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Written by: A. Smith
Published September 9, 2025 @ 9:00 PM ET
Warning: The following story contains information regarding physical violence against children.
Update: A Dougherty County jury has convicted Evelyn Odom, also known as Zmecca Luciana, in the decades-old murder of her 5-year-old daughter, Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom.
On August 27, 2025, jurors found Odom guilty of felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children, conspiracy to conceal the death of another, and concealing the death of another. Her former boyfriend, Ulyster Sanders, previously pleaded guilty to concealing the death of another person and making false statements; he will be sentenced at a later date.
The prosecution was handled by Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards and his team, who worked closely with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, and Waycross Circuit District Attorney Marilyn Bennett. Officials said the collaborative effort helped hold those responsible accountable and provided closure to a case that had remained unsolved for 37 years.
The original investigation began in December 1988, when a small girl’s body was discovered encased in concrete inside a suitcase near Millwood, Ware County. The child, later identified as Kenyatta Odom, had been missing from Albany. Despite decades of investigation, her identity and the circumstances of her death remained unknown until breakthroughs in forensic genealogy and public tips led to the arrests of Odom and Sanders in November 2023.
The case involved extensive cooperation from multiple organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NamUs, private genealogy labs, and local law enforcement.
WARE COUNTY, Ga. – In a decades-old mystery, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has identified the remains of a small girl found in a cement-filled suitcase inside an abandoned TV console near Millwood in Ware County on December 21, 1988. The child, now identified as Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom, was only five years old at the time of her death.
The breakthrough came after years of tireless investigative work, ultimately leading to the arrest of 56-year-old Evelyn Odom, also known as Zmecca Luciana, and 61-year-old Ulyster Sanders, both from Albany, Georgia. The pair faces charges of felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated battery – family violence, concealing the death of another person, and conspiracy to conceal the death of another person.
The investigation dates back to December 21, 1988, when the Ware County Sheriff’s Office called upon the GBI Regional Investigative Field Office in Douglas to assist in a death investigation. The lifeless body of a small girl was discovered in the woods, encased in concrete within a container.
With evidence suggesting a potential connection to Albany, the GBI medical examiner determined the death as a homicide, though the cause remained elusive.
For over three decades, investigators worked relentlessly to identify the young victim. Despite extensive efforts, including forensic testing, collaboration with social service organizations, and nationwide media coverage, her identity remained a mystery. Various attempts were made to connect her to missing children in multiple states, but none were successful.
In 2019, a renewed effort emerged as agents turned to genome sequencing. A potential family tree from the Albany area was identified with the collaboration of the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI Crime Lab, private labs, and genealogy services.
The critical breakthrough came in 2022 when a news story on the anniversary of Kenyatta’s death prompted a tip from a member of the public. This tip proved instrumental, leading investigators to confirm the child’s identity as Kenyatta and establishing that her death occurred in Albany in 1988.
Further investigation revealed that Ulyster Sanders was Evelyn’s live-in boyfriend at the time of Kenyatta’s tragic death. Armed with this information, GBI agents presented their findings to the Dougherty County Grand Jury on November 1, 2023. The Grand Jury returned a True Bill, and on November 9, 2023, officers arrested Evelyn and Ulyster without incident.
Upon the completion of the investigation, the case file will be handed over to the Dougherty Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office will also contribute to the prosecution through a special arrangement.
The GBI expressed gratitude to various organizations and individuals who played crucial roles in solving this long-standing mystery. Partners such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), University of North Texas, Gene by Gene, Othram, Inc., and Innovative Forensic Investigations worked alongside GBI investigators.
The agency also thanked a local anonymous donor for providing a $5,000 reward for information leading to the Ware Baby Jane Doe’s identification.
The complete news conference can be viewed here: https://youtube.com/live/XmlFWj7rUlc.