degree. Asha Degree was born on August 5, 1990 to parents Harold and Iquilla Degree. They disclosed that Asha may have been seen getting into a dark green early 1970s Lincoln Continental Mark IV, or possibly a Ford Thunderbird from the same era, along Route 18 near where she was last seen later that night. Asha Jaquila Degree went missing from Shelby, North Carolina on 14th February 2000. it is thought that she packed her bookbag and, for reasons unknown, made the long 1.3 mile [2.1 km] trek from her home to the Highway 18. She has not been seen since. On February 16, Iquilla realized that Asha's bedroom was missing her favorite clothing, including a pair of blue jeans with a red stripe. I'm not going to argue because I have common sense. She was spooked and ran into the woods. [23] On the 20th anniversary of Asha's disappearance, the FBI confirmed that the bookbag contained a copy of Dr. Seuss's McElligot's Pool and a T-shirt depicting the band New Kids on the Block. It's likely we may not be able to determine with absolute certainty what happened to Asha Degree, but we may be able to discern between what is more likely and what is less likely amongst theories. She was allegedly spotted by several witnesses, one of whom approached her in their car out of concern. The dogs were not able to pick up on her scent. Neither appeared to have been her property before they were found in her bag; the book was from the library at her elementary school. Asha Degree, who was 9 years old at the time, went missing from her home in Shelby, North Carolina, on the night of Valentine’s Day in 2000. An intensive search that began that day led to the location of some of her personal effects near where she was last seen. Asha was an extremely timid little girl, in fact, she was wary of almost everything. Iquilla Degree shares a message to her daughter, Asha, on the 18th anniversary of her disappearance. Asha’s mom explained, “I never suspected my husband or my son. Instead, her family still has hope of finding the Cleveland County girl who went missing 21 years ago. By 7am, the whole neighborhood had been awakened by the calls for Asha. Police arrived at the degree home by 6:30am with K-9's in tow. [10] They reported this to police after seeing a TV report about her disappearance. Asha was known for being a shy girl who, while greatly afraid of dogs, regularly had a huge smile on her face. Her parents, Harold and Iquilla Degree, had gotten married on Valentine’s Day in 1988. Iquilla said Asha handled this well; she was cautious, shy and content mostly to stay within the limits her parents set. [6], On February 13, a Sunday, the children went to church from a relative's house and then returned home. She has not been seen since. She has not been seen since. On the morning of Feb. 14, 2000, Asha’s parents, Harold and Iquilla, went to wake her for school, but she was nowhere to be found. After all these years, family and law enforcement still don’t know what happened to her. [27], The FBI announced 15 months later, in May 2016, that their reinvestigation of the case had turned up a possible new lead. Asha Degree. Asha Jaquila Degree went missing from Shelby, North Carolina on 14th February 2000. it is thought that she packed her bookbag and, for reasons unknown, made the long 1.3 mile [2.1 km] trek from her home to the Highway 18. It's been over 13 years since Asha Degree disappeared from her bedroom but her mother Iquilla Degree remains hopeful that this Black and missing child will be found The FBI told WBTV they continue to discuss and investigate Degree’s disappearance. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Asha Degree should be celebrating her 30th birthday with family and friends this year. Edit. They also announced a reward of up to $25,000 for "information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance. “This is worse than death because, at least with death, you have closure,” Iquilla Degree said. She was allegedly spotted by several witnesses, one of whom approached her in their car out of concern. The case has drawn national media attention. On February 14th, 2000, Asha Degree's parents awoke to find their nine year old daughter missing. [24] They host an annual walk to raise awareness and money to fund their search. [7] Iquilla said Asha handled this well; she was cautious, shy, and content mostly to stay within the limits her parents set. 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 … In the morning, her parents discovered her absence. The Cleveland County Schools were closed on Friday, February 11, while the Degrees still had to work; the children spent the day at their aunt's house in the same neighborhood, from which they went to their youth basketball practices at their school. More than two decades have passed since the nine-year-old vanished, but investigators and her parents are still searching for her. [1], Later leads have turned out to be dead ends. Another expert, Ben Ermini of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, noted that most children who run away are at least 12. [6], Shortly afterwards, O'Bryant, then age 10, recalls hearing Asha's bed squeak. [16] The FBI took it to their headquarters for further forensic analysis; results from that testing have not been shared publicly. The following day, Asha's basketball team, on which she was a star point guard, lost its first game of the season. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Asha had fouled out. We are actively investigating, following leads, generating new ones, conducting interviews, utilizing new advancements in technology that didn’t exist before.”, [ Deputies reveal new clues potentially related to disappearance of Asha Degree ]. Instead, her family still has hope of finding the Cleveland County girl who went missing 21 years ago. 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. Media was also contacted right away. Her parents recalled that she was somewhat upset about this, crying along with her teammates afterwards, but seemed to have gotten over it and watched her brother's game afterwards. Investigators heard from two people who said they saw a girl walking along N.C. 18 around 4 a.m. One person said when they went back to check on her, the child disappeared into the woods. He urged the media to keep the story alive. Since September 2017, local agents and investigators have conducted approximately 300 interviews. Also, Asha’s parents have worked tirelessly to find her, seem genuinely distraught, and have remained in the family home for decades on the off chance that Asha might come home. [28], In September 2017, the FBI announced that its Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) team was in Cleveland County to assist in the investigation and "provide on-the-ground investigative, technical, behavioral analysis, and analytical support to find out more about what happened to Asha". [30], In October 2018, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office detectives appealed for information from the public about two items of interest that were found in Degree's bookbag: McElligot's Pool, a children's book by Dr. Seuss, which was borrowed from the Fallston Elementary School library in early 2000, and a New Kids on the Block concert T-shirt. "I fully expect her to walk through the door," Iquilla says. Asha was not there. "She's not your typical runaway," observed SBI agent Bart Burpeau. [11] An FBI agent also pointed to the lack of an issue she might have been running away from, such as a dysfunctional family or poor academic performance. Many of them cancelled their plans for the day to search for the girl. Iquilla went through the neighborhood calling Asha's name, which she said had awakened everyone by 7 a.m.[7] Friends, family, and neighbors canceled their plans for the day to assist police in searching the vicinity while the pastor of their church, along with other area clergymen, came to the Degrees' home to support them. ", "Vanished: Tips on Asha Degree's Disappearance Roll In Even 10 Years Later", "Finding Asha: Leads still pouring in 18 years after child vanished", "Girl's disappearance baffles investigators", "SBI Search for Possible Remains of Asha Degree", "Sheriff confirms items belonged to missing girl", "FBI Offering Reward of Up to $25,000 in Asha Degree Disappearance", "$45,000 reward for info in disappearance of Shelby girl missing 15 years", "FBI releases new details in 2000 disappearance of Asha Degree", "FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team Joins Unsolved Missing Girl Investigation", "Investigators Seek Public Assistance in Unsolved Missing Girl Investigation", "Book, band T-shirt are new clues to NC girl's disappearance in 2000, detective says", "Authorities release new photos in case of 'Shelby's sweetheart' who vanished 18 years ago", National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disappearance_of_Asha_Degree&oldid=1007435458, February 2000 events in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 February 2021, at 03:15. That is when panic full set in for her parents. No one has seen her since. No one has seen her since.[2]. He did not further rouse himself, as he assumed she was merely changing positions in her sleep. It was described as having rust around its wheel wells. On the morning of Feb. 14, 2000, Asha’s parents, Harold and Iquilla, went to wake her for school, but she was nowhere to be found. "We have never really had that first good, substantial lead," said county sheriff Dan Crawford at a news conference. New clues in Asha Degree's disappearance There are new details and a new witness in the case of Asha Degree, the 9-year-old missing for 16 years … A month after Asha's disappearance, the Degree family appeared on The Montel Williams Show to call attention to the case. They were a religious family and Asha never missed her weekly Bible study at church. The Degree family (especially the father) changing their stories. 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