A Scott County man has been charged with the murder of his 3-year-old son following a months-long investigation that culminated in a tragic discovery last week. His girlfriend is also facing charges for her role in concealing the crime.
Sheriff Mike Lee confirmed that Rodkis Roger Fenderson, 28, of 372 Green Grove Road — an area south of Forest near Hopewell Church, though it carries a Lake mailing address — allegedly beat his son, Zyhmir Fenderson, to death in late January. The child was never officially reported missing.
Authorities were alerted to the case on April 17, 2025, when Investigator Josh Thames received information from concerned family members who said they had not seen the child in several months. Zyhmir had been living with Fenderson and his girlfriend, Kierra Denise Patrick, at the Green Grove Road residence.
Rodkis Fenderson and Kierra Patrick with three year old Zhymir, who Fenderson is accused of murdering. Courtesy of the Scott County Sheriff's Department
“Both Rodkis and Kierra told different stories about where the child was when friends and family would ask,” Sheriff Lee said.
As the investigation progressed, Patrick eventually confessed during an interview that the child was dead. She told authorities she found Zyhmir unresponsive in his bed upon returning home and later witnessed Fenderson carry the child into the woods to bury him.
With the assistance of the Forest Police Department, Fenderson turned himself in to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office on the night of April 18. The following day, he led authorities to the child’s burial site.
“Rodkis admitted that he had beaten the child and placed him in bed before his girlfriend arrived home,” Lee stated.
Due to the condition of the grave, which had been disturbed by animals, multiple agencies were called in to assist with the recovery, including the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi State University Anthropology Department, the Mississippi Crime Scene Unit, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Scott County Coroner Hunter Wolf also assisted in the case.
Fenderson is charged with murder. Patrick faces charges as an accessory after the fact. Both remain in the Scott County Jail without bond.
