Asha Jaquilla Degree

• Missing Since 02/14/2000
• Missing From Shelby, North Carolina
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Black
• Date of Birth 08/05/1990 (34)
• Age 9 years old
• Height and Weight 4'6, 60 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a white nightshirt with a teddy bear on it, acid-wash or white jeans, and white size 3 Nike sneakers. Carrying a Tweety bird purse and a black backpack.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Dark green early 1970s model Lincoln Mark IV or Ford Thunderbird with rust around the wheel wells
• Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Asha may style her hair in pigtails. Her name is pronounced "Ay-sha."

Details of Disappearance

Asha resided with her family in an apartment on Oakcrest Street in Shelby, North Carolina in 2000. She was last seen inside her home at approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 14, 2000. Asha's father went to sleep at that time and told authorities his daughter was asleep in her bed when he checked on her.

Asha shared a room with her older brother, who stated that he heard noises during the early morning hours and assumed his sister was tossing in her sleep. Asha's mother went into her room at approximately 6:30 a.m. to wake her children for school and discovered Asha was not in her bed. The family immediately summoned authorities and an extensive search of the surrounding area was initialized, with no result. Asha has never been heard from again.

Two truck drivers reported seeing her walking south on Highway 18 north of Shelby between 3:30 and 4:15 a.m. Asha was apparently near the intersection of Highway 180 at the time, about a mile from her home. She left the highway at this point and walked off into the darkness. It was the last confirmed sighting of the child.

Asha may have been sighted getting into a distinctive dark green early 1970s model car on the night she was last seen. The vehicle, which had rust around the wheel wells, is thought to have been either a Lincoln Mark IV or a Ford Thunderbird. Photos of similar cars are posted with this case summary.

Investigators believe Asha left her residence of her own accord. She is described as being quiet, shy person and a good student with a happy home life, and her reasons for leaving aren't clear. Asha's basketball team lost a game, their first loss in the season, the day before her disappearance. Her family said she was upset over the loss, but she calmed down within a few hours.

Asha's fourth-grade class at Fallston Elementary School read the book The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman in February 2000. The book centers around the story of a prince and a commoner child who receives lashes on the royal's behalf. The children proceed to run away and the book details their adventures. Both boys return safely to the kingdom at the story's end. It is not known if the book served as a catalyst for Asha's disappearance.

Asha's black book bag and black Tweety Bird purse were missing from her room after her disappearance, along with a pair of blue jeans with a red stripe, black sneakers, a long-sleeved white shirt with purple lettering, a red vest with black trim, black overalls with Tweety Bird on them, and a long-sleeved black and white shirt. All the doors to the house were found locked; Asha kept her house key in the bookbag.

Asha's pencil, marker and Mickey Mouse hair bow were discovered on the ground in the doorway of a tool shed at Turner's Upholstery on Highway 18 on February 17, 2000, three days after her disappearance. Her belongings were found near the stretch of road where Asha was seen walking in the early morning hours of February 14. A search of the area failed to produce additional evidence. The items were discovered more than one mile from Asha's residence.

A contractor uncovered Asha's book bag, which has her name and telephone number written on it, buried off Highway 18 in August 2001, 18 months after she disappeared. The item had been double-wrapped in black plastic trash bags and was found more than 26 miles from her family's home and in a different direction from where she'd been walking. Nearby some animal bones and a pair of men's khaki pants were found.

Unconfirmed reports state the bag contained Asha's name on a piece of paper, as well as clothing and a pencil case. DNA found on it was linked it to two people: Annalee Victoria Dedmon Ramirez, who was 13 years old at the time of Asha's disappearance, and a man named Russell Bradley Underhill.

In September 2024, police searched multiple properties owned by a married couple, Roy Lee Dedmon and Connie Elliott Dedmon, including two houses and an assisted living facility they operated. Annalee Dedmon Ramirez is the Dedmons' daughter, and her home was searched also. Underhill lived in at last two facilities operated by the Dedmons at around the time of Asha's disappearance, and he "knew and associated with" Roy. Underhill died in Lincoln County, North Carolina in 2004.

Investigators took away multiple pieces of potential evidence, including an old green AMC Rambler similar to the one Asha may have gotten into, but they emphasized they did not find any human remains. They stated they believe Asha was the victim of a homicide and her body concealed.

According to the search warrants, Roy would regularly send one of his teenage daughters to transport patients to and from the hospital in Morganton, North Carolina and the vehicle used was unreliable. The route to the hospital would have been on Highway 18, where Asha was seen walking. Police theorize the Dedmons' children (Annalee has two sisters who were 15 and 16-17 years old in 2000) were involved and that their parents helped execute and/or cover up the crime.

A number of persons of interest have been investigated in Asha's case over the years, but until 2024 no suspects were named in her case. It remains unsolved.