Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms 8/2:
Atlanta Mayor speaks about Piedmont Park murder as police prepare to give update
“Despite some rumors that cameras weren't working near where the murder happened, Atlanta Police's spokesman says all APD cameras in the area were working properly at the time of the murder and they are continuing to review footage.
Mayor Bottoms warned the public against the feeding into the growing rumors surrounding the case that police have kept largely private as they continue to search for clues.
"I am also asking people just to be thoughtful about the rumors and spreading false information. It certainly doesn’t help us at all in this investigation and making any headway in who is responsible," Bottoms said.
Mayor Bottoms warned the public against the feeding into the growing rumors surrounding the case that police have kept largely private as they continue to search for clues.
"I am also asking people just to be thoughtful about the rumors and spreading false information. It certainly doesn’t help us at all in this investigation and making any headway in who is responsible," Bottoms said.”
Also, in Atlanta news the past 24 hrs:
Autopsy on dog belonging to Piedmont Park murder victim
“Investigators believe it is almost a certainty the pet named Bowie engaged with the killer in an effort to protect his owner.
As such, APD ordered an autopsy of the animal looking for potential DNA that may have ended up on, or in the mouth of Bowie.
"They will treat the dog forensically the same way they would treat a human being," said Vincent Velazquez, a former homicide detective with the Atlanta force.
Velazquez expects bite impressions have already been taken off the animal as well as a check of the dog's nails for potential skin that may have been left by the person who committed the murder.
The detective with more than two decades of experience says a "transfer of evidence" could be significant.
If authorities can collect a sample, it can be compared to a criminal database and potentially the identification of the killer”