What happened to Asha Degree? Details about Crime Junkie Podcast subject, explored
Asha Degree, a nine-year-old girl from Shelby, North Carolina, vanished in the early hours of February 14, 2000, under circumstances that have puzzled investigators for decades. Witnesses last saw her walking along Highway 18 around 4 am, but she disappeared into the woods when a motorist attempted to approach her, as reported by WBTV on February 21, 2025.
Her bookbag, found nearly 18 months later in Burke County, contained a Dr. Seuss book and a concert T-shirt that her family did not recognize, according to QC News's report on February 22, 2025.
Recent developments in the case, discussed in Crime Junkie's February 26, 2025 episode titled Missing: Asha Degree, have drawn renewed attention. Search warrants executed in 2024 and 2025 linked DNA from the Dedmon family and former tenant Russell Underhill to evidence from Asha’s belongings, as noted by WBTV.
With newly surfaced text messages and a potential confession, authorities now suspect foul play and obstruction of justice. As the investigation unfolds, the search for answers in Asha Degree’s case continues.
Asha Degree was last spotted walking along North Carolina Highway 18 in Cleveland County
New developments in the 2000 disappearance of Asha Degree have emerged, as investigators are now focusing on a Cleveland County family after search warrants revealed possible connections to the case.
Authorities believe that Degree, who vanished from her home in Shelby, North Carolina, on February 14, 2000, may have been the victim of homicide. Law enforcement officials have identified members of the Dedmon family as potential suspects, citing forensic evidence and witness testimonies.
Investigative findings and search warrants
According to WBTV (February 21, 2025), recent search warrants issued in September 2024 and February 2025 suggest that law enforcement believes Degree was pulled into a green Lincoln Thunderbird from the 1970s or a similar vehicle. In September 2024, the FBI and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office seized an AMC Rambler from a Dedmon family property, a vehicle with "very similar features" to the one described in prior witness reports.
DNA testing played a crucial role in linking the Dedmon family to the case. Forensic analysis revealed that DNA found in Degree’s backpack matched that of Russell Underhill and had a genetically identical sample to that of a Dedmon family member, as noted by Queen City News on February 22, 2025. Underhill, who resided on properties owned by Roy and Connie Dedmon, died in 2004.
Investigators believe that assistance from adults was necessary if the Dedmon daughters, who were teenagers at the time, were involved in Degree’s disappearance, according to WBTV.
The confession claim and digital evidence
Search warrants issued in February 2025 disclosed that Lizzie Dedmon Foster, the eldest Dedmon daughter, allegedly admitted to being responsible for Degree’s death at a house party in the mid-2000s. A witness told police that Foster was intoxicated and said, “I killed Asha Degree,” prompting her sister Sarah Dedmon to immediately silence her, as reported in WBTV. The witness later passed a polygraph test.
Authorities also obtained text messages exchanged between the Dedmon sisters from September 2024, after law enforcement executed search warrants at their properties. As per Queen City News's February 2025 report, one message from Sarah to Lizzie read,
“They think it’s our shirt. It’s not her shirt”, referring to a t-shirt found in Degree’s backpack.
Another message from Lizzie to her ex-husband read,
“This is going to get nothing but worse... I’m just so worried. So, so worried.”
Discovery of Degree’s backpack and delayed investigation
Degree’s bookbag was discovered inside two black garbage bags in Burke County on August 3, 2001. The FBI later found that some items inside did not belong to Degree, including a New Kids on the Block t-shirt and a library book, according to WBTV.
The evidence was sent to a laboratory for analysis, but delays occurred due to the 9/11 attacks, which caused a backlog at the FBI’s forensic lab, as reported by Shelby Star.com on July 26, 2003.
The night of Asha Degree’s disappearance
Degree, who was nine years old at the time, was last seen walking along North Carolina Highway 18 at around 4 am on February 14, 2000. Two motorists reported seeing her in the heavy rain, with one witness stating that when they tried to approach her, she ran into a wooded area, as noted in Shelby star.com.
Investigators initially theorized that she had left home voluntarily, but the discovery of her belongings at multiple locations over time contradicted that assumption.
Ongoing investigation and potential charges
While no arrests have been made, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that they are treating Degree’s case as a homicide. Search warrants indicate investigators have probable cause to believe that Dedmon family members, specifically Lizzie Foster, Sarah Caple, and their father, Roy Dedmon, may have interfered with the investigation, according to WBTV.
Foster reportedly failed a polygraph test when asked whether she was concealing information about the case. Investigators continue to analyze the seized digital evidence and forensic results. They urge the public to provide any information regarding Asha Degree’s disappearance.
Also read: What happened to Jane, Anna, and Grant Beaumont? Details about Crime Junkie podcast subjects, explored
Anyone with relevant details is encouraged to contact the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office or the FBI’s Charlotte division.
The case of Asha Degree remains unresolved, but with the latest forensic advancements and investigative developments, authorities hope to finally bring answers to her family after 25 years of uncertainty. Stay tuned for more updates.
