WAYCROSS, Ga. - A tragic cold case that has haunted Waycross for over three decades has finally been solved. Authorities have identified "Baby Jane Doe" as 5-year-old Kenyatta Odom and arrested her mother and former boyfriend for her 1988 murder.
On December 21, 1988, a truck driver discovered the child's remains encased in concrete and discarded in the woods off Dunkin Bridge Road. She was wearing a white shirt, pajama bottoms and a diaper. Despite extensive efforts, the case quickly went cold.
In 2020, advanced DNA testing by the GBI and genealogy research by Othram scientists finally identified the girl as Kenyatta Odom of Albany. Her mother, Evelyn Odom, and boyfriend Ulyster Sanders were arrested on November 10, 2023 and charged with felony murder.
New details have emerged about the horrific abuse and murder of little Kenyatta. Authorities believe she was killed in Albany by her mother and Sanders before her body was transported over 100 miles to Waycross and dumped. The indictment alleges Kenyatta died after her legs and feet were submerged in scalding water - a grim cause of death eerily similar to the case of Lisa Marie Kimmell.
Evelyn Odom lied and said her daughter went to live with her father. But a tipster who never believed that story came forward this January, enabling investigators to finally crack the case.
District Attorney Greg Edwards said there is solid evidence to convict Odom and Sanders for Kenyatta's murder. “We believe that there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that will lead to justice being found for Kenyatta,” he stated.
While the loss can never be undone, authorities hope Odom and Sanders will be held fully accountable. The arrests bring long-awaited closure to a case that has haunted law enforcement and Waycross residents for decades.
Waycross Sheriff Carl James, who first responded to the scene in 1988, said the case always held a special interest for him over the years. “The baby that was thrown out into a trash pile has been identified, and we're working to bring justice to her,” he remarked.
Kenyatta Odom can now be properly laid to rest. But the community will never forget “Baby Jane Doe” and the story of her tragic, hidden life and death. Justice has finally arrived over 30 years later for a child who was tossed away but never forgotten.
