The Missing Asha Jaquilla Degree

The Missing
Asha Jaquilla Degree
Shelby, North Carolina

💔 26 YEARS WITHOUT ASHA DEGREE — SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED 💔

🌹 Please stop scrolling for a moment and remember the name of a little girl who has been missing for more than 26 years.

Her name is Asha Jaquilla Degree.

Asha was only 9 years old when she disappeared from her home in Shelby, North Carolina, during the early morning hours of February 14, 2000, Valentine’s Day. She was a fourth-grade student, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a friend, and a little girl who should have had an entire lifetime ahead of her.

Instead, her family has spent more than two decades asking the same heartbreaking question:

WHERE IS ASHA? 💔

🌧️ THE NIGHT ASHA DISAPPEARED

On the night of February 13, 2000, Asha and her 10-year-old brother, O’Bryant, went to bed in their shared bedroom. Earlier that night, a car accident caused a power outage in the neighborhood. The electricity eventually returned around 12:30 a.m. Asha’s father, Harold, checked on the children and saw them asleep. He checked again around 2:30 a.m.

Asha was still in bed. But sometime shortly afterward, something happened that remains unexplained.

Asha got out of bed. She took a bookbag that she had apparently packed with clothing and personal belongings. And she walked out of her family’s home.

No one knows exactly why.

Around 3:45–4:15 a.m., motorists reported seeing a young girl walking alone along North Carolina Highway 18.

It was dark.

It was cold.

And there was a rain storm moving through the area. 

One motorist became concerned because the child appeared far too young to be walking alone at that hour. The driver turned around and attempted to approach her. Asha reportedly ran from the roadside and into the woods.

That was the last confirmed sighting known to investigators.

By approximately 5:45 a.m., Asha’s mother, Iquilla, woke up to get the children ready for school.

When she went to wake them, O’Bryant was there, but Asha wasn’t.

Her parents searched the home and surrounding area. Then they realized their daughter was gone.

By approximately 6:30 a.m., Asha had been reported missing.

The search for her began immediately.

And it has never truly stopped. 💔

🔎 THE SEARCH

Friends, relatives, neighbors, law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of the community searched for Asha. Police dogs were brought in. Thousands of hours were spent searching the area. Flyers were distributed. Leads poured in.

But Asha was nowhere to be found.

Some of her belongings were later discovered near the area where she was last seen, including items found in a nearby shed.

Then, more than a year after she vanished, investigators received another heartbreaking clue.

Asha’s bookbag was discovered buried along Highway 18 in Burke County, approximately 30 miles from where she was last seen. The bag had been wrapped in two black trash bags.

Inside were items that investigators determined did not all belong to Asha. Among the contents were a Dr. Seuss book, “McElligot’s Pool,” which had been checked out from Asha’s elementary school library, and a New Kids on the Block concert T-shirt.

Those items have remained important pieces of the investigation. 

🚗 THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN CAR

Over the years, investigators received information about a possible vehicle connected to Asha’s disappearance. A witness reported seeing what may have been Asha getting into a dark green, older-model vehicle. Investigators described possible vehicles as a 1970s Ford Thunderbird or Lincoln Mark IV, or a similar vehicle. 

Years later, investigators examined a green 1964 AMC Rambler connected to property searched in the case. Authorities noted similarities between the Rambler and the type of vehicle described by the earlier witness. The vehicle was seized during a 2024 search.

The connection between that vehicle and Asha’s disappearance remains under investigation. 

*Vehicle that looks similar to the one that Asha was seen getting into*

🧬 DEVELOPMENTS IN RECENT YEARS

Asha’s case has never simply been forgotten.

The FBI, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation have continued working together.

In 2017, the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team spent time in Cleveland County assisting with the investigation. Investigators conducted hundreds of interviews and continued reviewing old and new information.

In September 2024, investigators executed search warrants at multiple properties connected to a local family.

Court documents later revealed that investigators were treating Asha’s disappearance as a possible homicide and believed her body may have been concealed. DNA-related evidence was also discussed in the warrants.

In February 2025, additional search warrants were executed involving phones belonging to members of the same family.

Some individuals from that family were identified as suspects in investigative documents.

However, it is extremely important to understand this:

⚠️ NO ONE FROM THAT FAMILY HAD BEEN ARRESTED OR CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH ASHA’S DISAPPEARANCE AS OF THE LATEST REPORTING.

The family has denied involvement, and the investigation remains ongoing. 

There have also been allegations reported to investigators about statements allegedly made by one family member. Those claims remain allegations and have not been established as facts in court. 

🙏 THROUGH ALL OF THIS, ASHA’S FAMILY HAS NEVER STOPPED LOOKING

Imagine being Asha’s mother. Imagine waking up one morning and discovering that your 9-year-old child is gone. Imagine searching for 26 years. Imagine birthdays that came and went.

Every milestone Asha should have experienced.

Her family has carried that pain for more than two decades, yet they have continued to keep her name alive.

They have held annual walks and prayer events.

They have continued sharing her photograph.

They have continued asking the public for help.

They have continued hoping for answers.

Because no matter how much time passes, Asha is not forgotten. ❤️

When she disappeared, she was:

👧 9 years old
💇🏾‍♀️ Black hair
🤎 Brown eyes
📏 Approximately 4’6″ tall
⚖️ Approximately 60 pounds

Investigators and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have released age-progressed images to show what she might look like as an adult.

📍 THE LAST KNOWN ROUTE
Asha’s story is forever connected to North Carolina Highway 18.
It was along that road that motorists reported seeing a small child walking alone in the darkness.
It was near that area where she disappeared into the woods.
It was along that highway that her bookbag was later discovered.
And it is along that route that her family and supporters have continued walking, praying and remembering her.

A billboard carrying Asha’s image has stood as a reminder that her story is not over.

💰 A REWARD IS AVAILABLE
Recent reporting has stated that a combined reward of up to $100,000 is available for information leading to a conviction in connection with Asha’s disappearance.

📞 IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT ASHA DEGREE:
FBI Charlotte: 704-672-6100
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office: 704-484-4788
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation: 919-662-4500

You can also contact your local FBI office or submit information through official law-enforcement channels. The FBI continues to identify Asha’s disappearance as an active investigation. 

💔
Someone may remember something they saw that night.
Someone may have information they’ve carried for 26 years.

Asha was only 9 years old. She should have grown up. She should have experienced birthdays, friendships, graduations, dreams, love, laughter and an entire lifetime.

Instead, her family has spent 26 years waiting for answers.

🌹 Asha Jaquilla Degree. A daughter. A sister. A child who deserves to be remembered. A family that deserves answers.

Someone knows what happened to Asha.

Please don’t let her name disappear.

Sources:
https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/879788/1
https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2020/search-continues-for-asha-degree
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/asha-jaquilla-degree
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Asha_Degree
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/family-speaks-out-about-asha-degree-case/275-abb68d7c-b65b-4c4b-871f-5e00179edba8
https://www.wbtv.com/2026/02/12/asha-degrees-disappearance-stretches-into-26th-year-heres-where-investigation-stands
https://www.ncsbi.gov/Divisions/Cold-Case-Investigation-Team/Missing-Persons/Asha-Jaquilla-Degree
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/asha-degree-parents-mysterious-disappearance-investigation-missing-child-26-years-later/275-fa56a98d-c28e-4949-a805-f9b7b3fcac00