The unresolved case of Asha Degree, a 9-year-old girl who vanished in 2000, has surged back into public consciousness following a recent search by authorities in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Law enforcement executed a search warrant beginning Tuesday, and a vehicle matching the description of one long sought in the cold case was towed, reported NewsNationNow. The green car was taken from a property on Wednesday amid a flurry of investigative activity. Despite the significant developments, officials have not confirmed a direct connection with Degree's disappearance.
Asha Degree was last seen on the early morning of Valentine's Day in 2000, believed to have left her home with a backpack filled with personal items. According to QC News, witnesses saw her walking along Fallston Road (N.C. Highway 18), where she ran into the woods when a car stopped. Her mother, Iquilla Degree, in an interview with NewsNation in 2022, recounted the harrowing realization that her daughter was missing, "I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody, not even my worst enemy," she said, "This is worse than death."
Investigators, who have remained silent about solid leads for over two decades, are interested in a green car that one report likened to "a dark green 1970s-model Lincoln Continental Mark IV or Ford Thunderbird with rust around the wheel wells." This detail was first revealed in 2016 during a reexamination of the case, according to information obtained by NBC15. The recent search operation at several locations, including a home just a few miles from where Degree went missing, has renewed hope for new information in the case.
The Degree family has mostly stayed silent during the recent search efforts. A family member posted on social media, stating that, "In due time, accurate information will be shared," the reward for information about the case has now increased to $45,000, as noted by QC News. The FBI has confirmed the use of search warrants and specialized K9 units but has not connected these actions to any ongoing case, promising to release more information when appropriate.
