Federal, state and local authorities are searching a new location in relation to the disappearance of Asha Degree, a 9-year-old girl who vanished on Valentine’s Day in 2000.
On Friday, the FBI and State Bureau of Investigation joined the Cleveland County and Lincoln County sheriff's offices to search several buildings along Highway 274 and NC 182, officials said in a release.
One of those properties is the old North Brook Elementary School.
Investigators said the property owner consented to the search and "is not connected to our ongoing investigation in any way."
Cleveland County and Lincoln County sheriff, the FBI and SBI have been searching multiple new locations Friday
Degree went missing on Valentine's Day 2000
For the last 25 years, Degree’s family and friends have searched endlessly for answers to no avail
Over the years, investigators have released small bits of information in the case.
In 2001, detectives said they found a bag of items belonging to Degree on the side of the road in Burke County.
Investigators were able to narrow down DNA samples found on Degree's bag to two people: Russell Bradley Underhill and Annalee Victoria Dedmon Ramirez.
Ramirez, a daughter of Roy Lee and Connie Elliott Dedmon, was 13 at the time of Degree’s disappearance.
Detectives stated in warrants they were also able to determine through Cleveland County Social Services that Underhill was in the care of the Dedmons' two facilities around the time that Degree disappeared.
The warrants also say that Underhill was found dead in Lincoln County in 2004.
In 2016, the FBI released pictures of the two cars they say were similar to a car witnesses say Degree got into the night she went missing.
During a search in 2024, investigators said they took multiple pieces of evidence from several properties, including two houses and a rest home belonging to the Dedmons. A green car was also seized on Cherryville Road.
The car in question closely fits the description the FBI released in 2016 as a key piece of evidence in the disappearance of Degree.
For the last 25 years, Degree’s family and friends have searched endlessly for answers to no avail.
The Dedmons have both been referred to as suspects in the case.
The Dedmons' lawyer said during a news conference in September that their connection to the case is “tenuous at best” and that speculation about the case must end.
At this time, no remains have been recovered and no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704-484-4756.
Timeline of key events in the search for Asha Degree
Feb. 14, 2000:
Around 2:30 a.m.: Family members saw her sleeping in her bed.
Around 4:00 a.m.: Drivers spotted the young girl walking alongside North Carolina Highway 18.
Around 6:30 a.m.: Asha’s mom went to the room that Asha and her older brother slept in together, to wake them up for school. Asha was found missing from her bed. According to the FBI, her parents looked for her at the homes of "family members who lived nearby" and with no sight of her they called 911.
"At least one of these individuals said they’d tried to check on her, concerned about a young girl out on the highway by herself," said Monica Grover with FBI’s Office of Public Affairs. "But by the time the driver had turned around, Asha had gone into the woods, and the driver couldn’t see her anymore."
Some individuals reported seeing the young child being pulled into a green 1970s Lincoln, Thunderbird, or similar vehicle.
Aug. 2, 2001:
Evidence belonging to Asha Degree was discovered in Burke County, NC, about 21 miles north from the location she was last seen. Items were double-bagged in black garbage bags. Asha's bookbag and clothing (wrapped in two sealed black plastic garbage bags) were located along Highway 18 South near Morganton, NC, seventeen months after her disappearance.
Authorities reported that out of several items sent for analysis, two produced key results linking to potential suspects in her disappearance. One sample belonged to Russell Bradley Underhill, and the other, to a family member of suspects Roy Lee Dedmon and Connie Elliott Dedmon. Investigators also revealed that Underhill resided in at least two facilities managed by the Dedmons around the time that Degree went missing. Underhill was later found deceased in Lincoln County in 2004.
"Roy Lee Dedmon and Connie Elliott Dedmon share three children in common, identified as Lizzie Grace Dedmon Foster, Sarah Gwen Demon Caple and AnnaLee Victoria Dedmon Ramirez," according to files from the case.
In 2016:
The FBI released pictures of the two cars they say were similar to a car witnesses say Degree got into the night she went missing.
Feb. 28, 2024: Search warrant obtained for unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) surveillance of Roy Dedmon's residence at 621 Cherryville Road.
Feb. 29, 2024: Drone search warrant executed, revealing three green vehicles and one red truck on Dedmon's property.
Sept. 27, 2024: Lt. Daniel Howell approached Lizzie at Highland Park Middle School. She initially agreed to speak but later refused via text message. When approached in person and told about information from Thad Mellentine, she refused a polygraph test.
Sept. 28, 2024: Lt. Howell attempted to approach Kelly Foster (Lizzie's ex-husband) at his residence but no one answered the door.
Ramirez, a daughter of the Dedmons, was 13 at the time of Degree’s disappearance.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office towed away an old green car from the house they were searching on Cherryville Road. The car in question closely fits the description the FBI released in 2016 as a key piece of evidence in the disappearance of Degree.
The FBI, SBI and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office swarmed multiple properties around the county searching for evidence in her case. According to the warrants, these properties, including two houses and a rest home, are owned by Roy and Connie Dedmon.
February 10, 2025: Lt. Howell re-approached Lizzie Grace Foster. She agreed to a polygraph test, and became "deceptive" when asked if she was holding back any information about Degree's disappearance. Sarah Caple was also approached but declined being interviewed.
Investigating Cases Involving Missing Children
For years, while working at the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, retired Major Chad Moose was the lead investigator on another missing child case, the disappearance of Erica Parsons.
“We followed up a thousand false leads that you get into it and you realize, you know, this is not a lead, but you got to follow it anyway,” Moose said. “But it could be so you just never know, especially when you know a case like this. You want to make sure you don't leave anything unchecked.”
Moose believes these types of investigations are nuanced, and investigators have to walk a fine line. Releasing information too early or public speculations can also damage a case. Moose says that while public insight is important, he's afraid of the public investigating a case and prosecutor before ever getting into a courtroom.
And while every investigation is different, with high profile cases, especially missing children cases, Moose said this scrutiny for investigators can also be a hindrance.
“You want the public to know and be aware,” Moose said. “It sounds like they’ve been working on it for over 20 years, and that’s really all I would want the public to know. We’re working and working hard on it. And she hasn’t been forgotten.”
