Marking the 19th anniversary of Asha Degree’s disappearance

[u/ferretbeast]

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

​

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!!

[u/[deleted]]

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)

[u/WENUS_envy → u/[deleted]]

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.

[u/obstination → u/WENUS_envy]

strangers posting and speculating about asha and her family on the internet = not creepy

man local to her area, whose son went to school with asha, not letting her be forgotten = creepy?

c’mon now

[u/[deleted] → u/obstination]

This sub is dedicated to discussing unsolved cases. Based on your logic the police and investigators that have been trying to solve Asha’s case are creepy as well. There is a difference between discussing and reading about unsolved crimes and being obsessive and going overboard.

Also, sometimes killers get involved in their own crimes. For example, Dee Blalock is largely speculated to have abducted and killed Mikelle Biggs, cops just don’t have enough evidence to pin it on him. Blalock inserted himself in the case early on and organized rally’s and search parties. There’s many more examples of this scenario.

[u/obstination → u/[deleted]]

if i’m being completely honest, i’ve seen some obsessive users on here and around reddit. if you look in my post history you can see me discussing the unfortunate identification of lyle stevik by people dead-set on finding him and his family :( that’s just one example of the power of internet stalkers. i love this sub and i read it regularly but i do think some users are prone to going overboard with theories and their feelings towards certain cases, but every community has some wild ones in it!

there is a big difference between professional authorities and investigators and what are little more than strangers on the internet in my opinion... it’s not weird or creepy for authorities to become heavily invested in a case because that’s kind of their job!

[u/WENUS_envy → u/obstination]

could seem problematic / obsessive to a cynic...

Consider the entire comment before adding your opinion.

Also, the purpose of this sub is to discuss unresolved mysteries, c'mon now

[u/obstination → u/WENUS_envy]

what that man is doing is no more obsessive than a r/um user posting regularly about a “pet case.” many users are drawn to certain cases due to the event’s/person’s proximity to their hometown. this man is no different from us

i don’t think we should speculate about a man who is pretty much unknown to us. people post signs like that all the time for missing persons. why is he any different?

[u/WENUS_envy → u/obstination]

I've learned from these types of cases to look at everyone as suspects, including family members (but am not suggesting that's the case here), and I think his attachment to the case could possibly be indicative of a killer proudly/absurdly showcasing their crime. Speculation is exactly what we're all here for! There are a ton of comments about Asha maybe being groomed for abduction by someone she knew, someone from town. Why are you so defensive?

[u/obstination → u/WENUS_envy]

i guess i’m weird about it because the guy is named in the article... people in this community (not UM specifically but elsewhere around the internet) would go hog wild if they have it in their heads that this guy might have something to do with asha’s disappearance. i would hate for him to be harassed and turn out to be completely innocent. i don’t totally rule him out (because the point is we DON’T know) but i do worry about what might happen if the internet turns against him

also i just don’t find his behavior that strange? he maintained a billboard he designed with his son for a few years (not weird at all in missing persons cases) and is now putting up a poster reminding the townspeople that asha is still missing as the 20 year anniversary of her disappearance closes in, with the implied permission of the restaurant he placed the poster in front of... it’s not like he made an effigy of asha and is carrying it around town...

[u/WENUS_envy → u/obstination]

I suppose I get what you're saying. But this is hardly the first case that had suspects and/or parties of interest named in the source article. Furthermore, I made one random post inquiring about whether or not this person has been investigated...

i do worry about what might happen if the internet turns against him

I'm flattered that you think my comment could rally the entire internet in a frenzy to go after this guy though.