ALBANY — The mother of a little girl known for decades as “Baby Jane Doe,” is on trial for the murder of her daughter Kenyatta “Keke” Odom, nearly 37 years ago.
Investigators said Kenyatta Odom died sometime in 1988. Road workers discovered her remains in December of that year — inside a container in an old television cabinet. Her body was wrapped up in a blanket, inside of a duffel bag encased in concrete just off Duncan Bridge Road in Millwood, which is north of Waycross.
Ware County Sheriff Carl James was an investigator for the office at the time and testified on the first day of the trial, Thursday, August 14.
For years, she had been known as “Baby Jane Doe.”
It wasn’t until 2023, nearly 35 years later, that investigators finally identified the little girl through DNA testing.
The child’s mother, Evelyn Odom, and her boyfriend, Ulyster Sanders, were arrested and accused of killing Kenyatta and then dumping her body in rural Ware County.
Sanders pleaded guilty on one count of concealing the death of another and one count of concealing material facts related to Kenyatta’s death. He is expected to testify against Odom during the trial.
Trial
Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards delivered his opening statement telling the jury “KeKe” had some developmental disabilities. Edwards did not present any specific medical documents outlining her disabilities, he said she had physical disabilities, that affected her ability to walk, and intellectual disabilities.
Edwards said because of those disabilities, “KeKe” still wore diapers at 5 years old, which she soiled one day in 1988. He said that angered Odom, who attempted to punish “KeKe” by putting her in a scalding bath.
During opening statements, prosecutors said Kenyatta was born with physical and mental disabilities, which they say contributed to Odom’s behavior toward her. The state said Kenyatta was severely injured after Odom placed her in scalding hot water as punishment for soiling herself.
Prosecutors say Sanders wanted to call emergency medical services for the child, but Odom did not want him to. The state says Kenyatta was placed on a bed, and died four to five days later. That’s when the state said the couple decided they needed to get rid of the body, which prosecutors say they did together.
Prosecutors said Odom had family in Ware County and was familiar with the area, and that’s why the child’s body was dumped in Waycross.
The defense elected to reserve their opening statements.
The first witness called by the state was a man named Joseph Carter. He was working for Pierce Timber Company in December of 1988 when a coworker came to him saying he believed he’d found a body. That’s when Sheriff James, who’s worked for the WCSO for 43 years, was called to the the stand.
He described the area where the body was found as a “trash dump.”
“There was a suitcase that had been contained in a wooden box, concrete, plastic. There was what I would call a gym bag, a zippered gym bag that the body was actually contained in. But when I arrived, the body was contained in a suitcase but the suitcase had been broken open. And even though concrete had been poured into this suitcase, it wasn’t completely encasing the body or that gym bag,” Sheriff James said.
The sheriff said he could see the arm of an infant that wasn’t covered by the concrete.
According to court records, Kenyatta lived in a home with Odom and Sanders in Albany. That’s where investigators say the 5-year-old girl died after the couple submerged her body in hot water — disfiguring her legs and feet.
Investigators also say the couple tried to cover up her death by encasing her body in concrete and putting her in the large television console that was dumped in the woods.
During day two of testimony, the former couple’s family members testified about the last times they saw Keke.
Family members also testified when they asked Evelyn and Ulyster about Kenyatta’s whereabouts after 1988, they were told she went to live in California or with other people.
Agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) also testified in court, specifically about evidence in the case and the media’s role in generating leads.
Testimony was expected to resume at 8:30 a.m. Monday, August 18.
GBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Seacrist said the case was worked hard from the very beginning, but a breakthrough in DNA genome sequencing gave the case fresh life in 2019.
By 2022, investigators had narrowed down “Baby Jane Doe’s” family to the Albany area.
“This is a great case of the combination of forensic technology and then also good investigative work,” Seacrist said. “It just brought us to the answer.”
But the last key piece of the puzzle, Seacrist said, was a phone call.
“I think when we initially contacted them (Evelyn Odom, also known as Zmecca Luciana, and family), there was definitely some surprise that after all these years they were being asked questions about Kenyatta,” Seacrist said.
Kenyatta was found in 1988 by a crew of construction workers in a wooded area of Ware County that was used as an illegal dumping site. She was wrapped in a baby blanket, placed in a gym bag inside a cementfilled suitcase and then hidden in a TV console cabinet.
Seacrist said the technology landscape has changed so drastically that he is certain more cases like Kenyatta’s will be solved. But many, like Kenyatta’s case, need that last crucial piece.
“Working an investigation and bringing it to a conclusion is not magic. It does take yes, the knowledge and dedication of the agents and investigators that work it. But sometimes we need a tip,” Seacrist said. “We need that right piece of information that pushes us over the finish line, so if you think you have that information, please call the tip line on any case.”
Talki Foundation to meet Sept. 2
Special to the WJH The Talki Foundation’s monthly support group for diabetics and their caregivers meets at 7 p.m., the first Tuesday of every month in the Community Room at the Railway Express Agency, 315 Plant Avenue.
The group, called 912 Diabetes Initiative, provides educational resources and a chance to connect with others. Talki Foundation president and founder Charlie Komons facilitates the monthly meeting hosted by Memorial Satilla Health.
Call (844) 630-5295 to register.
The non-profit, is dedicated to assisting Georgia’s low-income diabetic patients. The foundation achieves this by raising funds to purchase federally funded insulin.
