Mother And Boyfriend Arrested Nearly 35 Years After 5-Year-Old Girl Was Found In Concrete

Officials arrested Evelyn Odom and Ulyster Sanders of Georgia, 35 years after the woman's daughter was discovered in concrete.

A Georgia couple has been arrested and charged with murder after authorities found the body of the woman’s daughter, who died almost 35 years ago.

According to The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Evelyn Odom, who also goes by Zmecca Luciana, and Ulyster Sanders were arrested after the GBI identified the remains of the woman’s daughter, who was discovered encased in concrete and left in the woods of rural southeast Georgia. The girl, whom authorities named Baby Jane Doe, was found near Millwood in Ware County on Dec. 21, 1988. The girl, now identified as Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom, was five years old when she was found.

After DNA tests and a tip received by investigators, authorities were able to find out that the victim was Kenyatta.

Odom and Sanders have been charged with felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated battery – family violence, concealing the death of another person, and conspiracy to commit concealing the death of another person. Sanders is the live-in boyfriend of Odom.

Kenyatta was killed in Albany, Georgia, and her discarded body was found 110 miles away outside of Waycross, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Jason Seacrist. Her body was among broken furniture and other trash in the woods.

The Associated Press reported that Seacrist made a statement during an online press conference in Waycross.

“Baby Jane Doe is no longer unnamed, is no longer unknown. The baby that was thrown out into a trash pile has been identified, and we’re working to bring justice to her.”

The GBI stated they got a break in the case in 2019 when they “began looking into genome sequencing to identify the child.” Results from the testing revealed that the baby came from “a certain family tree from the Albany area.” But, it was a tip that police received after a news story acknowledging the anniversary of Kenyatta’s death in 2022 that led them to the suspects.

The information received from the tip allowed GBI agents to present the facts to the Dougherty County Grand Jury on Nov. 1, 2023. On Nov. 9, police officers arrested Odom and Sanders without incident.

“We believe that there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that will lead to justice being found for Kenyatta,” said District Attorney Greg Edwards of the Albany-based Dougherty Judicial Circuit, based on a report by The Associated Press.

The GBI stated it gave a $5,000 reward to the woman who gave them the tip.