Sheriff: FBI Investigation In Shelby Connected To Disappearance Of Asha Degree

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The FBI investigation at multiple locations in Shelby is related to the disappearance of Asha Degree, according to Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman.

Original Story Posted September 11, 2024:

Law enforcement officials in Shelby towed away a car that could be connected to a missing person case. Asha Degree went missing from Shelby on February 14th, 2000, she was nine years old at the time.

Authorities on the scene of a massive investigation off Cherryville Road towed away a vehicle that is similar to the description of a car that the FBI said could have been involved in the case in 2016.

Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation have been tight lipped on the details but their presence has drawn a lot of attention to the Cherryville Road near Spake Circle.

Crowds gathered across the street watching the investigation unfold for several hours Wednesday. Degree was last seen by witnesses walking down on Highway 18 in 2000. A year and a half later, construction workers found her backpack buried off the same highway in another county. In a previous interview with WCCB, Asha’s mother, Iquilla Degree said she was keeping hope alive for her daughter.

“We still don’t have closure,” Degree said. “So, we just gotta get ourselves together and let’s get through this and just keep living each day by day with the help of God.”

In 2016, the FBI released a description of a vehicle spotted in the area the night degree disappeared. A vehicle similar to that description was towed from a garage off Cherryville Road Wednesday further fueling suspicion that the cases could be connected.

The FBI offered a $45,000 reward and interviewed hundreds of people over the last two decades hoping to understand what happened to Asha Degree. As the investigation continues, residents hope it’s the missing piece of the puzzle.

“With this case going on as long as it is, some closure needs to be done,” Michael Strong, Shelby Resident said. “Everybody is grieving still, some people believe she’s here, some people believe she is not.”

The FBI released a joint statement about the search Wednesday, “The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the SBI are currently executing a court authorized search warrant at a property on Cherryville Road in Shelby. Cleveland County deputies, the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, and SBI agents, including specially trained K9s arrived this morning and will likely be on the scene for most of [Wednesday]. The search warrants are not publicly available at this time. More information will be released when appropriate.”