New search warrants in the long-standing Asha Degree case reveal startling information regarding the involvement of a Cleveland County family and potential deceptions during a recent lie-detector test. Lizzie Grace Dedmon Foster, daughter of Roy and Connie Dedmon, has been highlighted in the documents as being "deceptive" when questioned whether she concealed information about the case, reports WBTV.
Foster, along with her two sisters Sarah Gwen Dedmon Caple and AnnaLee Victoria Dedmon Ramirez, have to gradually become central figures in the investigation of the disappearance of 9-year-old Asha Degree on Feb. 14, 2000. Severed ties to the case have surfaced, including a crucial DNA match linking Ramirez and a man named Russell Underhill to items found in Asha's discarded bookbag, according to warrants cited by WBTV.
Digging deeper into the case, officers have seized the cellphone of Lizzie Foster, who was 16 at the time of Asha Degree's disappearance. Texts from Foster's phone reveal conversations that indicate Foster's possible involvement and fear of implications. "I mean, it's a nightmare that’s going to keep getting worse. I can see nothing good happening anytime soon. And I'm an optimist," Foster texted, as disclosed in a report by WCNC.
In one of the series of texts recovered, Foster also mentioned, "The theory is I did it. Accident. Covered it up," capturing the tension and stress following recent investigative efforts. Additional warrants have brought to light that Foster declined to initially take a polygraph test in September 2024; however, she agreed to take one this month and was found to be deceptive in her responses, WCCB Charlotte reports.
Moreover, the Dedmon family is associated with a vehicle seized that is strikingly similar to the one witnesses reported seeing Asha being pulled into. A 1964 AMC Rambler belonging to Roy Dedmon was taken in the search at the Cherryville Road home. This detail is part of the evolving narrative around the night of Asha's disappearance, compounding the weight of testimonies and material evidence against the Dedmon family, says WBTV.
Sarah Caple, another daughter of Roy Dedmon, has declined to speak with investigators as the revelations continue to unfold. Lizzie Foster reportedly told investigators, "If my dad did it, he did it but I had nothing to do with it." As stated by WCCB Charlotte, the Dedmon family’s attorney David Teddy has not yet responded to emails requesting comment on these new developments.
No charges have been filed to date in connection with Asha Degree's disappearance. The case remains an active investigation, with law enforcement piecing together clues that span over two decades.
