On the morning of February 14, 2000, Asha Degree’s mother went to the room Asha shared with her brother to wake them up for the day and discovered Asha missing. Her brother O’Bryant was in the room but Asha’s bed was empty.  They looked all over the house and across the street in her grandmother’s house but Asha was nowhere to be found. Her parents report that Asha’s bookbag, some of her clothes and personal items were missing. It appeared that Asha had packed a bag and left on her own.

Witnesses later reported seeing a girl matching Asha’s description walking down the highway at around 4:00 a.m., so it seems she may have sneaked out on her own. Asha was currently studying a fantasy book in school about children who go on adventures after running away, which could have inspired her actions. Things got even more bizarre once Asha’s belongings started turning up.

Three days after she disappeared, Asha’s pencil, marker and hair bow were found in the doorway of a tool shed approximately one mile from her home. A year-and-a-half later, Asha’s book bag was found 26 miles away. It contained more of her belongings and had been double-wrapped in plastic trash bags. This has led authorities to suspect foul play, but there are still no answers about why Asha would leave her home in the middle of the night, who she might have crossed paths with, or what ultimately happened to her.

she packed her book bag, left her family home north of the city and began walking along nearby North Carolina Highway 18 despite heavy rain and wind.