The Disappearance of Asha Degree

Early Valentine’s Day morning in 2000, Asha Degree’s parents discovered that the nine-year-old girl was no longer sleeping in her bed. She had taken her backpack and other items, which would not be discovered for years. The case remains unsolved to this day.

A nearby car accident on the morning of February 14th left Asha’s house without power, and when Asha’s father came into the room to check on her, she was still in her bed, according to All That’s Interesting. By 6:30, Asha was missing, and her parents quickly informed the police department. She would later be seen by some witnesses along North Carolina Highway 18, but she disappeared in the woods. This sighting was around four in the morning, and though the police department investigated the area, none of the police dogs were able to pick up a scent, according to WCNC Charlotte. The police would investigate hundreds of tips, even discovering Asha’s hair tie, but the case remained cold until many months later.

In 2001, police discovered Asha’s black backpack thirty miles away in a shed, which contained a New Kids on the Block T-shirt and a Dr. Seuss book, according to All That’s Interesting. Police continued investigating the area without turning up any more clues. It wasn’t until 2004 that a prison inmate announced Asha had been killed and buried at an undisclosed location. This site would only turn up animal remains.

The FBI has also been working on the case during the past twenty years, and the organization has since produced age-progressed photos of Asha. There is currently a $45,000 reward for any information on Asha, according to WBTV. Asha Degree’s parents still have hope that their daughter can be found.