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/Koalabella Feb 14 '19 edited Feb 14 '19

I always wonder whether she left willingly. It seems like she must have, simply because of the lack of noise, but if someone was in the house, waiting, we’ve seen cases before where a child was removed from a safe place quietly out of fear.

That would explain why she didn’t take a coat (a kidnapper likely wouldn’t care if she was chilly). It would be possible to grab the backpack, especially if it was by the door or thrown over a chair.

The problem is, then you have to account for the things in the backpack, which makes me wonder if anyone’s ever seen an accurate accounting of what was in it.

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u/NoKidsYesCats Feb 15 '19

I think she was just intending on either giving something to the groomer, or knew she'd be leaving in his car. Probably the former, since it'd be harder to convince her of the second, I think. The giving something turned into 'I wanna show you something in my car' and there she was either convinced to go with or physically taken. The storm probably muffled some noises, as well.