Asha Degree missing child cold case returns to spotlight after Cleveland County search

SHELBY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The search this week of a home and the hauling-away of a green car have launched a flurry of speculation of a case that has baffled Cleveland County authorities for decades.

That speculation has centered around the green car, which is similar in description to one authorities have been looking for in connection with the disappearance of Asha Degree.

Asha, who was 9 years old when she disappeared in 2000, was last seen along Fallston Road (N.C. Highway 18) walking in the rain. Witnesses said she ran into the woods when a car stopped and has not been seen since.

There have been clues surrounding what may have happened to the girl, and a backpack was found in Morganton belonging to Asha, but deputies, to this day, have not publicly released any solid leads to the case. The reward for information now totals $45,000.

In an interview with sister network NewsNation in 2022, Asha’s mother Iquilla Degree recalled the day she discovered her daughter missing, noting she noticed the covers of the girl’s bed pulled back, with Asha nowhere to be found.

“I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody, not even my worst enemy,” she told NewsNation at the time. “This is worse than death.”

The center point of intersection between the search , which has extended over multiple addresses in Cleveland County , and the Degree case is a car that is similar in description to the one for which authorities have been searching.

Authorities have so far not officially connected the two cases.

Queen City News reached out to Asha Degree’s family Thursday. Family members either declined an interview or were otherwise not available.

In a social media post touching on the search and speculation this week, a family member noted that “In due time, accurate information will be shared.”

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