
The unsolved case of Asha Degree, a missing girl from Shelby, North Carolina, continues to baffle family members and investigators. At the time of her disappearance Asha was 9 years old. Asha's parents discovered she was missing on February 14, 2000. Her father had last checked on her and saw her around 2:30 a.m. that morning. Around 6:30 a.m. later that morning, Asha's mother realized Asha was no longer in her bed and was missing.
Tips came in from all around Cleveland County including a truck driver who indicated he thought he saw Asha walking down the road that morning. He told investigators that the little girl he saw matched Asha's description and he had seen her around 4:00 a.m. What made Asha leave her house remains a mystery. Later in 2001, a bookbag with Asha's name and phone number was found along rural road N.C. Highway 18. Authorities searched the area but did not find anything else.
Asha's date of birth is August 5, 1990 and today she would be 19 years old. Tips and information should be directed to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department at 704-484-4822 or NC SBI at 1-800-334-3000.