Asha Degree: The Nine-Year-Old Who Vanished into the Storm

On the morning of February 14, 2000, nine-year-old Asha Degree disappeared from her family’s home near Shelby, North Carolina. Despite cold temperatures, heavy rain, darkness, and strong winds, several motorists reported seeing a young girl walking alone along North Carolina Highway 18 before sunrise.

Asha was known as a shy, responsible child who was close to her family, active in church, and involved in basketball. She had no known history of running away. Yet sometime after going to bed, she apparently packed a backpack and quietly left her home. Why she left—and whether she believed she was meeting someone she trusted—remains one of the central mysteries of the case.

In this episode of The Lost Girls Podcast, LaDonna Humphrey and Amy Smith examine the reported highway sightings, the personal items found near an equipment shed, and the discovery of Asha’s backpack more than a year later. The backpack had been wrapped in two plastic trash bags and buried approximately twenty-six miles from where Asha was last seen. Inside were belongings connected to Asha, as well as a New Kids on the Block T-shirt and a library copy of McElligot’s Pool that her family did not recognize.

LaDonna and Amy also discuss the significant developments that emerged in September 2024, when investigators executed search warrants at properties connected to members of the Dedmon family. Court documents indicated that authorities believed Asha had been the victim of a homicide and that her body had been concealed. Investigators also seized a green 1964 AMC Rambler while examining a possible connection to an older green vehicle previously sought in the case.

A search warrant is not proof of guilt, and no one has been convicted in connection with Asha’s disappearance. More than twenty-five years later, investigators continue working to determine why Asha left home, what happened after she walked away from the highway, and where she can be found.

Important Case Questions

Why did Asha leave her home during such dangerous weather? Was she expecting to meet someone? Did someone groom, manipulate, or lure her? What happened after she ran from the roadside into the wooded area? Who buried her backpack, and what is the significance of the unfamiliar book and T-shirt found inside?

How to Help

Anyone with credible information about Asha Degree’s disappearance should contact the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office or the FBI. Information that once seemed insignificant—including memories of a vehicle, an overheard conversation, unusual behavior, or knowledge of the recovered items—could help investigators move the case forward.

Please do not contact people identified in court documents, interfere with the investigation, or circulate unverified accusations. Tips should be submitted directly to law enforcement.

Asha was not simply the subject of a mystery. She was a daughter, a sister, a student, and a child whose life and future mattered.

Because every girl deserves justice.

Content Advisory

This episode discusses the disappearance and suspected homicide of a child.