What Happened to Asha Jaquilla Degree? The 9-Year-Old Disappeared in February 2000

In February 2008, Asha Jaquilla Degree's father told The Shelby Star that he didn't want to go through another year without his daughter. At that point, Degree had been missing for eight years with no movement in her case. Harold wasn't a man who normally shared his feelings, but he told the outlet it didn't get any easier. His wife Iquilla was a bit more open when it came to her feelings. "I get mad,” she said, "but who can I get mad at?"

As of September 2024, Degree has been missing for nearly 25 years. According to WBTV, there have been multiple persons of interest but authorities have yet to zero in on a suspect. Despite this, Degree's mother still believes her daughter is alive and has never given up hope she will return. So, what happened to Asha Jaquilla Degree?

Degree was in fourth grade at Fallston Elementary School in Lawndale, N.C. where she was on the honor roll and had a near-perfect attendance record. Degree and her brother did their homework together after school and were typically done before their parents got home from work. By all accounts, Degree was a very happy child growing up in a loving and supportive home. This is one of the many reasons why no one believes she ran away from home.

Things were quite normal in the days leading up to Degree's disappearance. The only hiccup came in the form of the little girl's disappointment over losing a basketball game on Feb. 12. Degree was reportedly the type of player who would blame herself for a loss, though she quickly shook that off. The following day, the family went to church, then Degree was in bed by 8:00 p.m. Her father later told police he saw her asleep when he checked on the kids at 12:30 a.m.

When Harold went to get his children up for school at 6:30 a.m., he discovered Degree was gone. Based on what was in her room, family members say she wearing white jeans and white sneakers. Degree also had her black backpack as well as a purse with Tweety Bird on it. Evidently, she also packed her favorite jeans, a long-sleeved white nylon shirt, and a red vest trimmed in black. They also couldn't find her black overalls and another shirt with Tweety on it.

A truck driver later reported seeing Degree walking along N.C. 18 at 3:15 a.m. That was the last time anyone saw her. A little over a year later in August 2001, Degree's backpack was found 30 miles away in Burke County, per WBTV. What's strange about this discovery is that the contents didn't belong to Degree. Police found children's books from her school library she never checked out, as well as a shirt that didn't belong to Degree.

In 2016, the FBI announced they were looking for any information regarding a 1970s-era green Ford Thunderbird or Lincoln Mark IV. The FBI and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office believe Degree might have gotten into a vehicle that matches the descriptions of these the night she went missing.

Not much came of that until Sept. 11, 2024, when a "tow truck could be seen removing an older green vehicle from a property on Cherryville Road in Shelby," per WBTV. While it is not the exact make and model of the two vehicles they had been looking for, it was physically similar to the cars. Investigators were also searching the property around the vehicle. Police were seen carrying boxes in and out of the house on the property while police dogs were sniffing the surrounding area.

Two days later, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that search warrants were executed in connection to Degree. The warrants were obtained based on "physical evidence directly connected to Asha’s disappearance." This is an ongoing story.