Asha Degree Case In Trouble?

A new push is being made to release information that adds some serious doubt to the theories and accusations around the Asha Degree case, but who is releasing that info and is it reliable?

The investigation is ongoing.  If you have information that can help, please call the FBI at 704-672-6100.


If you missed our previous episode on Asha Degree you can find it here:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/looking-for-asha-degree-new-info-and-new-hope--62178819

The Prosecutors podcast episode is available now on all major podcast platforms, learn more about their excellent show at prosecutorspodcast.com. 
YouTube link for their new episode:
https://youtu.be/V1iWlh95yQE?si=5u1pr39L1KbP6pos



If you want to see Hammerhead Agency’s case documents and statements please visit www.hammerhead.agency/dedmon


Do you have any comments, or a case you’d like to suggest?  Feel free to send it to me.  You can find a case submission form at LordanArts.com or you can also message me on X @LordanArts.

Written by John Lordan, produced by LordanArts.

This is not intended to act as a means of proving or disproving anything related to the investigation.  It is a conversation about the current known facts and theories being discussed.  Everyone directly or indirectly referred to is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

LordanArts 2025

Do you have any comments, or a case you’d like to suggest? You’ll find a comment form and case submission link at LordanArts.com.

This is not intended to act as a means of proving or disproving anything related to the investigation.  It is a conversation about the current known facts and theories being discussed.  Everyone directly or indirectly referred to is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

LordanArts 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Her face is known by true crime fans all over
the world. The smile that once lit up a parent's
world has now become a haunting reminder of all that
they missed out on. Nine year old fourth grader Asia
Degree went missing in the early morning hours of Valentine's
Day in the year two thousand. This year marked the

(00:42):
twenty fifth anniversary of her disappearance. But last year there
were several significant developments announced by law enforcement, and the
Deadman family was thrust into the investigative spotlight and quite
possibly the public's crosshairs. I'm John Lorden and I originally
I covered Asha's case on my YouTube show Brain Scratch
Searchlight in December of twenty sixteen, and when the new

(01:05):
developments were announced in September of twenty twenty four, we
brought her story here to seriously mysterious. But despite those developments,
here we are ten months later and there are still
no arrests of any member of the Deadman family and
no charges filed. For the past ten months, the Deadmen's
have been a hot topic on several online forums, with

(01:29):
numerous criminal accusations, theories about what they may have done,
personal insults, and even comments that some may consider defamation
being hurled at them. Some posters clearly wish them harm,
with others threatening to facilitate that harm by doxing them.
Of course, they are innocent until proven guilty, and even

(01:49):
then we don't know which members may or may not
be proven to be part of Asia's disappearance. It's a
troubling time for both families as we wait for action
from law enforcement. If that action is actually coming, well,
someone decided that they needed things to change. I received
a seriously mysterious email this week from Hammerhead Agency, a

(02:13):
public relations firm. The email read, good morning, I wanted
to make sure you saw this release regarding a major
development in the Asia degree case. For the first time,
the Deadman family, recently named in search warrants tied to
the case, is speaking out. A new episode of the
Prosecutor's podcast reveals serious factual errors and overlooked evidence that

(02:37):
cast doubt on the current law enforcement theory. Among the revelations,
official DMV records confirmed the Deadman family didn't own the
nineteen sixty four amc rambler at the time of Ash's disappearance,
despite it being the cornerstone of the current investigative theory.
The full press release is attached, and additional source documents

(02:58):
and podcast links are available here. If you're interested in
covering the story, interviewing Skip Foster, or accessing additional documentation,
just reply and will coordinate right away. The Deadman's hired
a PR firm. It's no secret that hiring a public
relations firm could be a smart strategic move, especially in

(03:20):
high profile cases where media coverage can literally shape public
opinion before a trial even begins. But we don't have
any charges currently filed, and any court action following those
charges would literally be years off. Why is now the
time to try changing public opinion? Is it really to
correct misinformation and stop the character assassination of an entire family.

(03:45):
While this PR firm has no obligation to be honest
to the public, they do have a statement on their
website about this particular case. Hammerhead Communications was retained by
the Deadman family to assist with media strategy and public
communication following the release of search warrants that, in their view,
misrepresented critical facts. With experience in high stakes and narrative work,

(04:07):
Hammerhead is supporting the family's effort to correct the public record,
share verifiable documents, and ensure that new information is presented
clearly and responsibly. Our role is to provide structure, transparency,
and fairness in cases where media narratives and legal realities diverge.
The page dedicated to the Deadman family on Hammerhead's site

(04:29):
also features the September twenty twenty four search warrant, the
February twenty twenty five search warrant, and the vehicle registration
and title for the nineteen sixty four amc Rambler. We
haven't covered the latest updates on the case here on
Seriously Mysterious, but the February search warrant was essentially going
after the family's electronic communication and cell phones, and it

(04:51):
features a text chain. A text chain that confirms the
information law enforcement dropped back in September of twenty twenty
four definitely shook up the family. However, in my read
through of it, it very vaguely points towards the father
of the girls being responsible, but it's not clear why
or how. The warrant also references a witness who came

(05:13):
forward saying that one of the dead Men girls admitted
to killing Asia, and it states that he passed a polygraph.
As many of you know, I've been working very hard
in this industry to always maintain strong ethics when discussing
these cases. The thought that a podcast I released last
year could in any way be harmful to innocent people
immediately grabs me, and for that I wanted to give

(05:36):
it the full attention it deserves. On the flip side,
if the intent seems to be something other than what
is stated, I do believe it's fair to scrutinize not
the family necessarily, but the spokesperson and their approach to
this case. So who is Skip Foster? His profile on
the about page of Hammerhead Agency states quote Hammerhead Communication

(06:00):
is spearheaded by Skip Foster, a pillar of Florida's journalism
scene and the former president and publisher of the capital
city's newspaper of record, the Tallahassee Democrat. Foster's thirty year
journalism career reflects the arc of the classic American success story,
one that starts with humble beginnings and continues to rise
through hard work and insight. All right, so Skip is

(06:24):
a former newspaper man turned pr firm. At least that
should make him familiar with law enforcement, media practices and
understanding the usual types of documentation that is part of that,
and personally, I've tried to be very cautious with the
Deadman family in this story, because the truth is, we
simply don't know what happened. Even if you take these
warrants at face value, at best, they're pointing towards who,

(06:48):
not how or why. Yes, I know the theories, but
there is no award for any one of us to
try to jump ahead of this process at this point
so we can later claim I knew it. I told
you guys, I knew what happened. This isn't a football game,
this isn't a TV show. These are real lives. This
case is about a nine year old girl that will

(07:09):
never come home. It deserves to be respected on all fronts.
That being said, if I was the one being accused
and I was innocent, I do understand that broadcasting a
narrative grounded in truth would be helpful and an essential
tool in achieving justice, especially if law enforcement and media
had painted me as guilty. To be honest, hiring a

(07:32):
PR firm is probably the last thing I would do
if I was indeed guilty, particularly in a situation like
this where no charges have been filed. What's the upside?
So people are chattering about you on Reddit? Who cares? Well? Actually,
there might be an upside for a guilty person. We
know that law enforcement is playing a bit of a

(07:52):
PR game here too. Their public release of the influence
September clearly led to what they needed for the warrant
the following February. But in some cases, aggressive PR campaigns
by offenders can interfere with law enforcement's efforts as well.
Could that be the focus here? The email from Hammerhead
Agency claimed to know the cornerstone of the investigation. Is

(08:14):
that statement really accurate? Of course, if charges are coming,
this type of PR could also taint jury pools. The
problem with hiring a PR firm is that they are
quite literally paid to be biased. They are not advocates
doing it to find truth or justice. They are typically
more concerned with image rather than the truth. And of
course that was one of the first emotional responses I

(08:37):
had when I saw this email. As I understood it,
there was pretty strong evidence bringing the deadmans into this
light of suspicion. So if there is information that blows
apart law enforcement's theory, we should definitely look into it more.
And I have I've looked at the documentation, the warrants,
the car registration info. I've looked at the detail and

(09:00):
correlated additional information to it. The prosecutor's podcast was released
a few days ago featuring Skip Foster himself, which I've
already listened to in its entirety. And of course that
original email also came with that attachment. What details did
they divulge in the full press release. Let's get to

(09:33):
the full press release that was sent by Hammerhead Agency
for immediate release. New revelations challenged theory of law enforcement
in Asia degree case. Family targeted in twenty twenty four
search warrants didn't even own the infamous AMC rambler at
the time of the disappearance Shelby, North Carolina, July fifteenth,

(09:55):
twenty twenty five. In a stunning development in the two
thousand disappearance of Asia, newly surfaced public records reveal that
at the time Asha vanished, the family at the center
of renewed law enforcement focus did not own the vehicle
central to investigator's theory of the case. A representative for
the Deadmon family is speaking out for the first time

(10:16):
in a comprehensive interview featured on the latest episode of
The Prosecutor's Podcast, as well as an exclusive interview with
The Charlotte Observer. The podcast highlights critical factual errors, overlooked evidence,
and a narrative that has unfairly targeted the dead Men's
fueling public misinformation and online harassment. At the heart of

(10:38):
the law enforcement theory is a nineteen sixty four amc Rambler,
which Warrant's claim resembles a vehicle seen the morning Asia disappeared.
One Warrant refers to a nineteen seventy's Lincoln Thunderbird, a
fictional combination of two distinct vehicles that never existed as
a single model. I want to pause here. Ford has

(11:02):
a car model called the Thunderbird, but many people are
aware that Ford also has a luxury brand called Lincoln.
In later years, the Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln Continental would
even share the same chassis, several panels, including the roof,
and used the same windows, But in nineteen sixty four
that hadn't started yet. Now Thunderbird is the model, and

(11:24):
the model would be more reflective of the body styling.
Getting the company slightly incorrect doesn't seem like a very
big deal to me. Keep in mind, a warrant is
an investigative document. I've read enough investigative documents like warrants
and police reports and have seen goofs much bigger than
this that doesn't show some major deficiency in the investigation.

(11:46):
In some cases it's a typo. In other cases it
could be information being attached to the wrong person in
or place. Investigations rely on notations by nature, and this
is a side effect of that nature, and this warrant
clearly shows that it is indeed a typo. The Lincoln

(12:06):
Thunderbird is referred to three times in that warrant. The
first time it's said Lincoln Comma Thunderbird or another similar vehicle.
The second time in the same document, almost the exact
same phrasing is used, but the comma is missing, And
later in that same paragraph is the statement he's referring to.

(12:28):
The nineteen sixty four amc Rambler has very similar features
to a nineteen seventies model Lincoln Thunderbird. To me, it's
clear that the word or is simply missing, as is
the period to actually finish that sentence. Taking the document
in whole, there is no question about what they meant

(12:48):
across the three references maybe this is just the eye
of a critical newsman, but that is hardly any indicator
for the level of police work. All that being said,
I don't think I agree with the statement about nineteen
seventies Thunderbirds. They have a very sharp protrusion in the
middle of their front grill that is pretty unique. However,

(13:10):
Ford Thunderbirds had a run from nineteen sixty four to
nineteen sixty six that were known as the flare Birds.
They did not have that protrusion. They had a more
squared off appearance, and from looking at Picks, I could
certainly see how someone might confuse one of those with
a nineteen sixty four Rambler, the biggest difference being that
there's four headlights on the front of a Thunderbird and

(13:32):
only two on the Rambler. The models actually get even
easier to confuse if the Rambler was a four door model,
and on the Prosecutor's podcast, Skip confirmed that that was
indeed the case, and we've even included a photo of
the dead Men's car on the graphics for today's episode
so you can see it for yourself. Back to the

(13:52):
press release from Hammerhead Agency. Regardless, the dead Men's point
out that the nineteen sixty four Rambler bears little resemblant
to either a nineteen seventy's Lincoln or a Ford Thunderbird. Yet,
search warrants issued in twenty twenty four and twenty twenty
five suggest one of the Deadman children drove the Rambler
and was involved in a tragic accident, which the parents
allegedly covered up. However, official title and registration records from

(14:17):
the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles show that the
Rambler was not purchased and titled in the Deadman's name
until March thirteenth, two thousand, nearly a full month after
Asha's disappearance on February fourteenth. This isn't speculation, it's not
a theory, it's a government record, said Skip Foster, a
former editor for The Shelby Starr who now represents the

(14:40):
Deadmon family. These public records make one thing clear. The
dead Men's did not own the Rambler when Ashia disappeared,
and without the Rambler, the entire theory collapses. Foster added,
let's take another pause from the press release. Here, reading
through the warrants, I'm not seeing a single unified theory.
There is a witness that supposedly saw Asha be pulled

(15:02):
into the Lincoln or Thunderbird, So how can that be
the same theory as one of the dead men girls
being responsible for a tragic accident that the parents helped
cover up. The Rambler connection possibly applies to theory one,
but it doesn't have anything to do with theory two.
As a matter of fact, if theory two is correct,
might it make sense that they bought a new car

(15:23):
to get rid of the one that would have the
evidence of the accident. Of course, if there was another car,
there should be records to show that, and law enforcement
would certainly have those in the case file. But that's
not the only possibility here. So the title and registration
make it clear that the Rambler was purchased one month
after Asha's disappearance. However, it was a personal sale. I've

(15:47):
seen enough episodes of Judge Judy to know that records
can look strange when it comes to personal vehicle exchanges,
particularly if the payment is not made all at one time.
Sometimes you'll have someone break it up into two or
three payments, but allowed the purchaser to use the car
until it's paid off. Would you sign over the title
before you had every dollar of what was owed to you,

(16:10):
I wouldn't. Not only does Skip confirm it was indeed
a personal sale, but my hunch is that the person
that sold the car to the Deadman's may have been
running his own car flipping business. The address listed for
the previous owner is a home, and he only owned
the car for a matter of months before selling it.
And let's not forget where law enforcement learned about that rambler.

(16:33):
One of the warrants from September twenty twenty four mentions
that one of the three deadman daughters told investigators that
she drove a nineteen sixty four AMC Rambler at the
time of degrees disappearance. The Rambler was green and had
been given to her by her father the year before
Degree went missing. Let's get back to the press release.

(16:54):
The podcast also reveals that law enforcement ignored a credible
independent witness, Mickey Cooper, whose said he saw Asia avoiding
a two tone green Lincoln Continental Mark Iour, not a Rambler,
in the early hours of February fourteenth. Cooper came forward
after seeing news reports, but was never contacted again by
the police. Additional revelations include a questionable confession allegedly overheard

(17:18):
at a party fifteen years ago by an admittedly inebriated
witness who didn't tell his wife about it then or
for the past fifteen years, law enforcements selective use of
text messages and polygraph results to suggest guilt while omitting
exculpatory evidence, mounting harm from Reddit fueled rumors and online
attacks based on inaccurate or misleading information released by law enforcement.

(17:42):
This case has been plagued by speculation for twenty five years,
said Foster, now president of Hammerhead Communications in Tallahassee, Florida.
But speculation cannot replace facts. The facts are clear the
dead mens are not responsible for Asha's disappearance. Continuing to
focus on them only diverts attention from finding out what
really happened. The press release then concludes describing more about

(18:06):
Skip and talking about the prosecutor's podcast, which, by the way,
is really good and quickly becoming one of my favorites.
But there was something missing from the press release three
letters to be exact, DNA. If you recall our episode
from last year on this case, I stated the backpack

(18:27):
that was collected all those years ago would prove to
be the catalyst for this latest push for answers. DNA
was found on the new Kids on the Block shirt,
a hairstem to be more precise, and it came back
to a woman named Annalie Deadmon Ramirez. Anna Lee was
only thirteen years old at the time that Asha went missing.
But there was another DNA hit to come from that backpack,

(18:48):
and it isn't a member of the Deadmon family. This
DNA belongs to a man named Russell Underhill. Underhill lived
in two patient facilities owned by the Deadman family. However,
he died in two thousand and four. Investigators have learned
that at one point Connie Deadman oversaw his medication and
Roy Deadman was listed as his emergency contact. Unfortunately, he

(19:09):
was cremated, so additional forensic analysis of Russell's body is impossible.
Roy Deadman's attorney, David Teddy, seems to have a different
idea about all of these developments. Of course, he has
denied that his client has any involvement in Asha's disappearance
and has told the press, I think there will be
info that, sadly will link a person to the circumstances

(19:30):
of Asha's disappearance who is no longer living. So when
the news broke in twenty twenty four about the case updates.
Law enforcement was pretty clear that Russell Underhill was not
a person of interest in this case, but considering his
DNA being found and not knowing why or how he's excluded,

(19:50):
that's always kept me from fully closing that door either way.
In my opinion, the cornerstone of this case before the
DNA may have been the cause, but after that discovery
the DNA is what's most important. How many cases nowadays
are solved by witness description of a vehicle versus case

(20:11):
solved by DNA analysis. Skip acknowledges that there is no
simple explanation for how the hair could have easily transferred
from the dead men's to Asia. However, when it comes
to the DNA evidence as a whole, well, I'm going
to play a clip from the prosecutors so you can
hear him explain it for himself.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
This is Look, this is super thin evidence. And if
you take the rambler away, we've got a kid's DNA
and a resident and a rest home and that's really it,
and that's not an evidence of anything. So I have
a lot of empathy for them. Look, maybe law enforcement's

(20:52):
sitting on some Mountain stuff you know that we don't
know about, but I don't know what it could be.
And I think these folks, I'm glad you are allowing
their side of the story to be told. I think
they deserve it.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Super thin evidence that is not evidence of anything. I
have to wonder, is this PR move really in the
best interest of the Deadmon family if you can't address
the DNA I don't think so, not at all. Even
if you believe that they are innocent, would I advise
them to put out this information in this way, never

(21:33):
not to simply address negativity on social media now? Admittedly,
right now the case is sitting in the court of
public opinion. We're not stupid. We know that they are
legally innocent until proven guilty. And I've already told you
these cases aren't like calling out the winner of a
football game. But no charges have been filed to date.

(21:54):
A good PR approach, in my opinion, would be to
press on that where are the arrests, the charges, and
if you know that you are indeed innocent, file a
civil suit for emotional distress due to law enforcement releasing
those warrants to the public. In my opinion, that information
was unsealed by law enforcement for a reason to help

(22:15):
their investigation by pressuring the family. The second warrant seems
to show that pressure working in some form, but if
they're innocent, that seems like a reasonable emotional distress claim.
To me, Skip seems to believe that law enforcement is
suffering from confirmation bias because he used to face that
when he was working in the news industry. Confirmation bias

(22:38):
does not create fake DNA results. The Prosecutor's podcast episode
is available now on all major podcasts platforms. Learn more
about their excellent show at prosecutors podcast dot com. If
you want to see Hammerhead Agencies case documents and statements,
please visit www dot Hammerhead dot Agency. Forward Slash Deadman.

(23:01):
If there's any good side effect to this pr campaign,
it's that we are again raising exposure to Ash's case.
If you missed our previous episode on Asia Degree, please
take a moment give it a listen. It's obvious that
the investigation hasn't concluded and that they may need more help.
If you can help them, please pick up that phone
and call the FBI at seven zero four six seven

(23:23):
two six' one zero. Zero do you have any comments
or a case you'd like to, suggest feel free to
send it to. Me you could find a case submission
form at lordnarts dot. Com thank YOU, WBTV, WCNC, Wccb
The Charlotte, Observer Shelby starmyfoxightindependent dot co DOT uk for
information contributing to today's. Story this episode was written By

(23:47):
John lorden and produced By Lord. Nart's thank you to
our audience who joined us for the recording session hosted
live on the YouTube Channel Lord Nart's studio Two special
thanks To Seriously mysterious financial Supporters Lindsey, Morgan Robert, Martin,
Diana kira McQueen And Misty. Kate most of, all thank
you for. Listening I'm John. Lorden please join me again

(24:09):
next week for another CASE i know you'll find seriously
mysterious