Black Missing and Missing

Forsyth County, GA, is described as a "Hospitality Highway" community known for its small-town charm and big-city proximity. But it’s also known for something else… Up until recent years, the county, located less than an hour’s drive from downtown Atlanta, was all white; not by happenstance, but through violence. In September 1912, all 1098 of Forsyth County’s Black residents fled for their lives, leaving behind property, forever tearing families apart, and taking with them, a lifetime of unspeakable pain, fear, and trauma. They were gone in a matter of weeks, never to return. In observance of Black History Month, this is the first true crime tale in Criminal Injustice. This is the tale of a Racial Cleansing in America.

On May 4, 2019, 4-year-old Maleah Davis, her 1-year-old half brother, and his father, 26-y-o Derion Vence were reported missing from their home in Houston, Tx. Later that evening, a wounded Derion and his son would turn up at a local hospital, minus Maleah. Derion would tell authorities of a harrowing ordeal, in which he and the children were held for 24 hours by three men who had attacked him. And although Derion and his son were dropped off along a highway in the nearby city of Sugar Land, the men disappeared with little Maleah. Twenty-seven days later, the remains of the preschooler who loved My Little Pony and taking trips to the beach, were found dumped off of Interstate 30 near Hope, Arkansas. The story of Maleah Davis is the story of a child who was failed by those who were supposed to protect her. This is the story of a child who never had a chance.

In a community scarred by the infamous racist-fueled murder of James Byrd, the death of 28-year-old physical therapist Alfred Wright in November 2013 was steeped in mystery. Did law enforcement participate in a cover-up of Wright's death, or could they have played a more direct role? Or did Alfred keep secrets from those closest to him that led to and were revealed in his death?

In the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day 2000, 9-year-old Asha Degree set out on foot, as a storm loomed, and her family presumably slept peacefully in their beds. She was allegedly spotted by motorists about a mile and a half from her home, a curious sight on the lonely and dark highway. Despite exhaustive searches, FBI involvement, and several clues, none of it has led to the whereabouts of Asha, nor has this question been answered: what would make a nine-year-old girl, who was afraid of storms, leave her home in the middle of a dark and stormy night?

Valentine’s Day 2000 began like any other day for Iquilla Degree. It was her 12 wedding anniversary, and while she and her husband, Harold, had plans to spend the day together, the kids still needed to go to school. When she entered the room shared by the couple’s two children, O’Bryant and Asha, only to discover O’Bryant, she had no idea that it was the beginning of an unending nightmare.

Alone, scared, and hunted. Those were the last moments of the life of 20-year-old Carol Jenkins, as she attempted to sell encyclopedias door-to-door in the infamous sundown town of Martinsville, Indiana. It would take more than 30 years before her killer was finally revealed, though her family would never receive justice.

Missing since Valentine's Day 2000, Asha Degree is no closer to being found than when she went disappeared in the wee hours of that dark and stormy morning. This episode will discuss clues, suspects and theories in an effort to piece together what could have happened to the missing 9-year-old.

Valentine’s Day 2000 began like any other day for Iquilla Degree. It was her 11th wedding anniversary, and while she and her husband, Harold, had plans to spend the day together, the kids still needed to go to school. When she entered the room shared by the couple’s two children, O’Bryant and Asha, only to discover O’Bryant, she had no idea that it was the beginning of an unending nightmare.