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FBI Seeking Tips on Vehicle Possibly Connected to Asha Degree Disappearance

Topics:  Lincoln Mark IV

FBI Seeking Tips on Vehicle Possibly Connected to Asha Degree Disappearance

FBI Charlotte
25 May 2016

Public Affairs Specialist Shelley Lynch
slynch@fbi.gov

In conjunction with National Missing Children’s Day, the Charlotte Division of the FBI and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office are seeking new tips in connection with the disappearance of 9-year-old Asha Degree on February 14, 2000. The FBI and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office have received information that someone matching Asha’s description may have been seen getting into a distinctive vehicle along North Carolina Highway 18 where she was last seen. The vehicle is described as an early 1970’s Lincoln Mark IV or possibly a Ford Thunderbird, dark green, with rust around the wheel wells. A photo of what the car may look like is below:

The FBI is continuing to offer a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Asha’s disappearance.

On February 14, 2000, 9-year-old Asha Degree left her home in Shelby, North Carolina, in the middle of the night and disappeared. Asha’s family last saw her asleep in her bedroom around 2:30 a.m. An hour-and-a-half later, she was seen by drivers walking along North Carolina Highway 18 in Shelby, North Carolina. Her parents reported her missing by 6:30 a.m. More than a year later, Asha’s bookbag was discovered buried along North Carolina Highway 18 in Burke County.

Anyone with information regarding this case should call FBI Charlotte at 704-672-6100.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day. Missing Children’s Day is dedicated to encouraging parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority. It serves as a reminder to continue our efforts to reunite missing children with their families and an occasion to honor those dedicated to this noble cause.