A 10 Year Old Girl Named Asha Degree is Missing from North Carolina-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
The email being circulated says Asha Degree disappeared on Valentine’s Day, 2000, and asks that people circulate a picture of her as a part of trying to solve the case and have her returned safely. The email says it’s written by a cousin of Asha’s and refers people to the web page of a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Truth:
Asha Degree is a real person who, according to police, never
returned to her home in Shelby, North Carolina, after reportedly walking away early in the morning on February 14, 2,000.
TruthOrFiction.com has received several requests from readers about this story, partly because the email that is being circulated is written so poorly.
The email asks for help yet doesn’t say where the girl disappeared from or where to call if you have information about her, so it’s easy to suspect that the story is not authentic.
The Charlotte television station whose website is referenced in the email, WBTV, has confirmed to TruthOrFiction.com that the story was carried on their station but that they were not prepared to serve as a source for the story or a place where emails should be sent.
They do have a hotline about Asha at 704 476-3030. Asha’s family had received invitations to appear on several national television programs to publicize the girl’s disappearance and to plead for help. Also, the MISSING CHILDREN HELP CENTER of the NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN DIVISION of the NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL included Asha in their online database. See link below.
This eRumor started circulating in 2000 when Asha disappeared. As of 6/16/08, the last time we checked with the police, she was still missing.
Updated 6/16/08
For more information:
Missing Children Help Center Click “Posters of Missing Children” then do a search on the page for “Asha” or “Degree.”