The disappearance of the 9-year-old from Shelby 24 years ago “haunts” retired FBI agent Richard Shaffer, who said he carried her photo with him for years.
SHELBY, N.C. — It has been more than 24 years since Richard Shaffer arrived on scene in Shelby, called in by then-Cleveland County Sheriff Dan Crawford to help investigate the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl from her home. Even after all that time, the retired FBI agent still remembers the neighborhood and first interaction with Asha Degree’s family.
“The family was obviously very distraught,” Shaffer said. “I remember Asha’s mom giving me a photo of her.”
At least two people claimed they saw a young female walking along North Carolina Highway 18 around 4 a.m. One person said when they turned around to check on her, the girl ran into the woods and was not seen again. Another tipster told detectives they saw a young …