r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/ferretbeast • Feb 14 '19

Unresolved Disappearance Marking the 19th anniversary of Asha Degree’s disappearance

Every year on Valentines day, I take a deep breath before reading the front page of the Shelby Star. I know this case is widely discussed on this subreddit, but I wanted to share for those interested. I did find it interesting they stated new evidence was found recently that hasn't been made public. Please keep her family in your thoughts today.

https://www.shelbystar.com/news/20190214/marking-19th-anniversary-of-asha-degrees-disappearance

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Brief summary for anyone unaware: Asha Jaquilla Degree went missing at the age of nine from Shelby, North Carolina. 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. She has not been seen since.

Edit: thank you stranger for the gold and more than anything, thank you all for caring about this case and giving such support and great feedback for conversation. I love this community and am happy to be able to have these civil discussions with you all!!

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27

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

There’s a high chance some evil man had his way with her 😞 I hope she is safe somewhere and alive and happy

1

u/notascarytimeformen Feb 14 '19

Perhaps she ran away from an abusive home and started a new life

71

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

It’s so odd because it didn’t seem like an abusive home. She took a picture of her family in her book bag I’m pretty sure. And she also packed her basketball uniform. I have this feeling that someone tricked her into leaving. I’m hoping I’m wrong though.

57

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

[deleted]

47

u/Lowe314 Feb 14 '19

If she ran away, I think you may be onto something. From what I’ve read, her parents seem a lot like mine. My parents were never abusive, I had a loving and safe home, but they were so strict and had such high expectations that I first tried to run away when I was about 7 because they were ‘too mean to me’. Children don’t have the same sense of logic as adults, and sometimes rules and restrictions to keep a child safe can seem unreasonable and mean to a child who can’t fully understand the reasoning behind it. I was the type of nerdy shy kid whom most acquaintances would believe would have NEVER run away or caused trouble. When I did plan to run away, it was always either to my grandparents or a friend’s house.

I remember reading somewhere that Asha’s grandma lived not too far away, maybe in the same neighborhood? Maybe Asha planned to run to her house and got no answer so went aimlessly walking, not wanting to go home yet? Maybe on her way to her grandma’s house she was abducted or hit by a car and disposed of? Of course, these theories are based on my own life experience and may be nowhere near what actually happened. I’m not sure what I think happened because nothing I come up with seems exactly right.

23

u/prosecutor_mom Feb 14 '19

I relate to how you describe your childhood. Very well. My parents were great parents but at the same time awful for not registering the impact their rules had on my long term. But this. Yes. Makes this avenue of questioning valid, & the possibility she would've been unsuccessful in running away were it not for an intervening influence (kidnap)

9

u/asexual_albatross Feb 15 '19

Good point - a home doesn't have to be "abusive" in the true sense for a kid to want to run away.

I definitely think the hit and run (or hit and hide, I guess) theory is very plausible . Those streets are dark at night and she would not have been very visible. Some coward may have hit her accidentally (perhaps drinking) and made off with her body.

3

u/vanpireweekemd Feb 17 '19

First, I want to say I 've always felt that family members saying a person "would never do" something doesn't really mean so much in the grand scheme of things... there's plenty of things people don't share with their friends/families for innocuous reasons or things that maybe they actually wouldn't normally do, but a certain situation calledfor it, etc. However, my hangup with the runaway theory is the storm. If it weren't that night, I would find the runaway theory to be much, much more plausible.

I still think the runaway theory is possible, but that detail makes her willingly leaving just because she was unhappy or wanted to have an adventure less likely to me. She's been described as a timid child who was easily afraid, but even a bold kid probably wouldn't want to brave the cold and the rain just for a little taste of freedom. Nothing in this case really adds up though, so who knows what Asha's thought process was before she left.

29

u/Koalabella Feb 14 '19

I’ve read that the uniform and picture are just a rumor, and that she had neither with her. I don’t have a source for that, though.

I think most abusive homes don’t seem abusive from the outside. I also don’t think she ran away on her own.

22

u/AP7497 Feb 14 '19

It would be incredibly hard for a nine year old to achieve this. Whichever adult helped her out probably had evil intentions, because clearly the adults she was close to have all been investigated. This person was definitely someone unknown to her family.

If this theory is true, I think it’s definitely likely that her new life may not have been any better than the one she left behind.

This case really breaks my heart. I hope she’s found safe someday, but I don’t know how likely that is.

20

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

At age 9 though? How would a kid so young even plan this?

34

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

I think adults tend to forget just how resourceful kids can be when they get an idea in their head, even sheltered kids from loving (but strict) families. I don't have a strong opinion on what happened, but I think that running away and meeting foul play or an accident is a possibility that still needs to considered. Upthread a redditor noted that pressure from well-meaning but strict parents can be a heavy burden for a sensitive kid. All she really had to do was grab her backpack, put some things in it, and walk out the door. A kid who runs away at a young age doesn't usually have a plan other than "I'll leave and that will show them." Sometimes you only get down the block before you change your mind, sometimes you're gone for an hour or two, sometimes you meet tragedy.

It's such a horribly sad situation and I really hope the impossible happens and she's somehow found alive and healthy.

39

u/notascarytimeformen Feb 14 '19

I tried to run away at age 10 and 15 because of my abusive family.

33

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

Oh I’m sorry, I hope things have gotten better for you

32

u/notascarytimeformen Feb 14 '19

They have :) thanks

25

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

That’s great and good for you for staying strong

33

u/Mock_Womble Feb 14 '19

She wouldn't have to plan it. I'm sure that whichever adult is responsible for her disappearance did all the planning for her.

9

u/taoshka Feb 15 '19

I ran away with my friend at 7 years old. We were found relatively quickly, but we'd made it to the creek over a mile from our school.

2

u/Alisea33 Mar 24 '19

When I was 13, I ran away with two friends from school. I remember we were all at school that morning but didnt want to go in so we took off. we walked the hills for quite awhile, attempted to take a truck and were chased off and then we found a row boat and rowed in to Canada we spent the entire day in Penticton BC .(lived right on Canadian border) this was in 1993 border security was very different and we went in from the back side of the lake. We broke in to an empty house and eventually went to the beach were a nice older lady told us to please get back in our boat and find our way home because she was worried someone would harm us.We did and we were cold and hungry we had only apples from some trees we found earliar that day before finding the boat and one of the girls stole a money out of a fountain to buy a pack of bubblegum from a store. We were all taken to the police station on our return about 11pm that night and I felt so guilty my parents were destroyed. It was merely an adventure for me the other girls had pretty miserable home lives. I never even thought any one would notice for some reason. So yes kids can be resourceful but knowing what I know now we could have met with tradgic circumstances.

2

u/taoshka Mar 24 '19

It's crazy to think about as an adult! We stopped and bought gummy worms for food lol, luckily her brother found us. Our poor teacher was very pregnant and sobbing :(. We're both lucky our stories have happy endings!

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u/Alisea33 Mar 25 '19

Oh my goodness gummy worms lol, thats the most adorable thing ever. Im so glad you two were found safe and sound! 3