New lead in Shelby cold case of 16-year-old

SHELBY, NC (WJZY) - The FBI and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office reports they have received information that someone matching Asha Degree's description (missing since 2000) may have been seen getting into a distinctive vehicle along NC Highway 18, the night she went missing.

The vehicle is described as an early 1970's Lincoln Mark IV or a Ford Thunderbird, dark green with rust around the wheel wells.

The Charlotte Division of the FBI is continuing to offer a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the disappearance of Asha Degree.

Asha's family last saw her asleep in her bedroom in Shelby, NC on February 14, 2000 around 2:30 a.m. when she was 9.

An hour and a half later she was seen by drivers walking along NC Highway 18 in Shelby. Her parents reported her missing by 6:30 a.m.

More than a year later her book bag was found buried along NC Highway 18 in Burk County.

An additional $20,000 is being offered by a community group.

Anyone with information regarding this case should call FBI Charlotte at 704-672-6100 or the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office at 704-484-4822.