Jodi Martin is the latest guest on the podcast.
Jodi told me she first became an activist for change in the judicial process, protesting the death of eight-year-old Noah Bush.
A missing Georgia 8-year-old was found dead in a borrow pit after a massive hours-long search.
Noah Bush vanished from the Mill Creek Circle area of Wayne County on May 15. Officials learned of the child's disappearance at 9:10 p.m., according to a timeline of events posted to Facebook by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
The first deputy arrived at the scene 12 minutes later. Deputies then shared the missing person's identity with surrounding counties at 9:44 p.m.
The Glynn County K9 unit also responded to assist at 10:49 p.m.
Authorities searched a family member's Glynn County home and a location in Jesup, but the child was not found at either location.
The search continued through the night. A pair of children's shoes were found by the Glynn County K9 unit near a body of water around 12:30 a.m. on May 16. The family confirmed the shoes belonged to Bush.
Bush’s story became national news, but Jodi told me that initially law enforcement was lackadaisical about the investigation. Jodi said that initially law enforcement did not believe foul play was involved. People Magazine has more.
At first, investigators believed 8-year-old Noah Bush accidentally fell into a construction pit and drowned in Jesup, Ga. in May. Then, in July, law enforcement uncovered something much more sinister.
A 10-year-old and 11-year-old boy – whose names have not been publicly released – have both been convicted in connection to the second grader’s drowning, Mawuli Davis, one of the lawyers representing Noah's family, tells PEOPLE.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. District Attorney Keith Higgins declined to comment on the case or to confirm facts of the case listed in an email to him, citing the involvement of juveniles.
Jodi said it was near nonstop protests from her and others which finally forced a serious investigation.
Furthermore, the two juveniles finally convicted of the murder only received two years in jail. A story in WTOC stated this was the maximum allowable.
In recent months they’ve pushed for Noah’s Law which would increase harsher penalties for juveniles convicted of such heinous crimes like this one. It would also include penalties for the parents of these children. Many community members jumped on board and back them fully in this effort and pursuit of justice.
In recent months they’ve pushed for Noah’s Law which would increase harsher penalties for juveniles convicted of such heinous crimes like this one. It would also include penalties for the parents of these children. Many community members jumped on board and back them fully in this effort and pursuit of justice.
Jodi said she watched as her nephew also was victimized by a serious crime, while the perpetrators got lenient sentences.
She said she has watched judges make up law from the bench.
“Judges are not required to be lawyers,” she told me.
She said many don’t have a good grasp of the laws they should be interpreting.
That extends into child custody, where there is a systemic problem, particularly when it comes to cases of abuse, she told me.
One judge, Carla Roberts Powell, has a habit, Jodi told me, of misusing parental alienation to take custody away from mothers.
Recently, Jodi was following the case of Dr. Byron Brooks Vs Dr. Kreslyn Odum.
Dr. Brooks and Dr. Odum were first married in 2008, but they stay married a short time after their daughter was born, less than a year. They never lived together during their daughter’s life; she was born in 2018. Dr. Brooks was in his residency at the beginning of their daughter’s life and lived in another part of Georgia.
From her birth until last year, Dr. Odum maintained continuous physical custody of her daughter. Dr. Brooks had sporadic contact. In 2023, a final divorce was granted with Dr. Odum getting physical custody, while Dr. Brooks got visitation time.
That is not only the story I’m telling, but it is the story told by the guardian ad litem, Courtney Joiner Anderson, when she testified on, August 21, 2024.
Anderson did not respond to my email for comment at her office, but here is part of her testimony.
Ms. Anderson is a suspect candidate to be a guardian ad litem, because she has a long history of supporting father’s rights. Here are some things she has put online.
A father’s rights activist should never be a guardian ad litem, since there is a natural bias towards the father. Furthermore, Ms. Anderson has shown an affinity to fight for more custody time for fathers who has not seen their children much, like in this case.
That’s only part of the problem. Ms. Anderson also has a longstanding relationship with Dr. Brooks’ attorney, Kim Copeland.
Ms. Copeland is primarily known for her criminal law practice; I erroneously said on the podcast that she doesn’t specialize in family law; however she lists family law as an area of practice on her website.
Ms. Anderson acknowledged her history with Ms. Copeland when she testified.
During her testimony, Ms. Anderson acknowledged allowing Ms. Copeland to witness part of a visit in a park. She further acknowledged that she and Ms. Copeland had known each other for years, and that in fact, she later went to check out a new home Ms. Copeland had bought.
The attorney for Dr. Odum, David Conner, also noted that Ms. Anderson did not allow him to witness the visit.
Jodi told me on the broadcast that none of this is by accident. She said the area is small, and the court system is built on connections.
She said that she believes that Ms. Copeland was hired, specifically because of her longstanding relationship with Ms. Anderson.
Neither Copland nor Conner responded to emails for comment.
Ms. Anderson was the first person to diagnose Dr. Odum with parental alienation.
Ms. Anderson is an attorney and not a psychologist. She determined it was alienation because the daughter refused on several occasions to leave the car and go with her father during custody time.
Jodi said there may be good reason for the child’s fear: the father was accused of serious abuse. Here is part of a summary of the case that Dr. Odum created.
She exhibited bed wetting, nightmares, and other concerning symptoms before and after the visits with her father. The child relayed to the mother that they are mean to her, make her say bad things about her mother so they can record it, destroyed her belongings, pinched her, locked her in a room, and used corporal punishment, among other disturbing behaviors. The child’s anxiety and fear of going to her father’s culminated in December of 2023 when the child had a breakdown and refused to get out of the vehicle to go with the stepmother for the weekend visitation.
Dr. Brooks has also been accused of sexual assault by a patient.
As with most cases where parental alienation is falsely assessed, the evidence of abuse was ignored in this case. The judge saw Dr. Odum’s refusal to force her daughter to spend time with her father as withholding access, and Judge Powell switched custody.
Since then, Dr. Odum and her family have had little contact with her daughter. She was moved from Wayne County to another part of the state. Everything the court has accused Dr. Odum of, the court has now done to her.
Update:
I initially stated that a colleague accused Dr. Brooks of sexual assault; it was a patient. I also clarified that Dr. Brooks and Dr. Odum were initially married in 2008, but the marriage ended less than a year after their daughter was born.
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