Deputies executed a search warrant in connection to the disappearance of Asha Degree, who was 9 years old when she went missing in Cleveland County more than 24 years ago.
“The search warrants were obtained based on physical evidence directly connected to Asha's disappearance,” deputies said Friday.
Asha disappeared on February 14, 2000.
Authorities said that multiple items were taken in to be analyzed, and dispelled rumors about human remains being found.
“No human remains were recovered,” deputies said. “Again, no human remains were found.”
The search warrants were executed by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the SBI.
On February 14, 2000, Asha's family says they looked in and saw her sleeping in her bedroom around 2:30 a.m. An hour and a half later, the FBI said drivers reported seeing her walking along N.C. 18 in Shelby. She has been missing ever since.
Over the years, investigators have followed countless leads and conducted hundreds of interviews in relation to Asha's disappearance.
Previously, authorities found some candy wrappers and a hair clip, which were found in a barn in the months following her disappearance, and Asha's black book bag, which was found about a year later alongside N.C. 18.
In 2005, a tip from an unidentified inmate led investigators to an area south of Shelby where officers sifted through dirt and used cadaver dogs to try and locate anything related to the case. No clues were found.
In 2006, someone reported seeing a girl matching Asha's description in the Detroit area, but detectives came up empty-handed.
In 2014, authorities in South Carolina arrested Donald Ferguson for the 1990 killing of 7-year-old Shalonda Poole in Greensboro. Due to similarities in their cases, and believing he could possibly be tied to Asha's disappearance, detectives conducted a thorough investigation into his whereabouts in February 2000.
Ferguson later pleaded guilty to Poole's murder and was sentenced to life in prison. No link to Asha's case was ever found.
In 2016, the FBI released new information, saying a witness reported seeing Asha get into a car the night of her disappearance, which was described as a possible early 70s model, dark green Lincoln or Ford Thunderbird with rust around the wheel wells. And in 2018, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office reported finding two items of interest possibly connected to the case.
The items included a Dr. Seuss book titled "McElligot's Pool" that was checked out from the Fallston Elementary School media center, and a concert T-shirt for the New Kids on the Block. So far, these leads have not yielded any results in the search for Asha.
A $45,000 reward for information leading to the person or persons responsible for her disappearance remains active and her family remains hopeful.
If you or anyone you know has any information connected to this case, please contact the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office at 704-484-4888 or the Charlotte FBI Field Office at 704-672-6100.