It was a cold and rainy- and very dark- Sunday night, in Shelby, North Carolina. It was almost Valentine’s Day- it was the evening of February 13, 2000, and Asha Degree went to bed as usual that night, excited for the next day at school and passing out valentines.
But the next morning, Asha’s mother went to wake her daughter and found her missing.
This prompted a city-wide search, and soon a state-wide search for the young child, just nine years old.
Truckers called in sightings of a young black female walking along the side of the highway between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. When one of those truckers returned to see if she needed help, she darted into the woods.
As the search went on that Valentine’s Day, some of Asha’s belongings were found in a shed. But no other signs of Asha.
A year and a half would go by with no clues or leads.
On August 3, 2001, that would finally change when a contractor found a backpack, buried and placed in a black trash bag, when he was clearing a job site.
Inside were a few items of Asha’s. A hair was found and some DNA was collected. Investigators were unable to identify the source of that DNA but kept them on file for future reference.
The future happens to be now. Authorities finally got a hit.
Because of those DNA hits in September of 2024, authorities were able to issue eight search warrants in relation to Asha’s case, with specifically identifying several individuals.
Do we finally have answers in the Asha Degree case?
Law enforcement has said that they believe Asha Degree likely met with foul play. We certainly have learned a lot more this month in her case than we have in 24 hours.
We might have more clues now, but we don’t have Asha yet.
Asha disappeared over 24 years ago under very strange circumstances. Her disappearance has affected so many people, the entire community of Shelby, North Carolina in fact. She was officially declared missing on February 14, 2000, leading her to be nicknamed Shelby’s Sweetheart.
Asha was a very ambitious and competitive child. She wanted to be good at everything she did, and for the most part, even at age nine, she was. She tried hard and practiced at everything she did, from sports to schoolwork to church activities.
Asha was an excellent student and as a fourth-grader, was excelling. Asha recently joined basketball and just happened to be her team’s star point guard. Those who knew Asha said it was exciting to watch her grow because they knew whatever she took on, she would be good at, or would at least work super hard to be as good as she could be.
The Degree family lived in a duplex home in Shelby, North Carolina with her mom- Iquilla, dad- Harold, and brother- Obryant. Her grandmother and aunt lived across the street, so Asha had a lot of family close by.
Asha’s family was very devoted to church, and attended every Sunday, and Asha was involved in her church as well. She enjoyed Sunday school, and the family never missed a day at church.
Iquilla, Asha’s mother, wanted to raise Asha without the influence of the internet and electronics. She wanted Asha to be a kid, and she wanted her to be safe from those outside influences.
All in all, Asha’s life seemed happy and stable in the year 2000.
On Friday, February 11, 2000, Asha, who was in fourth grade, and Obryant who was just a year older, didn’t have school that day. Since their parents had to work, the nine and ten-year-old stayed with their grandmother and their aunt, who happened to live across the street from the Degree’s.
Their grandmother will remember that day, and will talk about how it was just a normal day, and that she watched her grandkids often. There was nothing at all unusual about the day.
That evening, once Iquilla got home from work, she took Asha and Obryant to their basketball practices.
Asha had her first basketball game on this day. She was so excited and began the game giving it all her all. She was the point guard, and she was one of the stars of the team. It was a close game, and in the fourth quarter, Asha fouled out. The team went on to lose the game, but just one point. Asha took it hard. She blamed herself and her mom talked about how devastated Asha was for the majority of the day. Not only was Asha disappointed in herself, but she was sad and felt that she let her team down.
This just goes to show what a dedicated child Asha was, even at just 9 years old.
The rest of the day the family hung out at home. While Asha moped around for a bit, Iquilla said her daughter would pep back up by the evening.
She wasn’t too worried, because that’s how Asha was. She took things to heart because she worked so hard at everything, but she also bounced back quickly.
Sunday, February 13, 2000.
The Degree’s went to church, as they always did. Asha went to Sunday School and had a great time, which she chatted to her family about afterward.
It seemed the drama from the basketball game the day prior, had completely subsided. Asha was her happy, bubbly, excited self.
Later on, in the evening, Harold had to leave for work. He was working two jobs during this time and would leave for several hours.
Iquilla said that she spent the evening with Obryant and Asha, and both kids were really tired that night and would go to bed around 8:00 p.m. Asha and Obryant shared a bedroom in their two-bedroom duplex, but it seemed to work for the time being.
That night, Shelby, North Carolina got hit with a thunderstorm, and the power was going in and out through the night. Asha was able to fall asleep, but Asha hated storms and her mom knew it. She checked on her a couple of times before going to bed herself.
Harold got home from work around 12:30 a.m. He said, that because of the weather and power outages, he walked around the house to check on everything- including the kids- and noted they were fast asleep in their beds.
He stayed up for a couple more hours to make sure the power stayed on and wind down, and then around 2:30 a.m., he finally went to bed himself, checking on the kids one last time before turning in.
Both were still fast asleep.
Monday, February 14, 2000.
This was a special day. Not only was it Valentine’s Day, it was also Iquilla and Harold’s 12th wedding anniversary.
Iquilla woke up around 6:00 a.m. — she went to wake Obryant and Asha up for school around 6:30 a.m. She poked her head in the room as she always did, calling to them. Obryant lifted his sleepy head, but she saw no movement from Asha’s bed. She went closer and realized to her shock, that Asha wasn’t in bed.
While she was startled to find Asha’s bed empty, she also immediately didn’t think the worst. Maybe Asha had already gotten up. Maybe she was in the kitchen or the bathroom.
Iquilla walked around the home calling out for Asha. When she didn’t find her in the house, she began calling her name louder and louder. Soon, Harold woke up. When he realized that Asha was missing, he told Iquilla to call his mom across the street and see if Asha had gone over there.
But she had not.
Both Harold and Iquilla were in a panic, and immediately called the Shelby Police, who responded right awaited, even bringing search dogs with them right off the bat.
As mentioned, law enforcement came out gangbusters. Some started talking to neighbors, while others searched the house and talked to the family.
They had narrowed down the timeline of her disappearance to happening between 2:30 a.m. when her dad saw her, and 6:30 a.m. when her mom went to wake her up.
Something had happened between 2:30 and 6:30 a.m.
Of particular interest to officers, was talking to Obryant. He, after all, shared a bedroom with his sister.
Obryant said he had heard Asha’s bed squeak sometime during that night, but figured she was just either rolling over or maybe going to the bathroom. He didn’t get up or even open his eyes. I’m sure sharing a small room, they just learned to tune out little noises like that.
He also didn’t know what time that might have been.
Officers searched the house and looked for anything out of the ordinary or any signs of a possible break-in. There were none.
Friends, family, and neighbors all came together that day. They canceled plans, called in to work and everyone searched for Asha.
As word of the missing 9-year-old spread through the town, a few different people came forward saying they saw a young girl that fit Asha’s description walking down the highway between 3:45 am and 4:15 am. One man, in particular, said he turned around and went back to see if he could offer her any help, but when he rolled the window down to talk to her, this girl darted off into the woods.
He had seen her walking south along Highway 18, wearing a long-sleeved white T-shirt and white pants
He also said he drove by a few times to see if he could spot her, but he couldn’t. He also noted that there was a ‘raging storm’ going on outside.
Which, remember, little Asha was terrified of storms.
A couple of other reports came in from motorists seeing a girl that could have been Asha, walking down the same highway. All the reports said that they saw this girl in the same area of the highway, giving more credibility to their statements.
What’s kind of interesting to me about all of these sightings, is that no one called the police until after they had heard of Asha’s disappearance. And I don’t understand that. A 9-year-old girl, walking along a highway, at 4:00 in the morning, during a storm and not properly dressed for it? And no one called the police?
But no one did, at least until reports of Asha started swirling around and hitting the TV news stations.
And yet, law enforcement does believe these sightings are credible. I just want to say, that if you see a young child out walking at 4:00 a.m., on a highway, during a storm, please call the police.
Searches that day were pretty immense, despite the weather. The only item found that day was a girl’s mitten, but Iquilla and Harold said it did not belong to Asha. The search dogs used that day also, did not pick up any scent of Asha.
The parents were looked at fairly closely too, as is the case with any missing children reports. They were both given polygraphs, which they reportedly passed, and were very cooperative with investigators. Neither Iquilla nor Harold was ever considered a suspect.
The next day, February 15, searchers who were concentrating on the area where Asha was seen running into the woods did find some items in a shed that belonged to a nearby business. They found some candy wrappers, markers, a pencil, and a Mickey Mouse hair bow. Iquilla confirmed that those items did indeed belong to her daughter.
On February 16th, Iquilla realized that Asha’s favorite pair of jeans were missing, along with another one of her shirts. This led investigators to believe that Asha had run away from home.
But why?
Asha seemed happy. There weren’t any family problems, and Asha wasn’t mad about anything, at least that her parents were aware of.
It didn’t make any sense.
Plus, Asha was terrified of storms. What would prompt her to run away in the middle of the night, during a storm?
On February 22, after over 300 leads were investigated that led detectives nowhere, the mass local search for Asha was called off. But investigators never stopped looking for her or working on her case.
It wasn’t until August 3, 2001, a year and a half after Asha went missing, that investigators caught a break. A contractor working in Burke County, about 26 miles from where Asha was last seen in Shelby, dug up a black garbage bag that had been buried. Inside the bag was another black garbage bag that held a backpack.
This contractor, unaware at first that he stumbled across something important, went home and told his wife about her. She immediately knew they had to cal the police and turn it in.
The contents of the backpack however were pretty mysterious. There was a New Kids on the Block tee-shirt or nightshirt, which did not belong to Asha, and a Dr. Suess book, which Asha’s parents had never seen before. The book was actually from Asha’s school library, however, while police are being tight-lipped about this, it was learned that it was NOT checked out by Asha.
Even with the discovery of the backpack, the police found no new evidence as to where Asha was and what happened to her.
They were, however, able to pull some DNA, which included a strand of hair, off of the items in the bag. They could not identify them yet, but knew that someday in the future, they may be able to.
Asha’s case grew quiet one more, until 2016.
In May 2016, the FBI released some new information. They said they were looking for an early 1970s Lincoln Mark IV or Thunderbird, based on a tip that someone who looked like Asha may have gotten into a car like that on N.C. 18, around the time she disappeared
Photo of a Green Car Similiar to the one seen the morning Asha disappearedPhoto byFBI
SEPTEMBER 2024.
As it turns out, investigators were right. They would be able to obtain useful information from the DNA and the hair strand they found, and that is what finally happened in 2024.
Law enforcement was diligently working behind the scenes, and on September 10 and 11, 2024, eight search warrants were issued. These warrants were for five different locations, and specifically included for three different people.
So what led to these warrants?
First, the strand of hair found on Asha’s backpack and belongings that had been buried in Burke County, North Carolina, was identified as belonging to Annalee Dedmon Ramirez.
Annalee was located living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Interestingly, Annalee was only 13 years old when Asha vanished in February of 2000. She was only four years older than Asha herself.
Let’s start with that hair, and the Dedmon’s, then we will talk about the other DNA found.
Annalee Dedmon was the youngest of three daughters in her family. Her parents, Roy Dedmon and Connie Dedmon allegedly owned and operated some nursing homes, including the North Brook Rest Home which was also served a search warrant.
The daughters assisted her parents in the running of these homes, and in the year 2000, they were living at 621 Cherryvale Road in Shelby. This was just a few miles from where Asha was last seen walking, and about four miles from where the Degree’s were living at the time.
Annalee was 13 years old when Asha vanished and her older sisters were 15 and 16. Authorities have said that the oldest daughters sometimes drove patients in their vehicles to and from different locations.
Annalee’s Charlotte, North Carlina home was searched and the only notable item seized was a blackberry phone. They also obtained DNA swabs from Annalee.
The Dedmons home at 621 Cherryville Road was searched as well- this is the house that is just 3.7 miles from where Asha vanished from, and a lot of items were seized from this home, including multiple laptops and phones, cameras, photos, notebooks and VHS tapes. A human tooth was also seized. Small pieces of red fabric and a small shoe sole were taken from outside the home, and a green car was towed away.
Search Warrants Executed in Asha Degree CasePhoto byWILX
interestingly, Roy Dedmon himself has 29 vehicles in his name.
Now, let’s talk about the DNA found. A small amount of DNA was identified on Asha’s belongings that were found buried back in 2001. That DNA was identified as belonging to Russell Bradley Underhill.
What is Russell Underhill's connection to the Dedmons? Is there one? That’s the four million-dollar question, right? And how did his DNA, and Annalee’s hair, get onto Asha’s belongings?
Russell resided at a nursing home owned and operated by the Dedmon’s. We don’t have any information yet as to his health and condition at that time, but we do know that from 2002-2004 he lived at the North Brook Rest Home. This home was also served a search warrant, and several items were seized, including: two earrings, health documents, a photograph and a gray Jaguar.
Unfortunately, Russell passed away in 2004, so further answers from Russell himself will be impossible.
Is it a coincidence that Russell Underhill’s DNA ended up on Asha’s backpack? Along with a strand of hair from Annalee Dedmon?
It is a coincidence that the Dedmon’s lived just 3.7 miles from where asha was last seen?
Is it a coincidence that Roy Dedmon owned a green car, just like the one that Asha was possibly seen getting into back on that February 14th morning?
I don’t know if I can believe everything is a coincidence, but Roy Dedmon, now 80 years old, has hired an attorney to help with the public backlash he has received since these warrants went public on September 16th.
This attorney held a press conference to reiterate the importance of waiting for all evidence to come in, and to ask everyone to not publicly convict Roy Dedmon of any wrongdoing. He maintains his innocence, and claims to have no knowledge of the Asha Degree case.
This is the biggest development that the Asha Degree case has had in 24 years.
We don’t know if the Degree’s had any connection to the Dedmon family. We don’t know why Asha even left her home in the middle of the night. We don’t know exactly what happened to Asha, although investigators believe she met with foul play and her body has been concealed all this time.
We still don’t know the whys, the hows- or even the where- but we do have a lot more clues than ever before. Hopefully, these clues can somehow lead to answers for the Degree family.
What do you think about these new developments?
*This is an ongoing investigation, more updates are likely forthcoming soon*
While a lot of this is correct, A LOT is also wrong! For instance - the Dedmon’s address is CHERRYVILLE RD/HWY 150. Not CherryVALE. I mean, have you even read the articles?!
Freida Brooks
1h ago
They're my family. I couldn't imagine their thoughts about what happened to Asha. A helpless child. And, adults taking advantage of an innocent child regardless. many many questions rumble through my mind. How frightening she must have been. Crying for her parents. How could these people harm her? if this is the case. why didn't whomever, asked her where her parents ? why was she out alone that time of morning? where did she live? why wasn't the police called then? why didn't the passerbys just call the police? my mind is full. However, I am so. very grateful for the new DNA technology. Thankful for all the first responses who worked timeless hours on the case!! Didn't give up. My heartfelt prayers go out to the family. Praying justice will be served!!!
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