Neighbors Speculate As Investigators Stay Quiet On Cleveland County Home Searches

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — The mystery surrounding a massive investigation in a local county grows as police share zero details about what they’re looking for, and why. There is much speculation that this sudden and intense search is related to the case of Asha Degree. Degree is the little girl who disappeared nearly 25 years ago.

A man who did not want to be identified says he saw investigators search a home Wednesday on Cherryville Road in Shelby. He says the day before, those same officers were in his neighborhood on Hawthorne Lane where they searched another home.

He says 13 police vehicles arrived to the property and stayed for nearly five hours. He saw officers taking pictures and says the person who owns the home police were searching has lived there as long as he can remember.

WCCB has confirmed that the same person who owns the Hawthorne property also owns the home that was searched on Cherryville Road. A car was towed from the Cherryville Road home and could be connected to the high profile 2000 disappearance of nine year old Asha Degree.

Life long Shelby resident, Daniel Taylor, says Degree’s disappearance is once again the talk of the town as residents speculate as to why two homes were searched by FBI, SPI, and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.

“Feeling heartache, they’re feeling turmoil, feeling joy maybe to know what actually did happen to her,” Taylor said.

Neighbors are still skeptical about tying the police investigating to Degree’s disappearance.

“Be even more shocked than the cop cars being here. They were really good people. I’ve known them my whole life,” said one neighbor who did not want to be identified. “It’s still early, nobody knows the truth.”

Investigators have not said why these two homes were searched. The owner of the properties has not been accused of anything.