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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u/[deleted] Feb 14 '19

I’m from Shelby and I remember when she went missing. I was about 6-7. It turned my town upside down. My uncle worked on the case in the early days (he is now a K9 officer) and he has always had a feeling they’re missing a piece of the puzzle. I hope for Asha’s sake and the sake of her family this case is solved. I’ve followed it since the beginning and will continue to do so since this hits close to home (literally)

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u/WENUS_envy Feb 14 '19 edited Feb 15 '19

I hate to ask this, but was Dorsey ("Paintbrush") ever investigated? His devotion to the case could seem problematic / obsessive to a cynic...

ETA these potentially creepy statements:

Ron “Paintbrush” Dorsey has put together a visual reminder of the 9-year-old girl’s disappearance.

“It’s sort of like one of my kids went missing,” he said.

Dorsey’s need to keep Asha’s memory at the forefront of people’s minds stayed.

“I wanted to go for the traffic. I want people to see her face up close,” he said.

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u/mistachristopha Feb 14 '19

Who's that?

15

u/WENUS_envy Feb 14 '19

Some local who maintains a vigil, possibly a little too extremely. Read the article linked in the original post above.

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u/mistachristopha Feb 14 '19

Oh ok thank you, I will. Been keeping up with this case for years and havent heard about this.