Asha Degree

In the early morning hours of February 14, 2000, nine-year-old Asha Jaquilla Degree left her family's home in Shelby, North Carolina and walked along North Carolina Highway 18 in the rain and darkness. At least two motorists saw a small girl walking along the highway around 4:00 a.m. and one turned around to check on her, at which point she ran off the road into a wooded area. It was later determined she had packed her backpack with clothes and personal items before leaving.

When Asha's parents discovered she was missing the next morning, a massive search was launched. Searches of the woods along Highway 18 found a candy wrapper and a pencil with her scent, along with a hair bow in a nearby shed, but no sign of Asha. The investigation was hampered by heavy rain that washed away potential evidence and the lack of any obvious motive for a nine-year-old to leave home in a storm.

In August 2001, Asha's backpack was found buried and wrapped in a plastic bag along Highway 18 in Burke County, approximately 26 miles north of where she was last seen. Inside were items belonging to Asha as well as a Dr. Seuss book that did not belong to her and a NKOTB t-shirt. The burial of the backpack suggested someone else was involved in her disappearance.

The case remained one of America's most baffling for over two decades. In 2024, a significant breakthrough came when Roy Lee Dedmon was arrested in connection with the case, along with other individuals. Authorities indicated that the arrests resulted from long-running investigative efforts and new evidence, though specific details were kept under court seal. Asha Degree has not been found.