‘Baby Jane Doe’ identified as 5-year-old Georgia girl after nearly 35 years
ByAllie Goolrick, WSBTV.com
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UPDATE: SOLVED UPDATE: The GBI identified her in November as 5-year-old Kenyetta Odom. Her mother and stepfather have been indicted in her death.
Found in Ware County in 1988. Victim's body was located in a brown baby blanket placed in a gym bag, in a cement filled suitcase inside a TV console cabinet. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Lowndes County in 1998. Victim was walking on I-75 in Lowndes County when she was struck by a large truck. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Chatham County in 1991. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Monroe County in 1998. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Jackson County in 2001. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in a field in Cumming. Nose was broken before death. Upper right tooth was missing. Only a skull with no mandible was found. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in a storm drain in Lawrenceville in 2003. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Douglas County in 1992. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Ellijay in 1986. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Cobb County at a construction site in 1993. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in the Chattahoochee River in Harris County in May 2022. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Bloomingdale in 1989. The only item found on the victim's body was a size 6, 10k gold ring with diamond, with the initials "KES". (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in McDonough in 1973. Only the skull was found. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Crisp County in 1975. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Skeletal remains were found in Twiggs County in 2003. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in a manhole in Henry County in 2000. In the jean pocket was a small fragment of a cartoon from a Spanish publication with the following: Fellowship Tract League P.O. Box 168, Banon Ohio 45036 . (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Eatonton in a coal car that stopped in Eatonton, Georgia in 1978. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
UPDATE: SOLVED Found in Jenkins County in 1988, wrapped in plastic and duct tape in a nylon suitcase. The victim had been dead approximately four to seven days. Cause of death was asphyxiation. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Skeletal remains found in an open field in Clayton County in 2002. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Forsyth County in 2006. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia A Tourist found a human skull partially buried on the beach at the south corner of Cumberland Island in 2001. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Jones County in 1984. Cause of death was a gunshot wound. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Blue Ridge in 1997. The decedent frequented truck stops in Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Missouri, and Arizona. The decedent owned his own rig and went by the CB radio handle of “BA” or “Bad Attitude”. T (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia The skeletal remains of a male were found in a wooded area just north of Emerson near Pagamine Road in Bartow County, GA. on July 3, 2011. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia On October 25, 2010, the decedent stepped off of a dock into the Savannah River behind the Marriott Hotel. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Victim had a heart attack and wrecked while driving (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Dade County in 1981. Prolific serial killer Samuel Little claimed responsibility for the murder of a woman in Dade County the same year. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Barrow County in 1999. Victim underwent reconstructive surgery to his skull at some point in his life- possibly to repair damage caused by car accident. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Skeletal remains found in Meriwether COunty in 2007. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Cedartown after an explosion at a home in 2003. Two male victims were found with her. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found near the Chattahoochee River in Cobb County in 1984. Was wearing a red wig. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in McIntosh County in 1978. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Glynn County in 1990. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
UPDATE: SOLVED Found in Bibb County in 1977. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Dougherty county in 1972. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Tattnall County in 1987 by hunters. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Kingsland in 2005. Victim possibly known as "Dom" and may be from Laos. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in a loaded coal car from Tennessee at the Georgia Power plant in Eatonton in 1979. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in the Wilmington River in Chatham County in 1988. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Seminole County in 1977. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in the Savannah River in 2002. Police said the man jumped off the bridge. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Barrow County in 2008.Homicide victim was found severely burned in the woods. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Seminole County in 2009. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Columbia County in 1997. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Cherokee County in 1969. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found in Cobb County in 1991. Items found near the victim include brown framed eyeglasses, red backpack with toiletry items, razor, razor blades, and stick deodorant (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Found burning in Jonesboro in 2002. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Unidentified remains found in Georgia Skull and four cervical vertebrae found by hikers. in Jeferson in 2008. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
The body of a small child was found wrapped in a baby blanket, placed in a gym bag inside a cement-filled suitcase, which was then hidden in a TV console cabinet in Ware County in 1988.
“Finally after almost 35 years not only were we able to identify Baby Jane Doe, but we are able to make an arrest for those responsible for her death,” agents said at a news conference Monday.
The GBI said they’ve identified the child as Kenyatta “Keke” Odom, who was 5 when she died.
The child’s mother, Evelyn Odom (aka Zmecca Luciana), 56, of Albany, and her stepfather, Ulyster Sanders, 61, also of Albany, have now been indicted on charges of felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children, aggravated battery, family violence, concealing a death and conspiracy to conceal the death of another person.
The GBI said that when the child’s body was found in 1998, there was evidence tying her to Albany and evidence that she was killed, though her cause of death couldn’t be determined.
In 2019, agents began looking into genome sequencing to identify the child. Investigators were able to tie the remains to a family tree from Albany, but it wasn’t until a tip from a member of the public in 2022 that agents got the break they needed.
According to the indictment, Odom and Sanders put the child in hot water, seriously disfiguring her legs and feet, which ultimately caused her death. They then conspired to cover up her death by encasing her in concrete and putting her in a TV console that was dumped in the woods about two hours away from their home in Albany.
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SOLVED: Mary Anga Cowan Othram DNA lab in Texas has helped solve dozens of cold cases in recent years. Here are the cases they've helped solve in Georgia.
In 1985, a woman was found unconscious on the side of the highway in Albany. She died at the hospital. In 2012, her remains were exhumed and a bone fragment was taken. In March 2022, Othram used DNA to identify her as Mary Anga Cowan, from Florida. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: In 1982, human remains were found in Stone Mountain. Investigators believed they had been there for up to 10 years. In 2021, the remains were sent to Othram, which was able to match them to her daughter. The victim was identified as Marlene Standridge. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Clara Reynolds In Feb. 1990, the skeletal remains of a woman were found in Heflin, Alabama. Investigators determined her cause of death was homicide. In 2023, she was identified by Othram as Clara Reynolds, of Georgia. Police have identified a suspect in her death but the investigation remains active. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Lola Bell Thomas In 2022, firefighters responded to a fire in northwest Atlanta. Two people, a man and a woman, were found dead inside. The M.E. was able to identify the man, but not the woman. She was identified by Othram through DNA as the 85-year-old homeowner, Lola Bell Thomas (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Harold Hammons The remains of a man were found severely decomposed in a vacant house in Atlanta in Jan. 2023. The man was identified by Othram through DNA as Harold Hammons. His manner of death was ruled as natural. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Rebecca "Becky" Burke In 1993, the skeletal remains of a woman were found covered in pine straw in DeKalb County. Investigators determined she may have been a victim of sexual assault and homicide. In 2022, the DeKalb M.E.'s office paired with Othram to identify her as Rebecca "Becky" Burke, from Cobb County. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Chong Un Kim The remains of a woman were found in a trash dumpster in 1988. She was wrapped with plastic and duct tape and found inside a large suitcase in Jenkins County. In 2023, Othram helped to s identify the victim as 26-year-old Chong Un Kim , of Liberty County. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Jonathan Foundling In 1996, the body of a newborn were found in a trashcan in a women's restroom in a UGA dorm. The M.E. determined the baby had been stabbed. In 2021, Othram used DNA testing to identify the mother as Kathryn Ann Grant, who took her own life in 2004. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Zachary Wells In Jan. 2022, the remains of a victim were found inside a burned home in Atlanta. The house did not have running water or electricity and was known to house transients. Othram was able to identify the victim as 59-year-old Zachary Wells. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Baby India In 2019, an infant with her umbilical cord still attached was found abandoned in the woods in Cumming. She survived and was named "Baby India" by her rescuers. In 2023, Othram used DNA evidence to identify the baby's mother as Karima Jiwani. She was arrested and charged with attempted murder, cruelty to children, aggravated assault and reckless abandonment. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Stacy Lyn Chahorski Othram Labs was able to help identify the remains of a homicide victim found in Georgia 1988. In 2022, she was identified through DNA as Stacy Lyn Chahorski. Investigators also found DNA evidence of the man suspected to be responsible for her death. He died in a car accident in 1999. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Jeremiah Garretson In 2019, a human body was found in a pond in Lenox, Georgia. In 2022, the GBI sent DNA evidence to Othram, which was able to help identify the man as Jeremiah Garretson. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
SOLVED: Yvonne Pless The remains of a woman were found 46 years ago in Macon. In 2022, the remains were sent to Othram labs, which was able to extract DNA. The victim was identified as 19-year-old Yvonne Pless. Investigators determined that Pless was prolific serial killer Samuel Little's first victim in 1977. (Othram Labs/DNA Solves)
