GA - Katherine Janness, 40, fatally stabbed and dog killed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 July 2021 #2

[TL4S]

I'm curious as to why mostly everyone here believes that Bowie was protecting Katie during/after the attack. From the evidence the public has isn't it just as possible the dog was killed first and then the confrontation/attack on Katie?

I completely think Bowie could have been attacked first and Katie ran (maybe after first trying to help her dog). I would still consider that as Bowie trying to protect his person because he might have engaged the killer due to sensing danger.

 

[nao]

Moo. It seems it is a knife attack....so..Le should be able to tell by blood trails where assault started. Bowie was a city dog..so used to people etc. The person did not need to sneak up. So where did this start? On the path or off? The dog could of been stabbed and it ran to path or Katie ran away from path.? Moo

 

[Counttrarian]

I completely think Bowie could have been attacked first and Katie ran (maybe after first trying to help her dog). I would still consider that as Bowie trying to protect his person.

Thanks that is more what I was getting at. We don't know the sequence of events.
Additionally since we don't know if Bowie was on or off leash, there remains at least a small possibility that it was he that somehow lead to the confrontation.
Not saying this is at all comparable etc. but people have been known to have very unexpected reactions due to perceived or actual dog attacks (the following took place <1hr from Atlanta):
Man stabs pitbull inside Newnan pet store | 11alive.com

 

[mickey2942]

My dog (pocket pittie) can hear things I can't. I don't think there's any way the perp sneaked up on Katie without Bowie knowing it. Maybe Bowie didn't have a chance to react before the attack, but he for sure went after this guy, and again, I'd bet everything I have that he was killed just to get him out of the way.

That is why I wonder if someone came up "friendly", can I pet your dog? And then, that quick, stabbed Bowie, and stabbed Katherine. There is something wrong with a person who kills animals. I hope that the perpetrator is also charged with cruelty to animals. Yes, the perpetrator killed a person, but I would like Bowie's death also acknowledged, with Katherine.

Hoping LEO has some credible leads.

 

[ArmchairDefective]

That is why I wonder if someone came up "friendly", can I pet your dog? And then, that quick, stabbed Bowie, and stabbed Katherine. There is something wrong with a person who kills animals. I hope that the perpetrator is also charged with cruelty to animals. Yes, the perpetrator killed a person, but I would like Bowie's death also acknowledged, with Katherine.

Hoping LEO has some credible leads.

Ageed. I keep thinking about how even serial killer Gary Michael Hilton, who murdered Meredith Emerson (among others) said that he couldn't bring himself to kill her dog.

I hope they will put up a permanent memorial to Katie and Bowie in the park, but if they haven't done so for past park victims I don't know that they will this time. They may prefer that people forget, as awful as that sounds.

 

[Peaches96]

I'm going to be pedantic again -- did Emma say this, or did her dad say it? I saw quotes from him about this in early articles, but since I haven't listened to Emma's interviews (just read the summaries), I don't know if she has said it.

I *think* it was Emma. I will search for a link and post.

Edited: Here’s the link. It looks like it was the dad giving info. However the girlfriend is quoted in the article as well.
Woman killed at Piedmont Park remembered as intelligent, gentle, kind

 

[K.jill]

This is only speculation and my personal opinion:
I think we will find out that Bowie was a very good dog and did not start a confrontation. It has been reported that he died protecting Katie. As far as I’m concerned until authorities say different he is a hero and a victim.

it seems apparent that whoever did this came equipped with some sort of knife that is probably not a regular knife normal people carry around. If it was a situation where the dog went after someone and that person retaliated violently I do not think the scene would be as described by the police chief.

 

[HearMeRoar]

On this video from cbs46 at the 1:21 mark shows what think is the tree limb in the background.
But there are lots of tree branches around there and it may not be the one in this video.

Good eye K.jill! That branch looks like a good fit . My only speculation is that they're looking for DNA on the branch.

 

[Playdoe]

Good morning everyone, I'm still reluctant to think this was an attack from the front, I think the fatal throat injury lends to the belief, that it was from behind and quick. An attack that up close would result in a massive amount of blood transfer to the idiot. Maybe Katie was attacked where she was found then Bowie chased the idiot, which could explain why he wasn't next to our girl. The after effects or disfigurement occured once Bowie the good boi was exhausted, giving it just a few minutes to exact whatever vengeance remained in their black heart. Thanks to all who've taken to this site, it helps to focus my thoughts and know we're desperate to have this resolved, even knowing they'll never be anything that even comes close to punishment for inhumans that carry out these senseless assaults.

All of this is IMO- I agree that she may have been attacked from behind and that's when she released her grip on the leash. Bowie was probably injured after that, and collapsed away where he was found. Also, IMO -If there were any additional acts of violence on Katherine, it was probably post mortem or close to it. Yes, we're all afraid but I'm positive that all LE are doing everything they can and working hard behind the scenes, going over all the videos, evidence and statements with a fine tooth comb.

 

[Shellinaya]

I'm curious as to why mostly everyone here believes that Bowie was protecting Katie during/after the attack. From the evidence the public has isn't it just as possible the dog was killed first and then the confrontation/attack on Katie?

There were a few stories I read from news orgs. that quoted LE saying Bowie most likely did try to protect her and one was an article on the dog's autopsy which said they were looking for everything possible in the dog's mouth and on the nails.
Here is one quote I could find quickly.

"Bowie reportedly had additional DNA in his hair, which suggests the dog may have tried to protect Janness as she was being attacked."

Source Law & Crime

 

[Shellinaya]

On this video from cbs46 at the 1:21 mark shows what think is the tree limb in the background.
But there are lots of tree branches around there and it may not be the one in this video.

Great find. That is likely the same tree branch they loaded up on the van (the rough end looks the same) and if it was that close to the crime scene it may very well have evidence on it.

Speculation: Could the killer have even used it to trip her?

 

[spicyrock]

I just had a random thought about the tree branch; I hope it isn’t possible, but given the brazenness the killer shows- is it possible the killer got up in a tree after the crime? Maybe to watch the aftermath?

has anyone seen where the limb came from?

 

[K.jill]

Great find. That is likely the same tree branch they loaded up on the van (the rough end looks the same) and if it was that close to the crime scene it may very well have evidence on it.

Speculation: Could the killer have even used it to trip her?

That is possible. I can not figure how it may fit in. And why 3 days later?

 

[Counttrarian]

FWIW The FBI is also assisting in this more recent Atlanta case:
Caitlin Winchester missing in Atlanta | 11alive.com
(Not saying that they connected, but rather that FBI involvement is not a extreme rarity)

 

[TL4S]

That is possible. I can not figure how it may fit in. And why 3 days later?

It's been mentioned before, but perhaps something in the autopsy made that tree branch suddenly significant?

 

[K.jill]

I just had a random thought about the tree branch; I hope it isn’t possible, but given the brazenness the killer shows- is it possible the killer got up in a tree after the crime? Maybe to watch the aftermath?


has anyone seen where the limb came from?

It could be interesting to go have a look at the trees near the branch to see if there is a breakpoint in it and how high the branch was and if it would’ve fallen into the position it is in in the video.

 

[K.jill]

FWIW The FBI is also assisting in this more recent Atlanta case:
Caitlin Winchester missing in Atlanta | 11alive.com
(Not saying that they connected, but rather that FBI involvement is not a extreme rarity)

GA GA - Caitlin Winchester, 14, missing after first day at North Atlanta High School, 5 August 2021

There seems to be so little info about this. I hope they have some leads and that she is ok.

 

[dotr]

It's been mentioned before, but perhaps something in the autopsy made that tree branch suddenly significant?

A silent witness: How analysis of pollen can solve crimes – The College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University
September 7, 2020 rbbm.
''Leaves and branches above the rest
Pollen and spores are too small to be seen by the naked eye (7–200m) and criminals rarely realize that they have collected them from a crime scene. They can attach to most surfaces and can become deeply embedded in clothing, which means washing with detergent doesn’t remove all grains.

Pollens are also resistant to decomposition due to a cell wall composed of cellulose and sporopollenin – one of the most chemically resistant organic molecules known. This means they can be used as evidence many years after a criminal incident has taken place and they can also be preserved for hundreds of millions of years under the right conditions.

Arguably the most important attribute for forensic evidence is that they have complex morphologies that can lead palynologists back to the parent plant they came from and allow them to create a unique picture of the location a crime may have occurred. Pollen does not spread very far or evenly due to variations in airflow and physical obstacles, leading to large differences in pollen recovery over short distances.''

Solving Crime with Pollen — Science Next

''

Pollen is much more than nose and throat agitators. By analyzing microscopic pollen grains, scientists can determine where drugs were produced, and the routes taken, as well as the travel histories of crime victims.''

 

[fred&edna]

Another look at the tree branch being loaded. And, can anyone tell me what appears to be sticking out of the ground (at approx :38) - nearer to the tree and just in front of the detectives' right leg, and yellow in color, I think? First glance I thought it was crime tape but no... it doesn't attach to anything. Also, I thought it could be an axe handle but the top is blurred. It doesn't look like something just growing out of the ground. *ETA: If this thing is something simple that I should be able to identify... I'm gonna' feel extra silly. Also, it may be totally unimportant.

 

[K.jill]

Another look at the tree branch being loaded. And, can anyone tell me what appears to be sticking out of the ground (at approx :38) - nearer to the tree and just in front of the detectives' right leg, and yellow in color, I think? First glance I thought it was crime tape but no... it doesn't attach to anything. Also, I thought it could be an axe handle but the top is blurred. It doesn't look something just growing out of the ground. *ETA: If this thing is something simple that I should be able to identify... I'm gonna' feel extra silly. Also, it may be totally unimportant.

Could they be looking at the branch before loading it into the van? And that is a branch sticking up?

If not I have no clue what it could be. It does look like an ax handle but it’s three days after the murder and I doubt it would be that…..unless they had to cut The branch so it would fit in the van. But they don’t look like they’ve been chopping at a tree in the Atlanta heat.
At 46 seconds look at the limbs inside the van there’s one that’s sticking up quite a bit. That looks to be a limb that’s on the right hand side of the tree when the two people are standing there looking down at 38 seconds.