Asha Degree was nine years old when she packed her rucksack, walked into a thunderstorm and into a forest, and was never seen again. More than 26 years later, her parents continue to plead for anyone with information to come forward.
On Valentine's Day in 2000, Asha disappeared from her home in Shelby, North Carolina. Passing drivers spotted her heading into a nearby wooded area, and she was never seen again. Decades later, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office believes Asha was murdered and her body hidden, according to WCNC. Her remains remain undiscovered 26 years later.
Search warrants and DNA evidence
In 2024, a series of search warrants were carried out by Cleveland authorities, the FBI and other police departments at several properties, including an assisted living facility and a private home. The search warrants revealed that police believe Degree is a "victim of homicide, with her body concealed". The locations were owned or occupied by members of the Dedmon family.
The warrants were sought after DNA samples connected the youngster to a woman named AnnaLee Dedmon Ramirez and a man named Russell Underhill. Some of Asha's belongings were recovered more than a year after she disappeared. Her backpack was unearthed more than 30 miles from where she was last spotted, wrapped in sealed black sacks alongside a highway.
Community urged to come forward
Some of the items inside the backpack reportedly contained evidence linking DNA to Dedmon Ramirez, who was 13 at the time, and Underhill. Sheriff Alan Norman has previously said he believes the local community holds the key to solving the case. He said: "This has gone on quite some time, and I am sure there is someone out there who has information extremely vital to this case".
"We want you to come forward to bring closure for this family who has suffered for this long period of time. February 14, marks the 15th anniversary of the day Asha Degree went missing. People in the community still remember that awful day."
Parents' enduring hope
Asha's mother, Iquilla Degree, said in 2015: "Continue to pray for us because we do believe that she is still alive. We're still looking for a person to walk in and we know one day we will see her again." Her parents have not given up and are still holding out hope that their $100,000 reward will inspire someone to come forward about her disappearance.
This year, Iquilla told reporters: "Twenty-six years is a long time of not knowing. We still haven't gave up hope that she's alive. But if they bring me proof that she's not alive, then we'll accept it. It was just chaos, our world was turned upside down cause we had no idea where our daughter was, and we still have no idea where she is."
"We know more than we did back then, but still no closure," Harold, Asha's father, said. "Somebody knows something," Iquilla said. "So we have to beg and plead for somebody to just have some compassion and just come, let it go, I know it's eating you alive, let it go, guilt is a terrible thing."
