GA - Katherine Janness, 40, walking dog, both fatally stabbed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 July 2021

[everybodhi]

If she walked in on 12th there would be multiple other photos of her after the rainbow crosswalk. A week+ after her murder it would be odd/counterintuitive for LE to be holding on those photos and not informing the public of the last location she was seen alive. (IMHO)

The typical reason to not inform the public of these kinds of details is to not release information that only the killer knows, as they often slip up during interrogation by divulging something that has not been released.

 

[spicyrock]

We do not know how many times she was stabbed, probably more than three. But reading this makes me think it was almost certainly sexually motivated.
What would someone who wanted to assault and kill a woman be doing in a park close to midnight on a random Tuesday, weapon at the ready. This location at Late night hours is widely known to be used by men hoping to meet other men and that may not happen very frequently. There would be other people randomly walking through the park to take a shortcut or walking on sidewalks outside the park.
For everything that makes me think it was a targeted attack there is another thing to make me think it was random.

great point. Almost anyone from around here would know that’s not a great place to meet a lot of women.

 

[Galadriel]

I understand the stalker theory, but it honestly doesn't make sense to me. The park is known for after-dark criminal activity. I think Katie simply happened to cross the path of a psychopathic criminal who was simply looking to kill, and if it had not been her and Bowie, it would have been someone else.

I live 6 or 7 miles southeast of the park, a lifelong Atlantan and dog mom. Part of what makes this so horrific to me is Katie was doing the same thing I do every night. She should have been safe. She deserved to be safe. May she and Bowie (the best boy who died protecting his mom) rest in peace.

 

[Quest701]

great point. Almost anyone from around here would know that’s not a great place to meet a lot of women.

Indeed.

 

[K.jill]

I'm the only person in my circle that I know of concerned at the level of following the case v closely. I think most ppl are just going about their business as usual. I'm with you, this feels very different somehow and tbh I wonder if folks haven't somehow gotten numb to violence given the level of it in ATL overall prior to this. I'm usually vigilant but I've up-leveled my attention to personal safety since. I don't want to energize fear too much in this thread but part of me is wondering when this sicko is gonna present next and where.

I wonder this too. And I think we are not overreacting. I feel like they must have a handle on if she was specifically targeted for some reason or if it was random. I understand the need to keep some things back from an investigation and To not scare the community but I believe we have the right to know a little bit more than we do. It could be that the public is not in danger for whatever reason but,
if they have information that the public is at danger they are taking a big risk not giving out more info so that people can make informed decisions. There are many other parks nearby and people may not think to avoid those areas as well. And 100,000 people are expected to come in town for the Dogwood Festival this weekend.

 

[K.jill]

Is there any reason LE would not release images of a suspect if they had them? I assume they would want to get them out to the public ASAP to make an identification. But am I wrong about that?

I am just speculating but if they did hold back releasing A description it could be because they don’t want to spook the person and have them run or go into hiding. Or maybe they don’t want to have innocent people who were similar looking attacked. Of course this is all just guessing I have no idea

 

[Snoopster]

This is maybe a little tangential to your point here but I recall APD a few days after the murder say that they were asking anyone who knew or noticed someone with significant unexplained (paraphrasing here) injuries to extremities/ body... or who hadn't been to work or school in a few days or who had recently changed their appearance ... dyed hair or shaved beard...again paraphrasing. This statement made me think the injuries to the perpetrator were possibly extensive and also that they might have caught the perp on camera...as why would it matter re appearance change if they hadn't? I hope Bowie got a good bite out of the guy either way.

I think there are two points here.
1) Injuries to extremities. I think that Bowie bit the attacker. (Good boy, Bowie!)
2) Someone who changed their appearance or regular routine (work/school). This is a common request from LE after a vicious murder. It may not be based on point #1 above. It is often due to the perp being concerned about possible witnesses (or cameras) and trying to look different.

 

[Snoopster]

It’s all my friends and I are talking about. I went to dinner at a friend’s house a few blocks away from the park last night and, although we refrained from speaking of it then (I think this was mostly not to freak out her teenage daughter who has anxiety issues), I felt like there was a strange tension. And when it was time to leave, the three of us guests made damn sure that we all walked out together. I drove past the gate where she was found and… it still just blows my mind that it happened THERE. Two decades ago, I got engaged in that park, shortly after dark, not too far from where she was found. It’s just so hard to believe that something so absolutely heinous could happen there. And it’s terrifying to know that the monster that did it is still out there.

I'm so sorry that your happy memory of being engaged there is now tarnished by this horrible crime.
<hugs>

 

[coldlanta]

Locals- do you feel like your neighbors are concerned about this?
I would not be surprised if some of mine are not aware of it at all. Most i have spoken to are aware of it but have not paid much attention to it, not enough to think twice about their own safety. They have not read any news articles and did not watch the pc’s.
Normally that would be me. I do not read the newspaper and rarely watch news on tv. But, this feels different to me and i am paying close attention now.

Yes definitely. Pretty much everyone I know in town is shook by this case and are following it closely/eager for updates.

 

[Quell]

I understand the stalker theory, but it honestly doesn't make sense to me. The park is known for after-dark criminal activity. I think Katie simply happened to cross the path of a psychopathic criminal who was simply looking to kill, and if it had not been her and Bowie, it would have been someone else.

I live 6 or 7 miles southeast of the park, a lifelong Atlantan and dog mom. Part of what makes this so horrific to me is Katie was doing the same thing I do every night. She should have been safe. She deserved to be safe. May she and Bowie (the best boy who died protecting his mom) rest in peace.

Yes, Bowie...the best boy and yes may they Rest In Peace.

I wonder this too. And I think we are not overreacting. I feel like they must have a handle on if she was specifically targeted for some reason or if it was random. I understand the need to keep some things back from an investigation and To not scare the community but I believe we have the right to know a little bit more than we do. It could be that the public is not in danger for whatever reason but,
if they have information that the public is at danger they are taking a big risk not giving out more info so that people can make informed decisions. There are many other parks nearby and people may not think to avoid those areas as well. And 100,000 people are expected to come in town for the Dogwood Festival this weekend.

Agree completely. How many of those 100k will even know this is going on? Prob not many I'm guessing. I'm with you. There needs to be some sort of real press conf soon where the general pub is brought up to speed as much as is prudent. The beltline and how it creates accessibility for the perp is a real thing. I know APD did an outreach thing for Midtown specifically but I'm not living in Midtown though I'm there q a lot.

 

[MntnHiker]

I wonder if she happened to cross paths with someone who came onto her or made sexual comments to her, she rebuffed/rejected them and kept waking, this enraged the person so they went crazy and lashed out.

 

[TL4S]

I understand the stalker theory, but it honestly doesn't make sense to me. The park is known for after-dark criminal activity. I think Katie simply happened to cross the path of a psychopathic criminal who was simply looking to kill, and if it had not been her and Bowie, it would have been someone else.

I live 6 or 7 miles southeast of the park, a lifelong Atlantan and dog mom. Part of what makes this so horrific to me is Katie was doing the same thing I do every night. She should have been safe. She deserved to be safe. May she and Bowie (the best boy who died protecting his mom) rest in peace.

This killer successfully killed an adult woman and a pitbull, so now he (she) probably thinks they can take on more than one person, as well. I'm sure that is possibly why they recommend going out in groups of 3 or 4. Whether this person knew Bowie was there or not, the dog was dealt with. Scary!

 

[Quell]

This killer successfully killed an adult woman and a pitbull, so now he (she) probably thinks they can take on more than one person, as well. I'm sure that is possibly why they recommend going out in groups of 3 or 4. Whether this person knew Bowie was there or not, the dog was dealt with. Scary!

WORD.

 

[AgentPuppyFeets]

I understand the stalker theory, but it honestly doesn't make sense to me. The park is known for after-dark criminal activity. I think Katie simply happened to cross the path of a psychopathic criminal who was simply looking to kill, and if it had not been her and Bowie, it would have been someone else.

I live 6 or 7 miles southeast of the park, a lifelong Atlantan and dog mom. Part of what makes this so horrific to me is Katie was doing the same thing I do every night. She should have been safe. She deserved to be safe. May she and Bowie (the best boy who died protecting his mom) rest in peace.

This. This case has hit close to home. Katie was my age. I walk my dog late at night in an area I know well. I just cannot wrap my head around this. At all. The thing I definitely do NOT understand is how in the world this person was bitten (I just know they were) by Bowie and no one knows? No way I could walk around with dog bites and no one know. I hope these injuries Bowie inflicted get so infected this person has no choice but to seek medical attention. I consider myself to have a close circle and have not been going out much with Covid, but someone would know. I wonder what they took that tree branch for.
I hope they get this person soon. I will be watching this case closely. RIP Katie and Bowie. I am so sorry for what happened to the both of you.

 

[Counttrarian]

The typical reason to not inform the public of these kinds of details is to not release information that only the killer knows, as they often slip up during interrogation by divulging something that has not been released.

Understood thx. But LE weighs the pros and cons of releasing evidence. In this instance it would be weighing a perp who already would likely be on video if at that entrance potentially slipping up by confirming they saw the victim there vs. enlisting the help of the public who would be presented with multiple possible new photos and a tighter time frame to come forth as witnessing anything. It seems like the latter would make much more sense, thus counterintuitive not to release such photos if they had them.

If media reports are to be believed then there are no other photos of her entering the park, "Police said Janness was last seen on surveillance video walking her dog near the rainbow crosswalk at 10th Street and Piedmont Ave. in midtown Atlanta. "

 

[LotusPawprint]

Right, I don’t believe in the obsessive stalker theories at all for any of the reasons you mentioned. I was trying to play devils advocate with myself but im convinced it was a crime of opportunity.

I was just curious because this theory ballooned out of nowhere. Even if such a theory was leaked by someone with insider knowledge, it doesn’t corroborate common sense assumptions or statements disseminated from officials. I mean the police keep telling people not to go to the park unless in groups of 3 or 4. And it just doesn’t make sense that someone would try to time her walk because she could’ve had an unpredictable schedule. I mean she had just been to dinner with her GF an hour prior. I think people with insider knowledge could have overheard someone in their ranks merely speculating about an obsessive fixated type in passing, but that doesn’t mean it’s a viable theory. Like even rumors from good sources can be mostly false. I only believe in this stuff if it’s corroborated by other info, which this is not.

Edit:To clarify, I think the cops must think it’s a rando without a fixation on the victim specifically because why else would they issue that warning about walking along late at night unless in groups of 3 or 4?

I don't really think she was targeted either. My mention of her being a bartender was just a suggestion based on one of the few things that we actually do know about her and circles of her life that LE will investigate.
I chose the wrong word saying fixated.. Clearly there was a homicidal savage with a (likely) knife in or around the park who was going to attack someone, anyone that night. I was thinking more that someone who she had served in the past saw her that night and felt slighted or triggered for whatever illogical reason and chose her to be his victim. It wouldn't be someone coworkers could necessarily identify or anything, Someone very much on the most peripheral of her world. I am just trying to grasp at reasons why they picked her, with the pitbull. Pointless to look for sense of nonsense and I do think this was random which probably makes this more difficult for investigators to solve.

 

[Counttrarian]

Clearly there was a homicidal savage with a (likely) knife in or around the park who was going to attack someone, anyone that night.

Not saying you are incorrect but what leads you to so strongly suspect that?
(I believe it was more likely to be something else)

 

[Quest701]

I wonder if she happened to cross paths with someone who came onto her or made sexual comments to her, she rebuffed/rejected them and kept waking, this enraged the person so they went crazy and lashed out.

I think that’s highly unlikely because it’s almost exclusively a place where gay men “cruise” for sex. Plus the severity of her injuries don’t seem consistent with a rebuffed suitor, who would probably stab and run. It sounds more like it was a depraved person looking to maim and kill a hapless victim.

 

[K.jill]

Understood thx. But LE weighs the pros and cons of releasing evidence. In this instance it would be weighing a perp who already would likely be on video if at that entrance potentially slipping up by confirming they saw the victim there vs. enlisting the help of the public who would be presented with multiple possible new photos and a tighter time frame to come forth as witnessing anything. It seems like the latter would make much more sense, thus counterintuitive not to release such photos if they had them.

If media reports are to be believed then there are no other photos of her entering the park, "Police said Janness was last seen on surveillance video walking her dog near the rainbow crosswalk at 10th Street and Piedmont Ave. in midtown Atlanta. "

I had not thought about this. If there are no more photos of her someone could have approached her further up 10th St. and she ran through the field dropped the leash and that’s why they were separated? I’m just thinking out loud here. But why would she run through the field instead of staying on the sidewalk where someone driving by could see her.
I have speculated to myself about if they could’ve been killed somewhere else and dropped off where they were. I cannot make that fit either.

 

[LotusPawprint]

Not saying you are incorrect but what leads you to so strongly suspect that?
(I believe it was more likely to be something else)

Are you asking about the use of knife or that a murderous person there?