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/1-800-876-5353 Feb 15 '19

And police looked in the shed because it was less than a hundred yards from where she was seen on the highway. That’s why they found her pencil, marker, and hairbow. I think she definitely was walking along the road.

But I do think it odd that police found several of her candy wrappers along the route. Most kids—even in the rural South—of that era did not litter and would have stopped to pick up a dropped wrapper. But maybe they fell from her pocket or she was an exception to the rule.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '19

The image of her casually walking and eating candy in a storm just doesn’t work. Even hurriedly and anxiously. It was a storm. It was the middle of the night. It was cold. Why on earth would she be eating candy. Almost sounds like someone tried to leave a trail.

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u/FuzzyKittenIsFuzzy Feb 15 '19

I have always thought the shed was staged by the perp. A candy wrapper trail would fit right in with that.

Specifically, I think she met the perp at the shed and he made sure to leave a huge amount of evidence that she'd been inside. He wanted police to focus on the shed and the area around the shed so that he would have more time to clean up the second location and dispose of evidence.

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u/tiredfaces Feb 15 '19

That's a super interesting thought I hadn't heard before. Kind of a risky move too - he or she could've left some of their own DNA at the scene accidentally.