Asha, who was 9 years old at the time, left her family’s home on the night of Valentine’s Day in 2000. Despite multiple leads, her whereabouts remain a mystery.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gov. Josh Stein announced Wednesday that the state of North Carolina is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the disappearance of Asha Degree.
Degree, who was 9 years old when she disappeared, left her family’s home in Shelby on Feb. 14, 2000. Her family last saw her asleep in her bedroom around 2:30 a.m. She was reported missing by her parents by 6:30 a.m.
There have been multiple developments in the case over the years, but none of them have led to the discovery of Asha’s whereabouts. When combined with the previous $75,000 reward, a tipster who helps investigators find Degree could receive up to $100,000.
“It is the hope and desire of every employee here at the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office along with our federal and state partners to bring Asha home, to bring closure,” Sheriff Alan Norman said.
On Friday, April 4, 2025, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office announced that it was partnering with multiple agencies to search a property in Lincoln County in connection with Degree’s disappearance.
“We’ve been working this case for 25 years, constant work” Chief Deputy Durwin Briscoe said. “But just recently, I’m sure everyone has seen about some of the things that happened around September. Based on that, the information that we got, we continue to work with the FBI, State Bureau of Investigation.”
Briscoe was referencing Sept. 18, 2024, when the department announced Asha was a “victim of homicide” and her body was “concealed,” according to search warrants. Investigators said a hair sample found in Degree’s backpack in 2001 led them to the home on Cherryville Road. David Teddy, the attorney for the property owner who he identified as Roy Dedmon, said the investigation would soon reveal a now-deceased individual was responsible for what happened to Asha. Teddy declined to elaborate further on why he believed that.
“It’s never been a cold case,” Detective Tim Adams insisted. “We’ve always worked it as if it happened yesterday. The technology that was available in 2000 was not what it is today. So in 2001, her bookbag was found along Highway 18 in Morganton, resources are brought in, that evidence was tested.”
Anyone with information about the case or Asha Degree’s disappearance is asked to call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704-484-4788 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919-662-4500.
