Nearly 35 years after a 3-year-old’s remains were found dumped in a rural area of Ware County, the “Baby Jane Doe” has her name back.
Authorities say Kenyatta Odom died sometime in 1988 at the hands of her mother and stepfather. Her remains were found on Dec. 21, 1988, when road workers discovered a container inside an old television cabinet just off Duncan Bridge Road.
Now her mother, Evelyn Odom, aka Zmecca Luciana, and her stepfather, Ulyster Sanders, have been indicted on charges of felony murder, first-degree child cruelty, aggravated battery-family violence, conspiracy to conceal a death and concealing a death. The grand jury indictment from September was filed on Nov. 1, but it’s unclear how long authorities were investigating Odom and Sanders.
Editor’s Note: The following details of the indictment against Odom and Sanders are disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
The indictment indicates that Kenyatta lived in a home with Odom and Sanders in Albany, Georgia, and that’s where she died.
According to the indictment, Odom and Sanders submerged Kenyatta in hot water, seriously disfiguring her legs and feet, which caused her death. They then conspired to cover up her death by encasing her body in cement and putting her in the large television console that was dumped in the woods in Ware County, about two hours east of Albany, investigators said.
“She was definitely placed in this area hoping not to be found,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Jason Seacrist said last year when a $5,000 reward was announced for information leading to Kenyatta’s identity. “We know that from the container she was in.”
Investigators were left to try to solve the case — and identify the girl — for nearly 35 years.
Seacrist said it was clear that whoever placed the girl there went to great lengths to keep her hidden. The road itself, at the time, was used as an illegal dump site.
“I think that’s the piece where some plywood put over the face of the old cabinet was nailed in,” Seacrist said as he showed News4JAX an original crime scene picture.
Investigators had previously said that it was believed the girl died two to three months before she was found.
She was African-American, had pierced ears and wore thermal bottoms and a white pullover sweater with a pink pony emblem.
Last year, on the 34th anniversary of her discovery, Seacrist said the GBI had been utilizing advanced DNA testing for two years in hopes of finding “Baby Jane Doe’s” relatives.
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Seacrist said even though GBI is the lead agency in this investigation, it’s been a true partnership with the Ware County Sheriff’s Office since day one. He went on to say the original detectives in the case never forgot this child’s story and still hope for answers.
Seacrist confirmed to News4JAX that a generous person in the community, who wished to remain anonymous, had put up a $5,000 reward for information to help identify Baby Jane Doe. It’s unclear if anyone will be claiming that reward.
GBI is holding a news conference on the case at 1 p.m. Monday. News4JAX will be there and will update this article with any new information.
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