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DOUGHERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Family members of a former couple, charged in the death of 5-year-old Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom, testified in Dougherty County court on Friday, Aug. 15.
KeKe was also known as the Ware County 1988 Baby Jane Doe.
Evelyn Odom, Keke’s mother, is on trial for her murder.
Ulyster Sanders, Odom’s live-in boyfriend in 1988, previously pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a material fact and 1 count of concealing the death of another person.
He is expected to testify against Evelyn Odom in this case.
On Friday, during day two of testimony, the former couple’s family members testified about the last times they saw Keke.
“She didn’t speak too much, she appeared to be fragile, her face was sunken in, she was just very quiet, said Latonya Sanders, Ulyster Sanders’ Niece.
“Every time she came over, there was always something wrong with her. She always had a bruise on her, like someone hit her in the head or something. She was always hungry, and I couldn’t understand that. Pruitt says KeKe also walked with a little limp,” said Jacequline Pruitt, Sanders’ sister.
Family members also testified that when they asked Evelyn and Ulyster about Kenyatta’s whereabouts after 1988, they were told she went to live in California or with other people.
“After she went missing, she had not been to any of the family functions,” said Theresa Ray, Evelyn’s second cousin. Ray went on to testify that she is the one who contacted the GBI about KeKe being missing after seeing the sketch in the media.
Teresa Odom, Evelyn’s sister, testified that when she asked Evelyn where KeKe was, she was told KeKe was with someone named “Madea.”
During opening statements on Thursday, the state argued that Madea is not a real person.
|PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Opening statements, witness testimonies wrap in 1988 Baby Jane Doe trial|
On Friday, Evelyn’s defense asked Sanders’ family about the relationship between him and Evelyn, including about an incident where they say Ulyster Sanders shot up Evelyn Odom’s car.
Pruitt stated she was not aware of that incident. She did state that Ulyster told her one day he came home from work and KeKe was “gone.”
Agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) also testified in court, specifically about evidence in the case and the media’s role in generating leads.
Testimony is expected to resume on Monday at 8:30 a.m.
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News Source : https://www.walb.com/2025/08/15/family-members-testify-that-kenyatta-odom-was-malnourished-before-death/
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