Asha Degree Walks Into a Storm at 2 AM — Vanishes Without a Trace

On Valentine's Day 2000, nine-year-old Asha Degree packed a backpack, slipped out of her Shelby, North Carolina home in the middle of the night during a driving rainstorm, and walked south along Highway 18 alone. Multiple drivers spotted her walking along the dark road in the early hours of February 14th. One motorist turned around to check on her — and she fled into the woods. She was never seen again. No reason for her departure was ever established. There were no signs of abuse, no indication she was running to someone, and no explanation for why a well-adjusted, loved child would leave her home in a storm at 2 AM. A hair bow and candy were found in a nearby shed. More than a year later, construction workers in Burke County — 26 miles north — discovered her bookbag buried beneath the soil, wrapped in two black garbage bags. DNA evidence recovered from items in the bag linked to named persons, and in 2024 the FBI formally stated they believe Asha was a victim of homicide. She remains missing. No arrest has ever been made.