An unknown baby girl who was killed 35 years ago has finally been identified, according to authorities.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) issued a press release on Monday (November 13) confirming they had uncovered the identity of a small girl whose remains were found near Millwood in Ware County on December 21, 1988.
The girl, who had been known as Baby Jane Doe, was identified Kenyatta 'KeKe' Odom, of Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia. She was 5 years old when she was found, according to police.
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Authorities also said they had arrested and charged the woman’s mother and a man who was her boyfriend at the time.
“The GBI has arrested and charged Evelyn Odom, A.K.A. Zmecca Luciana, age 56, of GA, and Ulyster Sanders, age 61, of Albany, GA,” the press statement said.
“[They 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.”
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The GBI explained that they were brought in to investigate the death of Kenyatta by the Ware County Sheriff’s Office after her body was found.
The small girl was found in the woods in a container encased in concrete.
“Due to evidence found near the child, it was believed that there could be a connection to the Albany area,” the GBI also said.
“A GBI medical examiner concluded that the manner of death was homicide, but a cause of death could not be determined."
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Investigators made multiple attempts to identify the child and used forensic testing, collaboration with local service organizations, local state and national media as well as comparisons to multiple missing children in other states.
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None of these attempts led to her identification, however.
GBI agents began to make some headway in 2019 after they incorporated the use of genome sequencing to identify the-then unknown girl.
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Through doing this, the GBI was able to determine that a certain family tree from the Albany area was likely related to the child.
The big breakthrough came following a tip from a member of the public in 2022, however, which came in following a news story that aired on the anniversary of Kenyatta’s death.
“Based on that tip, it was determined in early 2023 that the child was Kenyatta and that she died in Albany in 1988. The agents continued to investigate and determined that Ulyster was Evelyn’s live-in boyfriend at the time of Kenyatta’s death,” GBI stated.
The pair were arrested on November 9, 2023, without incident. When the investigation is completed, the case file will be given to the Dougherty Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Gerrard Kaonga