u/Individual_Sir_2595

Contractor Who Found The Bag

So I really didnt want to do this at all. I have been going back and forth with it, but I have been asked a few times if I reached out to the gentleman who found Asha's backpack. The answer is yes I did. And I spoke on the phone with him for almost an hour. But dont get too excited because I didnt get much, and after what he told me I dont blame him for not telling me. Let me explain. This mans entire life changed when he unearthed that that bag. He was never the same after that. He is torn up and devastated about this case and honestly has been treated like dogshit. After about 10 mins of conversation and just explaining who I was and what my goals were he finally opened up a little. He explained how he was treated very poorly by the feds and the Burke County Sheriffs departent. They bagered him, took multiple dna swabs and hair samples. He did countless interviews and lost money and work because he could no longer work on that job site. He was threatened by the FBI saying that if he gave any details out about the findings that he could face prison time. He said it was a very hard time for his family and himself. The only things he told me was where on hwy 18 (roughly) the job site was, how he found it, and what happened the days following his find. So it went like this:

He was working on an excavator digging inbetween the creek and the steep hill that started on the other side. He said it was not buried very deep at all. When he saw the trash bag it hit gave him a bad feeling. He took the bag and opened the 2, then seeing the backpack. He saw her name on the pack or on a card or something (i didn't fully understand it) and jotted it down. He said he had no cell service at that location. So he left the bag in the trash bag by a tree overnight and went home. He shared what happened with his wife (I assume the next morning) and when she asked what the name was she covered her mouth and gasped. She started crying and said "oh my God that's that little girl that went missing". They then called the Burke County Sheriffs office and were passed from person to person on the phone. Finally after several attempts someone in charge spoke with him, and told him to immediately go to the job site where the bag was and meet them. He said from there it was chaos. Media outlets lined hwy 18, cops everywhere and eventually from Quanitico and Charlotte the FBI showed up. I guess there was a big dispute between Burke county and Cleveland county as they Burke wanted the case because of the find in they're jurisdiction, and Cleveland wanted the case to stay with them. Obviously it was settled and Cleveland retained the case. He said he was interviewed by every news outlet, station, paper, and LE in the state and had to shut down his job. He told me he actually had to chase off reporters who were snooping around because his companies insurance wouldnt cover them if they got hurt. He said he had to draw maps and describe over and over again how he found the bag. Very hard on a man just trying to work and make a living in peace. Anyway nothing new at all really. And I didnt push any further. He was the nicest old man, you can tell his health is deteriorating but he was very nice and remembered alot of details. We talked about politics, religion is was honestly pretty cool and I hope to talk to him again. So yes I have spoke to him but his hands are tied. There's not much he can say or do. One thing he did say was that he never remembers any members of Asha's family coming to the crime scene at all, that struck him as odd. He said if that was my baby id be digging every inch of these woods up. Let's just hope that the FBI can get something going. I mean he described they're investigation as being very thorough and almost aggressive with tons of man hours put in. God bless that man. Very sad to hear him talk about it. So anyway the info we have is what we have. We wont get much else on the backpack...Sorry

We charge individuals with double homicide when an unborn child dies when its mother is killed, we put young men and women in prison for life for being a part of crime that results in death, we charge adults for contributing to the delinquency of minors, we charge people as accessories to crimes before and after it happens, when a child gets access to a gun we charge the owner or parent, when a child inadvertently gets out of the house whether they get injured, killed or not the guardian or parent is generally charged. But Asha Degree, by all reported accounts including her mother's, was a quiet normal child, " I don't know why she would leave." 25 plus years later, we are still stuck. Yes, the investigators say they want to know the answer to that question. But none have had the guts to go after the answer. I'm sure the men and women who have touched this case for the most part are good people caught up in a system of politics.

When it first happened, no way in hell was a white Sherrif coming up on an election, he was not going to piss off the black voters, even though a large portion had their eyes on the mother. The over whelming majority of searchers were white. No community leaders in front of the cameras demanding results or her being found.

So what does all of this say? It says that when LE said " this is a normal family,"" no indicators of anything wrong." I knew then the investigation and search qas in trouble.

So when I did run across another sub and the majority was saying, "the Dad was a drug dealer," or "he took her to the store and hurt her." I knew based on my history with them both that was wrong and still is to this day. I remembered her anger and temper, which at her levels is no where near normal. Then, the memories of her out of control in school, then as an adult, then with her kids. The way she acted at their games and how she would berate them for everything. Totally controlling Harold and everything to do in the house. The time she beat OBee with her shoe at the Polkville ball fields in front of dozens of adults and had to be restrained by three large grown men. So you ask yourself. Does the beginning of why she left matter? Do you really feel she was meeting a friend? She was groomed by someone with a mother like a deranged pit bull terrier? Do you really feel she was packed from a plan to go meet someone, or did she grab the things that mattered to her and fled into the night seeking safety of any sort?

It matters regardless of the reason, and someone in LE has to have the courage to find the answer.

Well... so let's say it's true. Why are we focused on LE per se? The Supreme Court has ruled that it is ok for LE to lie, specifically to an individual, during an investigation. SO WHO WAS IT THAT TOLD LE WHAT WAS MISSING? OH, THAT'S RIGHT, THE MOTHER. SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY THE BEGINNING DOESN'T MATTER ARE YOU RETHINKING THAT NOW?

EYE WITNESS ACCOUNTS SAY ASHA WAS CARRYING " A BOOK BAG" NOT BAGS. SO HERE WE ARE ANOTHE ASHA TWIST THAT HAS TAKEN OFF LIKE A WILDFURE. BUT ONLY A FEW MONTHS AGO SOME REDDITTORS WERE CALLING ON JUSTICE FOR ASHA AFTER ANOTHER WILDFIRE. BY THE WAY THAT HAS BURNED IT'S SELF OUT. THEY HARRASED CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, CALLED FIR JOB TERMINATIONS AND ARRESTS. SO, WE COME TO THIS. LE/FBI ALSO SAID THE FAMILY WAS A NORMAL FAMILY NO INDICATIONS OF A TROUBLED HOME OR INDICATOR OF MISTREATMENT. THEY OBVIOUSLY DIDN’T TAKE ALL OF THE REPORTS OF ABUSE THAT WERE CALLED IN AT CLEVELAND COUNTY DSS OVER THE YEARS SERIOUSLY WHEN THEY CHECKED WITH THEM. "SURELY THEY DID CHECK WITH THEM." SOME OF YOU AT THIS POINT YOUR MIND IS ON A TREAD MILL RUNNING WIDE OPEN. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION AND WHEN SOMEONE CANT LOOK YOU IN THE EYE WHEN TALKING OR ANSWERING A QUESTION, " THEYRE LYING".

As the years have gone by, the mother of Asha Degree has never acted like a parent would of a missing child.

She has never been out front leading the charge for exposure to her case and / or "justice" for her.

But almost immediately, LE clears her. Why? It's obviously clear based on her own past that many in the area over the years have witnessed her tempermental outbursts. How she has exploded on her kids in public.

Explain to me how she was cleared. Explain to me how you hear a bed squeak, but not pick up a book bag and out the door. Let's see... one can contribute to the delinquency of a minor in much less ways or be considered abusive. But the explosion of the mother on her at the last ballgame or say at a cookout sports banquet in Polkville on OBryant is not considered abusive or abnormal. Interesting. Convince me why she was cleared. After all the search warrants, tv news reports, text messages, DNA, car removal, witness statements, trying to convict people based on circumstance. Why has not the same scrutiny been placed on the mother? Relationships change, and there is information out there that someone has that will matter, no matter how small or long ago. Incidents and experiences matter and should be shared. From former teachers, classmates, parents, and retired DSS workers. Your experiences matter for Asha, justice, and knowing the "WHY" Asha left. There is only one side of this story being told, and so far, LE has been unwilling to peel back the layers to reveal secrets unknown in Asha's life. Remember local people of Cleveland County / Shelby, that not everyone is on Redditt, you must have conversations in the community. Some of these conversations may be uncomfortable, but tell what you know. Report what you know. Tell us what your experiences are. No doubt, LE monitors these and other social media outlets. So it's way past time for everyone's involvement and history known.