Speaker 1: Hello friends, Steve Stockton here with you. Welcome to the
Speaker 1: seventh episode of our unbelievably creepy and bizarre missing person
Speaker 1: cases series. Today we present five more missing person cases
Speaker 1: that defy the imagination. But before we begin, I'd like
Speaker 1: to remind everyone that we have over 200 videos on
Speaker 1: the channel. Some of our best videos have hardly been
Speaker 1: watched by our subscribers. Ever since the creation of this channel,
Speaker 1: it seems we've been fighting to get some of our
Speaker 1: videos noticed. So, since they're not being recommended by YouTube,
Speaker 1: we've attached cards that you can click on during the video.
Speaker 1: At the end of every video, we've included links to
Speaker 1: playlists that you can enjoy. Some of these playlists are
Speaker 1: in excess of 30 hours in length. So make sure
Speaker 1: you take a look and let's work together to get
Speaker 1: some of these cases solved. With that said, let's begin.
Speaker 1: First up, Eloise Way. 48-year-old Eloise Way was doing the
Speaker 1: best she could to navigate her way through life. She
Speaker 1: had been widowed by her first husband, and now that
Speaker 1: her two children, a son and a daughter, had grown
Speaker 1: up and begun lives of their own, she knew it
Speaker 1: was time to come into her own again. Eloise had
Speaker 1: recently gotten engaged to her boyfriend from Brunswick, Georgia, and
Speaker 1: with any luck, the two would be getting married in
Speaker 1: the near future. Unfortunately, that future disappeared from Eloise and
Speaker 1: her family. in what has become one of South Carolina's
Speaker 1: most bizarre disappearances. There are few clues and no breadcrumb
Speaker 1: trail to follow when it comes to Eloise. Decades later,
Speaker 1: her case remains unsolved. August 15th, 1962 started like any
Speaker 1: other day for 48-year-old Eloise Way of Charleston, South Carolina.
Speaker 1: She got herself ready for work and headed to the
Speaker 1: Atlantic Coast Life Insurance office on Wentworth Street, where she'd
Speaker 1: worked for the past 10 years. She was employed as
Speaker 1: a bookkeeper and a secretary, and was regarded as a
Speaker 1: hard-working and reliable employee. The morning went on as normal,
Speaker 1: with the employees of the insurance firm going about their
Speaker 1: duties and setting up for the day ahead. At around
Speaker 1: 10 a.m., Eloise put her lunch in her desk drawer,
Speaker 1: put her bifocal glasses on top of her desk, and
Speaker 1: left work, headed to the bank. According to the Charlie Project,
Speaker 1: Eloise was carrying $ 1, 458 in cash, $ 8. 83 in coins, and $ 729. 47
Speaker 1: in checks that all needed to be cashed at the
Speaker 1: local First National Bank and CNS Bank as part of
Speaker 1: her bookkeeping duties. Both banks were just four blocks away,
Speaker 1: and it was a journey that Eloise had taken hundreds
Speaker 1: of times over the past ten years. She waved goodbye
Speaker 1: to her colleagues and stepped out onto Wentworth Street. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: this was the last time that Eloise was ever seen,
Speaker 1: and since that morning, she has remained a missing person.
Speaker 1: An hour passed, and her colleagues became suspicious that she
Speaker 1: had been gone for so long. After waiting a little
Speaker 1: while longer, they decided to call the bank to see
Speaker 1: what the holdup was, only to be informed that Eloise
Speaker 1: had never made it. The money had not been deposited,
Speaker 1: the checks not cashed, and Eloise was nowhere to be found.
Speaker 1: This was extraordinarily out of character for Eloise, and after
Speaker 1: four hours had passed and she still hadn't returned to
Speaker 1: the office, she was officially reported missing to the Charleston
Speaker 1: Police Department. The police immediately sprung into action, arriving at
Speaker 1: the office shortly after and officially opening their investigation. All
Speaker 1: of her colleagues were questioned extensively, but nobody had any
Speaker 1: idea as to where she could have gone. Her son
Speaker 1: and daughter were also questioned, but they had no idea
Speaker 1: where their mother could be. Wanting to help the investigation,
Speaker 1: her daughter, who has not been identified publicly aside from
Speaker 1: her initials and surname, went to her mother's apartment, hoping
Speaker 1: to find her there. According to reports, however, her daughter
Speaker 1: went to her mother's apartment and found that everything was
Speaker 1: in order and that nothing appeared to be missing. There
Speaker 1: was no indication that Eloise had run off of her
Speaker 1: own volition and now those who knew her were beginning
Speaker 1: to grow more and more anxious. The police spoke with
Speaker 1: Eloise's boyfriend but quickly determined that she had not gone
Speaker 1: to be with him. Her case was turning into a
Speaker 1: deeply puzzling mystery and decades later, It remains as such.
Speaker 1: Witnesses on Wentworth Street were interviewed, and one witness was
Speaker 1: able to provide the Charleston Police Department with a possible sighting.
Speaker 1: According to this eyewitness, on the day that Eloise went missing,
Speaker 1: they saw a woman talking to a man in his 40s,
Speaker 1: driving a car without estate license plates. The woman was
Speaker 1: talking to the man through the car window outside the
Speaker 1: office where she worked, and then the woman walked away.
Speaker 1: The man then followed the woman, talking to her, to
Speaker 1: which the woman jumped into the car and the two
Speaker 1: drove away. Charleston PD has never been able to confirm
Speaker 1: whether this sighting was of Eloise Way, but it appears
Speaker 1: to be the only clue that we have in her disappearance.
Speaker 1: Eloise's family did and still hold the theory that Eloise
Speaker 1: met with foul play, but it's the hands of whom
Speaker 1: they aren't able to say. Over the years, there have
Speaker 1: been a few theories tossed around, but nothing concrete has
Speaker 1: ever arisen. Sadly, Eloise's son, Ronnie, passed away in 2009
Speaker 1: without ever finding out what happened to his mother. Eloise
Speaker 1: Way was last seen on August 15, 1962, at the
Speaker 1: Atlantic Coast Life Insurance Company on Wentworth Street in Charleston,
Speaker 1: South Carolina. She is described as a white female with
Speaker 1: brown hair and is known to wear bifocal glasses, although
Speaker 1: she left them behind that day at work. She was
Speaker 1: last seen wearing a yellow dress with white stripes, tan shoes, sunglasses,
Speaker 1: and was carrying a large white bag. Eloise did not
Speaker 1: have a driver's license and didn't like to be out
Speaker 1: of the house after dark. Anyone with information is asked
Speaker 1: to please contact the Charleston Police Department at 843-577-7434. Number 4.
Speaker 1: Box Lady of Benton County The Skoog family of Otterbane,
Speaker 1: Indiana was a hardworking farming family. much like the other
Speaker 1: families in the area. In 1976, Otterbane was a small
Speaker 1: and quiet community filled with farmers with plenty of fields
Speaker 1: and farmlands to tend and to ensure that food reached
Speaker 1: every corner of the state and beyond. Not much happened
Speaker 1: in Otterbane, aside from the odd incident, and it was
Speaker 1: a town where everyone knew everyone and everyone's business. One
Speaker 1: October day in 1976, all that changed, and ever since
Speaker 1: that day, Utterbane, Indiana has been at the center of
Speaker 1: the most perplexing Jane Doe case in U.S. history. October 8,
Speaker 1: 1976 started normally for the Skuggs. They woke up early,
Speaker 1: got changed into their work gear, and sat out onto
Speaker 1: the field for the long day ahead of them. Norman
Speaker 1: Skugg headed out into his cornfields on his combine harvester,
Speaker 1: going up and down the fields, watching the world go by.
Speaker 1: At 5.30 p.m., Norman was making his way through the cornfield,
Speaker 1: when he noticed a large three-by-two-by-one-foot cardboard box sitting squarely
Speaker 1: amongst the corn. He hopped out of the cab of
Speaker 1: his combine to move it so he could continue working,
Speaker 1: but as he went to lift it, he noticed that
Speaker 1: it was extraordinarily heavy. Despite multiple attempts, Norman gave up
Speaker 1: doing it by himself and summoned his father-in-law to the
Speaker 1: scene with his truck. The two men loaded the heavy
Speaker 1: box into the bed of the truck and drove it
Speaker 1: back to the Skug household. When they arrived home and
Speaker 1: walked around to the back of the truck, They were
Speaker 1: joined by 16-year-old Curtis, Norman's son, who had been tasked
Speaker 1: with cutting the grass and taking care of other odd jobs.
Speaker 1: The three men inspected the box and noticed that there
Speaker 1: was a very strong odor emanating from it, but not
Speaker 1: a pungent smell. It was more of a smell of
Speaker 1: a cheap, sickly sweet perfume that caught their attention, prompting
Speaker 1: them to dig deeper. As they rummaged through the box,
Speaker 1: they found something wrapped in layers of thick, heavy plastic,
Speaker 1: as well as a broken bottle of perfume. most likely
Speaker 1: to cover up the smell of whatever was inside. By
Speaker 1: this point, Norman knew that something wasn't right, and he
Speaker 1: called the sheriff's office and asked them to come over immediately.
Speaker 1: When the sheriff arrived and unwrapped the plastic, they discovered
Speaker 1: a horrific sight. Bound in the fetal position was the
Speaker 1: body of an adult woman, wearing green pants and a
Speaker 1: green and tan shirt. Everyone at the Skoug household then,
Speaker 1: including the sheriffs and the police officers, were stunned. How
Speaker 1: had this box made its way to the Skug farm?
Speaker 1: And more importantly, who was she? Who was the woman
Speaker 1: in the box? Unfortunately, almost 46 years later, the Indiana
Speaker 1: State Police are still trying to find out who she is.
Speaker 1: A cordon was placed around the field where she was
Speaker 1: found and her body was taken to the coroner's office
Speaker 1: for an autopsy. Unfortunately, the autopsy would only add more
Speaker 1: harrowing details to this case and the coroner determined that
Speaker 1: her post-mortem index was between 7 to 10 days. One
Speaker 1: gunshot wound was discovered at the base of her neck,
Speaker 1: but there was no identification or personal items found with her.
Speaker 1: The coroner provided a full description of the woman who
Speaker 1: would come to be known as the Box Lady of
Speaker 1: Benton County. These details include her appearance and other specifics
Speaker 1: that may be relevant to her identification. The coroner noted,
Speaker 1: quoting here, she is a white lady between the ages
Speaker 1: of 55 and 65, 5 foot 2 inches tall, and
Speaker 1: around 160 pounds. She had light brown, partially graying hair
Speaker 1: and brown eyes. She had an upturned nose with a
Speaker 1: distinctive bump beneath the bridge, large ears and calloused hands.
Speaker 1: The coroner also discovered that the woman had undergone a
Speaker 1: radical mastectomy on her right side, meaning that she had
Speaker 1: suffered from some form of breast cancer. Other scars found
Speaker 1: indicated that that she had also had a few more surgeries,
Speaker 1: with one scar running vertically on her torso from sternum
Speaker 1: to stomach. One detail that also stood out during the
Speaker 1: research was that the coroner noted that while the woman
Speaker 1: had undergone dental work in her life, she was in
Speaker 1: need of a lot more. With this full profile that
Speaker 1: exists on the Doe Network, investigators set about trying to
Speaker 1: figure out who this woman was and who placed her
Speaker 1: in the cornfield. Her earlier extensive dental work possibly signified
Speaker 1: that she had money at some point in her life. However,
Speaker 1: in the years before her passing, she no longer had
Speaker 1: access to dental care for whatever reason, and that was
Speaker 1: why she was in need of additional dental work. As
Speaker 1: it was 1976, one of the only options that investigators
Speaker 1: had at their disposal was fingerprints. and her prints were
Speaker 1: taken and ran through several databases. Unfortunately, this yielded no results,
Speaker 1: and investigators found themselves back at square one. Without so
Speaker 1: much as even a hint of a name, investigators were
Speaker 1: unable to trawl through medical records looking for a possible match.
Speaker 1: While her medical history was plain for the coroner to see,
Speaker 1: it would be impossible to search every medical record across
Speaker 1: the country of women who had undergone radical mastectomies. Investigators
Speaker 1: didn't give up hope, though. and they circulated details about
Speaker 1: the box lady through Benton County and beyond, hoping that
Speaker 1: someone would recognize her. But heartbreakingly, no one ever did.
Speaker 1: A few people came forward, wondering whether it was their
Speaker 1: missing friend or family member, but all leads eventually fizzled
Speaker 1: out into nothing. Investigators then turned their attention to the
Speaker 1: 3x2x1 foot cardboard box that the woman was found in,
Speaker 1: hoping that maybe it held some potential clues. This is
Speaker 1: what they were able to discover. The box that the
Speaker 1: woman had been found in had been stamped with the
Speaker 1: words Wardrobe and Hall Closet and was produced by a
Speaker 1: company based in Melrose, Illinois. This company produced these boxes
Speaker 1: for moving and storage companies in Gary and Hammond, Indiana, Chicago,
Speaker 1: southern Michigan, and parts of Wisconsin. This was a very
Speaker 1: large distribution area, but for investigators, it was a start.
Speaker 1: Trying to track down the companies that had used these
Speaker 1: boxes and exactly where that box, in particular, had originated,
Speaker 1: was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. But
Speaker 1: while they were looking over the box, investigators did stumble
Speaker 1: across another lead. That lead came in the form of
Speaker 1: Norman Skook, the man who discovered the box that fateful
Speaker 1: October afternoon. When the box was first discovered and investigators
Speaker 1: arrived at the scene, they noticed that the box was
Speaker 1: bone dry. According to the Doe Network's profile of the
Speaker 1: box lady of Benton County, Law enforcement believes that the
Speaker 1: body had been left in the cornfield about 12 hours
Speaker 1: before it was located because the box wasn't wet and
Speaker 1: it had rained earlier. Now, the window of time was
Speaker 1: becoming narrower and narrower, and the next clue would be shocking.
Speaker 1: Norman and those in Otterbane and the surrounding farms knew
Speaker 1: everyone and their business. That's just the way the small-town
Speaker 1: life is. Ask anyone who grew up in a rural
Speaker 1: place and they'll tell you the same. So why had
Speaker 1: nobody noticed an out-of-towner near the Skuggs farm on the
Speaker 1: morning of October 8th? Most of the farmers would have
Speaker 1: already been up and out on the fields at that
Speaker 1: time of morning, and they would have certainly noticed if
Speaker 1: a strange truck or car was cruising around. Then came
Speaker 1: the fact that none of the crops around the box
Speaker 1: had been disturbed. If Norman had to get assistance lifting
Speaker 1: the heavy box, then how had it been placed there
Speaker 1: so delicately, given its heavy contents? Well, Investigators got their
Speaker 1: answer when they began talking to residents of nearby farms
Speaker 1: and houses. On the morning of October 8th, 1976, they
Speaker 1: had remembered seeing a helicopter flying over the Skug farm,
Speaker 1: and apparently it wasn't just any old helicopter, but a
Speaker 1: white and gold Bell Jet Ranger, a helicopter reserved for
Speaker 1: wealthy businessman types. This strange and out-of-place helicopter was also
Speaker 1: seen hovering over the Skug farmland before rushing off back
Speaker 1: into the air. This definitely could explain how the box
Speaker 1: was placed there so delicately. So who would have had
Speaker 1: access to a helicopter that fancy? And why did they
Speaker 1: choose a rural Indiana farm as a dumping site? Well,
Speaker 1: this ties into one of the many theories in the
Speaker 1: case of the Box Lady of Benton County. One theory
Speaker 1: that is often thrown around online is that the mafia,
Speaker 1: or someone who's very rich, very important, and very powerful,
Speaker 1: is somehow involved, and that the woman either saw or
Speaker 1: heard something she wasn't supposed to. A few sleuths noted
Speaker 1: that the woman's calloused hands may be a result of
Speaker 1: being a cleaner for many years and theorized that perhaps
Speaker 1: she was a janitor or cleaning lady who overheard something
Speaker 1: she shouldn't while working for her clients. But why dispose
Speaker 1: of her in such an elaborate way, in a place
Speaker 1: that she was sure to be found? These are answers
Speaker 1: that only those responsible know. The box lady of Benton
Speaker 1: County was eventually laid to rest in the Fowler Cemetery
Speaker 1: in an unmarked grave. There was no headstone bearing her
Speaker 1: name and no flowers or trinkets from those who knew
Speaker 1: and loved her in life. For the residents of Otterbane
Speaker 1: and Benton County, the case of the lady in the
Speaker 1: box haunted them, and the Benton County coroner vowed to
Speaker 1: never give up on the hunt for justice. Even after
Speaker 1: 40-plus years have passed, the case of the box lady
Speaker 1: of Benton County still lingers in the minds of the
Speaker 1: coroner's office and the police. In 2019, Benton County Coroner
Speaker 1: Matt Rosenberger helped to obtain a search warrant to excavate
Speaker 1: the box lady's grave and put to rest the mystery
Speaker 1: once and for all. Rosenbarger and scientists from the Human
Speaker 1: Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis successfully excavated her
Speaker 1: grave and she is now undergoing DNA testing. Rosenbarger told
Speaker 1: the Journal and Courier, I know it really bothered all
Speaker 1: of them that they couldn't resolve that, meaning old investigators
Speaker 1: on the case. The previous investigation deserved the extra effort
Speaker 1: now that science has caught up. They worked so hard,
Speaker 1: and I wanted to carry that torch for them, I guess.
Speaker 1: This case will not be a top priority as other
Speaker 1: things come up. We're a small county, so to jump
Speaker 1: into this was a huge undertaking. But getting her exhumed
Speaker 1: gets us going down that road. In the 2019 Journal
Speaker 1: and Courier article, a note was added to the bottom
Speaker 1: with a call to action for the Box Lady's case.
Speaker 1: It's unknown whether the Benton County Coroner's Office has reached
Speaker 1: its funding goal, However, if you wish to donate, you're
Speaker 1: asked to send your contributions to the following address as
Speaker 1: per the article. Benton County Auditor, 706 East 5th Street,
Speaker 1: Suite 21. Attention, B.C. Auditor, Jane Doe Fund, Fowler, Indiana,
Speaker 1: Zip 47944. The box lady of Benton County was discovered
Speaker 1: on October 8th, 1976 and is described as a white
Speaker 1: female with light brown graying hair. brown eyes, standing approximately
Speaker 1: 5'2 and weighing 160 pounds. She has had a radical
Speaker 1: mastectomy on her right side and a scar on her
Speaker 1: torso that runs from her sternum to her stomach. She
Speaker 1: has an upturned nose with a bump beneath the bridge,
Speaker 1: large ears, and calloused hands. She was found wearing green
Speaker 1: trousers and a green and tan shirt. DNA, dentals, and
Speaker 1: fingerprints are available for comparison, and anyone with any information
Speaker 1: is asked to please contact the Benton County Coroner's Office
Speaker 1: F765-418-2295 and reference case number 2019-001. Number three, Pa Pao.
Speaker 1: 30-year-old Pa Pao, originally from Thailand, had settled in Aberdeen,
Speaker 1: South Dakota, with her husband, Sa Do, and their four children.
Speaker 1: The family had first moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, before settling
Speaker 1: into South Dakota and was looking forward to the rest
Speaker 1: of their lives together. While Pa and her husband Sa
Speaker 1: may have looked happy on the outside, inside there were
Speaker 1: issues with the marriage. And then, in April 2016, Pa
Speaker 1: mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving her family behind. According
Speaker 1: to her husband, Pa had recently gotten a job at
Speaker 1: the Demkoda beef plant to help support the family. Around
Speaker 1: this time, Pa had also gotten herself a boyfriend and
Speaker 1: had blocked him on Facebook so that he couldn't contact her.
Speaker 1: Saw told investigators that his wife would regularly leave home
Speaker 1: for days at a time, usually after an argument, but
Speaker 1: would always come home after a short while. In late
Speaker 1: April 2016, Saw had failed to show up for a
Speaker 1: few shifts at the Demkoda beef plant, and her employers
Speaker 1: had noticed her absence. Although she had only worked there
Speaker 1: for around three months, it was said to be out
Speaker 1: of character for her to miss a shift, and after
Speaker 1: a few days had passed, they contacted her friends and family.
Speaker 1: After hearing the news, Sa reported his wife missing and
Speaker 1: this report was not filed until a week after she
Speaker 1: was last seen. According to Sa, this is because of
Speaker 1: a communication error. This communication error was that Sa and
Speaker 1: her family thought she was with friends. Meanwhile, her friends
Speaker 1: thought she was with her family. After realizing that she
Speaker 1: was nowhere to be found, a police report was filed
Speaker 1: and Pa was officially listed as a missing person. During
Speaker 1: the investigation, Pa's oldest son, who was 10 years old
Speaker 1: at the time of disappearance, told his father something very troubling.
Speaker 1: On April 17, 2016, the 10-year-old observed his mother walk
Speaker 1: out of the house and get into a car with
Speaker 1: a man. The child did not know the man's name,
Speaker 1: but he told his father he did recognize him. During
Speaker 1: that time, Sa was out of the house with the
Speaker 1: couple's youngest child, just 17 months old, and the two
Speaker 1: had gone to the local park. According to Saw, when
Speaker 1: he returned home at around 7 p.m., Pa was gone.
Speaker 1: Perhaps he believed that his wife had taken off like
Speaker 1: she usually had and that she would be back in
Speaker 1: a few days. It wasn't until he was contacted by
Speaker 1: her workplace that he knew something was seriously wrong. After
Speaker 1: she was reported missing, her friends and family tried to
Speaker 1: call her phone, but it had been turned off. Those
Speaker 1: who are closest to Pa say that it is extremely
Speaker 1: out of character for her to leave without warning and
Speaker 1: without making contact with anyone. All of Pa's belongings were
Speaker 1: found at her Aberdeen home, complete with pictures of her
Speaker 1: family on the wall. If she had left of her
Speaker 1: own volition, she most likely would have taken these things.
Speaker 1: Despite extensive searches, no sign of Pa has ever been found,
Speaker 1: and the FBI as well as the Aberdeen Police Department
Speaker 1: have confirmed that she is not with her boyfriend, and
Speaker 1: has not made contact with her family back in Thailand.
Speaker 1: The FBI became involved in Pa's case, and since issued
Speaker 1: a VICAP, that's the Violent Crime Apprehension Program, alert. Pa
Speaker 1: is described as an Asian female, with dark brown hair,
Speaker 1: brown eyes, stands 5'2, and weighs 110 pounds. Pa speaks
Speaker 1: Korean and Thai fluently, and has very limited English. She
Speaker 1: also suffers from seizures when she's upset, and has a
Speaker 1: history of depression and anxiety. She also has four teeth
Speaker 1: missing with five dental restorations. She was last seen wearing
Speaker 1: a white shirt, blue jeans, pink tennis shoes, a silver ring,
Speaker 1: and a silver heart necklace. Pa's DNA and a familial
Speaker 1: DNA sample are also available. Anyone with any information as
Speaker 1: to what happened to Pa or where she might be,
Speaker 1: search to please contact the Aberdeen Police Department at 605-626-7003
Speaker 1: or the FBI VICAP office. at 1-800-634-4097. Number two, Asha Degree.
Speaker 1: Valentine's Day 2022 marked the 22nd anniversary of nine-year-old Asha
Speaker 1: Jaquila Degree's disappearance. Her disappearance has baffled investigators, online sleuths,
Speaker 1: and all those who have come across it for over
Speaker 1: a decade now. There have been theories, possible leads, and
Speaker 1: a myriad of other chatter in Asha's case, but no resolution.
Speaker 1: Asha remains missing after 22 years, and the FBI is
Speaker 1: offering a $ 25, 000 reward to anyone with information that can
Speaker 1: help bring her home. Asha and her brother, O'Brien Degree,
Speaker 1: were raised in the loving and hardworking household of Harold
Speaker 1: and Akilah Degree in Shelby, North Carolina. Several articles state
Speaker 1: that the two siblings were somewhat latchkey kids, but this
Speaker 1: was because Harold and Akilah were at work, working hard
Speaker 1: to provide a better future for their children. By all accounts,
Speaker 1: Asha and O'Brien were loved and well cared for, and
Speaker 1: the events of February 14, 2000 shattered them. Nine-year-old Asha
Speaker 1: was in the fourth grade at Foster Elementary School, and
Speaker 1: like most girls her age, Asha loved to read, to play,
Speaker 1: and to run around whenever she could. She was also
Speaker 1: on the school's basketball team, and it was something that
Speaker 1: she enjoyed doing thoroughly. On February 12, 2000, Asha experienced
Speaker 1: setback and disappointment for possibly the first, though certainly not
Speaker 1: the last time in her life. The team lost the
Speaker 1: first game of the season, and as the girls were
Speaker 1: still young, it took them some time to comprehend and
Speaker 1: get over the loss. According to the adults in attendance,
Speaker 1: a few slices of pizza later, the girls were back
Speaker 1: to repping in giggles and the woes of the basketball
Speaker 1: game had all but been forgotten. The Degree household was
Speaker 1: excited for February 14th, not just because it was Valentine's Day,
Speaker 1: but because it was Harold and Akilah's wedding anniversary. The
Speaker 1: couple tucked Asha and O'Brien into bed at around 8 p.m.
Speaker 1: and retired downstairs to ponder how they would spend the
Speaker 1: romantic occasion tomorrow. Instead of waking up to kisses and
Speaker 1: cuddles from their two children, Harold and Akilah woke to
Speaker 1: every parent's worst nightmare. As Akilah called out to her
Speaker 1: children to get them ready for school, she was met
Speaker 1: with just one voice. She quickly found that Asha was
Speaker 1: not in her bed and wasn't anywhere else in the house.
Speaker 1: Akilah called out for her husband and they began searching
Speaker 1: the house again, calling Akilah's mother in a state of panic.
Speaker 1: With no sight of their daughter, Harold and Akilah's romantic
Speaker 1: day had quickly turned into a day they would never forget.
Speaker 1: The Shelby Police Department were summoned to the home and
Speaker 1: a missing person investigation was opened. All the windows and
Speaker 1: doors to the Degree household had been closed and locked
Speaker 1: that night and all signs pointed to Asha leaving of
Speaker 1: her own accord. But why? As the investigation began, The
Speaker 1: Shelby Police Department found that Asha's school book bag was
Speaker 1: missing and that she'd taken with her her house keys,
Speaker 1: which she kept in the book bag, a few pairs
Speaker 1: of clothing, and several other personal items. Those items were
Speaker 1: a black Tweety Bird purse, a pair of blue jeans
Speaker 1: with a red stripe, black tennis shoes, a long-sleeved white
Speaker 1: shirt with purple lettering, a red vest and black trim,
Speaker 1: black overalls with Tweety Bird on them, and a long-sleeved
Speaker 1: black and white shirt. O'Brien also told investigators that around 2.30 a.m.
Speaker 1: he had heard Asha's bed squeak and that he may
Speaker 1: have also seen her standing in the room. With it
Speaker 1: being so late or early, he just assumed that she
Speaker 1: was going to the bathroom and quickly fell back to sleep.
Speaker 1: The investigation continued and the Shelby Police Department continued to
Speaker 1: look for Asha and put out a news report about
Speaker 1: the girl's disappearance. This news report prompted a witness sighting
Speaker 1: that is believed to be the last time that Asha
Speaker 1: Degree was ever seen. After hearing and seeing the report
Speaker 1: of missing Asha, the witnesses came forward to tell the
Speaker 1: police that they had seen Asha, or at least a
Speaker 1: girl matching her description, walking southbound along Highway 18 near
Speaker 1: the junction of Highway 180. They described seeing a girl
Speaker 1: wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and white pants and were
Speaker 1: alarmed at what they saw. In the early morning hours
Speaker 1: of February 13, 2000, it had been raining and it
Speaker 1: also appears that there was a storm brewing. The bad weather,
Speaker 1: paired with the time, around 3.45 a.m. to 4.15 a.m.,
Speaker 1: alarmed the two people, a truck driver and a motorist,
Speaker 1: as a young child should not be out wandering along
Speaker 1: a highway alone, even without the two conditions listed. It
Speaker 1: seems that multiple people passed Asha, but these two were
Speaker 1: the only ones who took note of her and one
Speaker 1: of them tried to get closer to her to offer
Speaker 1: some assistance. Unfortunately, this scared Asha, and she ran off
Speaker 1: into the woods as the rain pelted down on the
Speaker 1: windshield of the driver's car. Now investigators are left to wonder,
Speaker 1: why had Asha left her home in the middle of
Speaker 1: the night, during a stormy and rainy night at that?
Speaker 1: She had left without a coat or suitable attire for
Speaker 1: the weather, but really, why had a nine-year-old left home, alone,
Speaker 1: at all, in the middle of the night? Both Harold
Speaker 1: and Akilah allowed investigators to search their home for any
Speaker 1: sign of what could have happened to Asha, and it
Speaker 1: was discovered that the family didn't own a computer, as
Speaker 1: Harold Akilah was concerned about the dangers of the internet.
Speaker 1: The Degree family were prominent members of their church, and
Speaker 1: Asha and O'Brien were doing well at school, and the
Speaker 1: children had circles of friends around them. Families from both
Speaker 1: sides were involved in the children's lives, and the Degree
Speaker 1: family had no idea why Asha would want to up
Speaker 1: and leave. Those in the community rallied behind Harold and
Speaker 1: Akilah during this horrific time, and offered their support however
Speaker 1: they could. People in the community kept a close eye
Speaker 1: out for Asha, and missing person posters were placed all
Speaker 1: around Shelby and beyond. Three days later, the Shelby Police
Speaker 1: Department was alerted to a discovery along Highway 18 where
Speaker 1: Asha was believed to have last been spotted. Near the
Speaker 1: doorway of a shed belonging to Turner's Upholstery, investigators found
Speaker 1: candy wrappers, a pencil, a marker pen, and a hair bow.
Speaker 1: The community watched on as the discovery was made and
Speaker 1: braced themselves for what might come next. But then, Asha's
Speaker 1: case went cold for another year, leaving her friends and
Speaker 1: family alone in the dark. Those in Shelby didn't forget
Speaker 1: about Asha, and on August 3rd, 2001, yet another heartbreaking
Speaker 1: discovery was made. On that day, a contractor working at
Speaker 1: a construction site in Burke County along Highway 18 discovered
Speaker 1: a black garbage bag that had been buried. Curious to
Speaker 1: see what was inside, he opened the bag up and
Speaker 1: found another garbage bag inside. Upon opening the second bag,
Speaker 1: he found a book bag that had the name Asha
Speaker 1: Degree written inside along with a telephone number. The Shelby
Speaker 1: police were immediately summoned to the scene and began searching
Speaker 1: the rest of the area for any potential clues. Inside
Speaker 1: the book bag, investigators found a copy of the Dr.
Speaker 1: Seuss book, McElligot's Pool, which had been checked out in
Speaker 1: the Fawcett Elementary Library, and a shirt that had New
Speaker 1: Kids on the Block written on it. A pair of
Speaker 1: men's khaki pants were also recovered. However, investigators have not
Speaker 1: said that these are linked to Asha's disappearance. The book
Speaker 1: bag was sent to the FBI for forensic testing, but
Speaker 1: the results of such tests have never been made available
Speaker 1: to the public, likely to preserve the integrity of the case.
Speaker 1: Leads and tips have continued to trickle in, and in 2016,
Speaker 1: the FBI announced that Asha may have been seen getting
Speaker 1: into a dark green early 1970s Lincoln Continental Mark IV
Speaker 1: or a Ford Thunderbird with rust near its rear wheel wells.
Speaker 1: A few people have come forward over the years, claiming
Speaker 1: to know what happened to Asha, but no solid evidence
Speaker 1: has ever been brought to light. Her family continues to
Speaker 1: fight for justice, and the local community has also offered
Speaker 1: up an additional $ 20, 000 reward for any information that helps
Speaker 1: bring Asha home. Asha Degree was last seen possibly walking
Speaker 1: down Highway 18 on February 14, 2000, during a wet
Speaker 1: and stormy morning. She is described as a black female
Speaker 1: with black hair and brown eyes, time of her disappearance
Speaker 1: she stood 4'6 inches tall and weighed 60 pounds. She
Speaker 1: was observed possibly wearing a white nightshirt with a teddy
Speaker 1: bear on it, acid-washed or white jeans, and white size
Speaker 1: 3 Nike brand tennis shoes, carrying a book bag and
Speaker 1: a Tweety Bird purse. Images of Asha at 9 years
Speaker 1: old and age progressed to 29 years old are available online,
Speaker 1: and anyone with any information is asked to please contact
Speaker 1: Detective Tim Adams with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office at
Speaker 1: 704-484-4822 and reference case number 000081CVC. Or you can contact
Speaker 1: the FBI's Charlotte office at 704-672. 6100. And number one,
Speaker 1: Elnaz Hashtamiri. The case of Elnaz Hashtamiri is a case
Speaker 1: that needs our immediate attention and our immediate action. We'll
Speaker 1: even preface this by saying, if you have any information
Speaker 1: about Elnaz's case, please contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-833-728-3415.
Speaker 1: On January 12, 2022, Elnaz Hashtamiri, who may also use
Speaker 1: the surname Tamiri, was abducted from a relative's home in
Speaker 1: Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Elnaz had been staying with a family
Speaker 1: member after she had been at the receiving end of
Speaker 1: harassment and violence in the last few months. At around 8.30 p.m.
Speaker 1: that night, three men turned up at Elnaz's relative's house
Speaker 1: dressed in police gear, claiming to have a warrant for
Speaker 1: her arrest. A struggle ensued in which Elnaz was overpowered
Speaker 1: and then thrown into a white Lexus RX SUV. In
Speaker 1: the months before abduction, Elnaz had been attacked in the
Speaker 1: parking garage of her Richmond Hill apartment complex and had
Speaker 1: been told to go and stay with a family member
Speaker 1: until the police could resolve the matter. According to a
Speaker 1: CBC article written about Elnaz's case, Elnaz, originally from Iran,
Speaker 1: went to Canada in 2018 for work and ended up
Speaker 1: finding that her passion was cake making. She began building
Speaker 1: her own cake making business and seemed to be happy
Speaker 1: in her new surroundings. Also while in Canada, she met
Speaker 1: a man named Mohamed Lilo. and the two were in
Speaker 1: a relationship for a while. Elnaz broke up with Mohamed
Speaker 1: in October of 2021, and Mohamed was not happy about
Speaker 1: the relationship coming to an end. Soon after Elnaz had
Speaker 1: broken things off with Mohamed, he began harassing her, and
Speaker 1: the first report of his behavior was made on November 19th, 2021,
Speaker 1: when he turned up at her apartment and refused to leave.
Speaker 1: That wouldn't be the last time that the York Regional
Speaker 1: Police would be made aware of the escalating threats and
Speaker 1: violence against Elnaz, though. Instead of taking action, the York
Speaker 1: Regional Police told Muhammad to stay away from her, and
Speaker 1: that was the end of the matter. As expected, this
Speaker 1: did nothing but enrage Muhammad further, and a month later,
Speaker 1: on December 21st, Elnaz was attacked by two men while
Speaker 1: in the parking garage of her apartment complex. Elnaz had
Speaker 1: to have in excess of 35 stitches in her head,
Speaker 1: and again, the York Regional Police took no action, and
Speaker 1: nobody was ever charged with this attack. Elnaz's cousin spoke
Speaker 1: to CBC and asked not to be named for safety reasons.
Speaker 1: This cousin told CBC, I don't want to think that
Speaker 1: Elnaz's abduction was a result of not only evil intention
Speaker 1: toward her by her assailants, but also being neglected by
Speaker 1: the system of which I am a part of. This
Speaker 1: cousin also revealed to CBC that Elnaz believed that she
Speaker 1: was being watched and tracked in December of 2021, a
Speaker 1: fact that was confirmed when three tracking devices were found
Speaker 1: on the car that Elnaz had been leasing. There should
Speaker 1: have been a proper safety plan put in place, but
Speaker 1: it appears from various articles that Elnaz was instructed to
Speaker 1: move to a quieter place with relatives. Elnaz had gone
Speaker 1: to the police during these incidents and had also hired
Speaker 1: Devin Baines to help with her case. Baines has also
Speaker 1: been running his own investigation alongside that of the Canadian
Speaker 1: law enforcement officials and told the Star she turned to
Speaker 1: the police services, doing really everything that she should have done,
Speaker 1: for help because she was endangered. We know that the
Speaker 1: police were aware that there was more substance to her
Speaker 1: concerns that she was in imminent danger. That was obvious
Speaker 1: from the evidence that the police had in front of
Speaker 1: them and that it was necessary that she be protected
Speaker 1: in every way possible. The article for The Star also
Speaker 1: detailed how Elnaz had found two tracking devices on her
Speaker 1: leased car in November and that another was discovered in
Speaker 1: December following the attack. On January 10th, just two days
Speaker 1: before abduction, Elnaz also returned to her apartment in Richmond
Speaker 1: Hill to grab clothes, her phone, and her car. It's
Speaker 1: not known whether these items were ever searched to ensure
Speaker 1: that Elnaz wasn't being tracked again. Since Elnaz's abduction, a
Speaker 1: large-scale search has been in operation with those in both
Speaker 1: areas helping out Elnaz's distraught family. Her friends have also
Speaker 1: taken to social media to help spread the word about
Speaker 1: Elnaz's abduction and have reached out to several large true
Speaker 1: crime creators to help spread the word and bring more
Speaker 1: awareness to Elnaz's case. On January 21, 2022, Mohamed, Elnaz's ex-boyfriend,
Speaker 1: was charged with criminal harassment by the Ontario Provincial Police
Speaker 1: and was released on bail shortly thereafter. According to an
Speaker 1: article following his arrest, CBC said, Police wouldn't confirm who
Speaker 1: the alleged victim in the case is, but multiple sources
Speaker 1: said it is indeed the 37-year-old Elnaz Hajdamiri. Photographs of
Speaker 1: two suspects have also been released in regards to the
Speaker 1: December 2021 attack and the OPP are asking for anyone
Speaker 1: with information to please come forward. Elnaz's friends and family
Speaker 1: are desperate for answers, with one of her family members
Speaker 1: telling Global News Canada, Why do people want to hurt
Speaker 1: her in this way? I think that is the most
Speaker 1: frustrating thing that we are enduring right now. I'm speaking
Speaker 1: to the people who are holding her. Please bring her home.
Speaker 1: No questions asked. Elnaz Haj Tamiri, who may also use
Speaker 1: the surname of Tamiri, is described as an Iranian woman
Speaker 1: 5 foot 3 inches tall with a slim build and
Speaker 1: shoulder-length black hair. She was last seen being forced into
Speaker 1: a white Lexus RX SUV on January 12, 2022 in
Speaker 1: Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Anyone with any information, no matter how
Speaker 1: small or insignificant it may seem, has to please contact
Speaker 1: the Ontario Provincial Police at 833-728-3415. Well folks, there you
Speaker 1: have it. What do you think of these strange disappearances?
Speaker 1: I look forward to hearing your comments, but please keep
Speaker 1: it friendly and respectful. If you'd like to see more
Speaker 1: videos like this, check out the playlists that we have
Speaker 1: on our channel. These playlists showcase our best content and
Speaker 1: some videos that many of you may have never seen before.
Speaker 1: So check them out and see what you missed out on. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: thank you for being here today. Thank you for sharing
Speaker 1: our content and thank you for supporting the channel. It
Speaker 1: means so very much to us. Till we meet again,
Speaker 1: be good to yourselves and each other. Be safe out there.
Speaker 1: As for me, I'll see you a little further on
Speaker 1: down the trail. I'm Steve Stockton, and I'll talk to
Speaker 1: you next time.