GA GA - Katherine Janness & Dog Bowie Fatally Stabbed - Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 2021 #5

[Valiant]

A commenter on another site wondered if KJs killing actually took place *inside* the self-cleaning restroom just inside the CA Gate and she was then dragged to the ground where she was found.

Iirc the rr is a fairly spacious, solid structure and stainless steel on the inside. Commenter posited that the wash cycle might’ve removed a lot of the dna.

That might explain why the jogger saw nothing and neighbors heard nothing.

Curious what others’ thoughts are about this as a possibility.

The restrooms are only open certain hours, so they would have been closed at the time of the murder. I looked this up back then and I think the hours were even shorter back then. I seem to recall 10 pm.

Charles Allen Gate Restroom - Google Search

 

[Quell]

I’ve wondered about that restroom and whether the killer might have been hiding there befor the attack. But everyone says the rr would have been locked. If it wasn’t, I suppose that theory is plausible. The evidence that works against it is that the autopsy reveals that many of her stab wounds had pieces of her t-*advertiser censored*, dirt and leaves were in the incised wounds. That suggests Katie was stabbed and mutilated on the ground.

If her killer dragged her to the place she was found cldnt debris be picked up/lodged in incised areas that way?

 

[Quell]

The restrooms are only open certain hours, so they would have been closed at the time of the murder. I looked this up back then and I think the hours were even shorter back then. I seem to recall 10 pm.

Charles Allen Gate Restroom - Google Search

It would make sense that rr wld close in tandem to park hours.
I wonder if that’s always the case though—or if there are known work arounds by ppl who use them/are in the park at night. Could the door be held open by something or wld that disable it altogether?

 

[RetLawyer]

If her killer dragged her to the place she was found cldnt debris be picked up/lodged in incised areas that way?

That’s a good question. I wouldn’t think so, mostly because she would be dragged by the killer holding her under her arms and dragging her feet. That being the case, her shoes and socks would show signs of dragging. I suspect APD know where she was killed and mutilated by the amount of blood pooling around and under her. Police arrived probably within an hour of her murder.

 

[tbgo]

Could Bowie have tried to bite someone in the park and this precipitated the attack? I’ve never seen anyone consider this scenario - I didn’t either. If the dog tried to bite or attack someone walking in the park, perhaps the murderer hit the dog, the dog goes down and Katie fights back or has an argument with them. No dog owner is going to leave their pup there. Perhaps they exchanged words, the murderer called her fat (which led to the letters carved into her), became enraged and then attacked her. This would explain how maybe Bowie didn’t have a chance to fight back and a second attacker wouldn’t be necessary (something I’ve seen others theorize). Bowie would have been incapacitated. The murdered lost it and stabbed Katie and then decided to put Bowie out of his misery or was just unbelievably angry about the entire thing. We still have that jogger. No doubt there were fitness people in the area running. I was just telling the story about this case to someone who has never heard about it before and they asked if the dog could have tried to bite someone. I had never considered that. We’ll never know for sure unless someone confesses or a witness comes forward. If this is what happened, this would mean that it wasn’t some random attack and Katie also didn’t know her murderer but could have seen it coming. What do you think? Could this scenario be possible?

 

[kemo]

Two things about this case are very strange. Attacking someone with an intimidating dog and carving “fat” on her body. I’ve never been to that area so I don’t have a good feel for the pedestrian traffic that time of night but there may not have been a lot of people walking alone except dog walkers. Someone laying in wait for someone to attack may have planned to attack a dog walker. He obviously had confidence in his abilities with a knife. I’m wondering if his plan was to attack a male. Considering the neighborhood, he expected whoever he attacked would be gay and his plan was to write “*advertiser censored*”. Perhaps he was unable to find a suitable male victim and had to improvise his writing on victim ( which was an important part of his plan. I suspect, this was someone who went into a “gay” neighborhood with intent of killing a random stranger by attacking them as they walked past the park entrance, where he would be concealed, and drag them into the park where he could write on the body; perhaps to justify his actions. Since there is no usable forensic evidence, this will be very hard to solve. The perpetrator was probably parked on a side street with no Cameras to catch him.

 

[Quell]

Two things about this case are very strange. Attacking someone with an intimidating dog and carving “fat” on her body. I’ve never been to that area so I don’t have a good feel for the pedestrian traffic that time of night but there may not have been a lot of people walking alone except dog walkers. Someone laying in wait for someone to attack may have planned to attack a dog walker. He obviously had confidence in his abilities with a knife. I’m wondering if his plan was to attack a male. Considering the neighborhood, he expected whoever he attacked would be gay and his plan was to write “*advertiser censored*”. Perhaps he was unable to find a suitable male victim and had to improvise his writing on victim ( which was an important part of his plan. I suspect, this was someone who went into a “gay” neighborhood with intent of killing a random stranger by attacking them as they walked past the park entrance, where he would be concealed, and drag them into the park where he could write on the body; perhaps to justify his actions. Since there is no usable forensic evidence, this will be very hard to solve. The perpetrator was probably parked on a side street with no Cameras to catch him.

A gay male discovered KJs body after Emma so there’s definitely gay male foot traffic even within minutes of KJs death.

If the killer wanted to kill a gay male on foot, likely no shortage; Blake’s (predominantly gay male bar) is busy on Tuesday nights and it’s right down the street.

LE has not stated whether/not useable forensic evidence.

There are no shortage of ring and business cameras in that area.

 

[Cowabunga02]

Could Bowie have tried to bite someone in the park and this precipitated the attack? I’ve never seen anyone consider this scenario - I didn’t either. If the dog tried to bite or attack someone walking in the park, perhaps the murderer hit the dog, the dog goes down and Katie fights back or has an argument with them. No dog owner is going to leave their pup there. Perhaps they exchanged words, the murderer called her fat (which led to the letters carved into her), became enraged and then attacked her. This would explain how maybe Bowie didn’t have a chance to fight back and a second attacker wouldn’t be necessary (something I’ve seen others theorize). Bowie would have been incapacitated. The murdered lost it and stabbed Katie and then decided to put Bowie out of his misery or was just unbelievably angry about the entire thing. We still have that jogger. No doubt there were fitness people in the area running. I was just telling the story about this case to someone who has never heard about it before and they asked if the dog could have tried to bite someone. I had never considered that. We’ll never know for sure unless someone confesses or a witness comes forward. If this is what happened, this would mean that it wasn’t some random attack and Katie also didn’t know her murderer but could have seen it coming. What do you think? Could this scenario be possible?

You’re correct as far as know, tbgo, that this idea hasn’t been put out there before. I would hope Katie had Bowie on a leash, and my guess is, yes she did. Either way, it’s a possibility that however this person approached them, that Bowie did not get good vibes from him, and maybe growled, and Katie chose to move along and away from this guy. He could have moved into their space and close enough to the dog to cause Bowie’s distrust to become physical as a ruse to create a reason to hurt Bowie and Katie when she fought back. It does seem a stretch that he would call her fat because he wouldn’t know (unless he had heard her at work talk about) what things bothered her. Imo, it wouldn’t be anyone name-calling. Many of us have some extra pounds and all of us feel differently about it. I don’t believe she would have cared. But it’s an idea of how those letters may have been used physically. If true, he would have been a man who believes he knows women, but is obviously lacking in that area. Many confident women are quite ok with their appearance and would just ignore the comment and the guy as a rule. I believe it wasn’t that word at all. Maybe fa_, or dad, or someone’s initials-perhaps even his own. He, or still maybe she, had and probably continues to behave with much chutzpah, “knowing” he’ll never get caught (i.e. ALL the parts of this crime are so brazen), so “writing” his own initials wouldn’t be a surprise. Yet, this anger and behavior seems so full of rage for a dog to have disliked and maybe tried to bite him. But, people have all kinds of thoughts and emotions; it seems to me that it is actually a pretty straightforward way to plan and commit this murder.

 

[Cowabunga02]

Two things about this case are very strange. Attacking someone with an intimidating dog and carving “fat” on her body. I’ve never been to that area so I don’t have a good feel for the pedestrian traffic that time of night but there may not have been a lot of people walking alone except dog walkers. Someone laying in wait for someone to attack may have planned to attack a dog walker. He obviously had confidence in his abilities with a knife. I’m wondering if his plan was to attack a male. Considering the neighborhood, he expected whoever he attacked would be gay and his plan was to write “*advertiser censored*”. Perhaps he was unable to find a suitable male victim and had to improvise his writing on victim ( which was an important part of his plan. I suspect, this was someone who went into a “gay” neighborhood with intent of killing a random stranger by attacking them as they walked past the park entrance, where he would be concealed, and drag them into the park where he could write on the body; perhaps to justify his actions. Since there is no usable forensic evidence, this will be very hard to solve. The perpetrator was probably parked on a side street with no Cameras to catch him.

Your idea, kemo, is a decent one, and imo, the writing probably was an important part of his plan. So it could answer why Katie had that carved into her. I agree with Quell that many gay men would very likely have been available; however, maybe the killer was waiting for the “right” type and grew agitated waiting. I can hardly say that he was scared to execute his plan because Bowie didn’t seem to be a drawback to the killer, and he carried out the attack and murder with exuberant violence. This could fit with tbgo’s theory.

 

[tbgo]

A friend of Katie’s confirmed that Bowie had two personalities with people - one minute he was friendly, the next minute he’d try to bite you.

I’ve seen people mention that what looks like the word FAT might not have been. There’s a word for this that escapes me - lines (or carvings) that people mistake for letters. I guess we’ll never know for sure unless we see it ourselves.

I can’t imagine going into that park that late at night. I’d be scared to death even with a dog.

 

[RetLawyer]

A friend of Katie’s confirmed that Bowie had two personalities with people - one minute he was friendly, the next minute he’d try to bite you.

I’ve seen people mention that what looks like the word FAT might not have been. There’s a word for this that escapes me - lines (or carvings) that people mistake for letters. I guess we’ll never know for sure unless we see it ourselves.

I can’t imagine going into that park that late at night. I’d be scared to death even with a dog.

I think you might be referring to “runes”. They are lines used in an old Germanic alphabet and they are thought to be magic, some to give power.

 

[morf13]

I keep expecting to get an update this case is solved. One of these days!

 

[dotr]

TENDER HEARTED SINGER SONGWRITER "MUTILATED" WALKING DOG, ATLANTA'S PIEDMONT PARK - Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Katherine “Katie” Janness takes her dog Bowie for a walk in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. after seeing her girlfriend, Emma, who was working down the street as a bartener. After work, Emma went home, but Katie wasn’t there. Emma calls Katie's cell phone, then texts. Emma goes out to look for Katie...

omny.fm

TENDER HEARTED SINGER SONGWRITER "MUTILATED" WALKING ''DOG, ATLANTA'S PIEDMONT PARK​

Jun 7, 2024,​

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

• Dale Carson - High Profile Attorney (Jacksonville), Former FBI Agent, Former Police Officer (Miami-Dade County), Author: "Arrest-Proof Yourself, DaleCarsonLaw.com
• Dr. Angela Arnold - Psychiatrist, AngelaArnoldMD.com, Expert in the Treatment of Pregnant/Postpartum Women, Former Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology: Emory University, Former Medical Director of The Psychiatric Ob-Gyn Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital, Voted My Buckhead’s Best Psychiatric Practice 2022 to 2024
• Chris McDonough - Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, Host of YouTube channel- ‘The Interview Room’, ColdCaseFoundation.org
• Dr. Kendall Crowns- Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University
• Eric Perry - Anchor/Reporter at Fox 5 Atlanta (WAGA)''

 

[concernedcitizen706]

Same. Still can’t believe the jogger didn’t see/hear anything. The timing imo would put him right there at nearly the same time as the assailant. The brief run in/run out? Who does that? Is it possible he blocked it out? Didn’t see Bowie at the very least? Or maybe didn’t realize what he was looking at. Truly hope APD is stealth-close to solving the case because at times it sure does feel like it’s been archived.

The murder happened low to the ground, he was probably behind a little hill, wearing dark clothes. I'm sure nobody would have thought of it, passing by. Because assuming she was unconscious or not screaming at that point, so without any noise, who's to know what that is.

 

[concernedcitizen706]

Couple of things I am thinking about today about this case…

About a month after this happened, I did few slow drive bys at 10th and CA Gate on a weeknight, right around the time of day of KJs murder, same moon phase to see what was visible from the street.

What I noticed was the service street the restroom sits on and where Bowie was reportedly found was completely illuminated which is pretty much the way it always is, there’s a light right there just past the gate. You could easily see into it from the road.

I also noticed that the tree grove to the right and down covered the ground so that that area was nearly pitch black.

So since the guy heard yelling on Emma’s call to 911 is walking out of the park when he yells in fright, I have always wondered how he saw Katie. Was it Emma’s bike that drew his attention to her? Otherwise was she closer to the street than under the tree canopy? I think they said she was 100 feet away from gate. And how if that guy saw her how did Runner Guy not? Iirc it’s literally a matter of 10-15 mins difference in time between them.

The other thing I think about is the hearts and minds of LE and Grady Emt—I believe 911 guy said he was sending Grady— I think about this being a fairly quiet Tuesday night and then they get this call and how they can never unsee what will no doubt be one of the most horrific scenes of their careers.

Yeah who was that guy who yelled? I hope they looked into him.

 

[concernedcitizen706]

I agree with that opinion. One would need a very affected mental state and/or Lots of nerve to return to the area with flowers the following day. Many, many people cared and still do.

Not really. Someone who did this crime would have no problem returning the next day. In fact it would be a thrill for him.

 

[concernedcitizen706]

I’ve wondered about that restroom and whether the killer might have been hiding there befor the attack. But everyone says the rr would have been locked. If it wasn’t, I suppose that theory is plausible. The evidence that works against it is that the autopsy reveals that many of her stab wounds had pieces of her t-*advertiser censored*, dirt and leaves were in the incised wounds. That suggests Katie was stabbed and mutilated on the ground.

Any lock can be manipulated. I looked up those type of restrooms. They can have automatic locking with Wi-Fi. That can be tampered with, if someone knows what they're doing <modsnip>. And then just wash himself off in the restroom.

 

[Cowabunga02]

Well it is human nature to hide drug use, and even the people closest to them sometimes do not know about it. However, I guess it does not have to be drug use, it could be she wanted to buy something else. A piece of art or used music equipment. A little strange to meet at that time of night for that, but maybe the seller said, hey this is my only time, that's when I get off work.

Still don’t agree.

 

[RetLawyer]

Yes thanks for the info that it's only 5 minutes. I think I heard she left the restaurant around 11:30. Crosswalk at 12:09. So we have about a half hour in between. That's a lot of people she could have run into in a half hour.

My understanding is that she arrived at Emma’s workplace around 11:30 pm. Don’t know when she left. She apparently talked to a couple other people at Henry’s after talking to Emma. If so, her being at the rainbow cross walk about 12:09 am makes more sense. Or, after leaving Henry’s she may have stopped where she worked to chat with co workers, etc and that would put her at the rainbow cross walk at about 12:09 am. Given that timeframe, I don’t know why she would have gone into PP at the 10th Str entrance since she could have turned south there and gotten home by about 12:30 am or so. IMO I very much doubt she entered PP at the 12th Str entrance and walked through to 10th Str and was attacked as she and Bowie were exiting the park. But….it’s all very hard to piece together without more info released by APD.

 

[dotr]

This gives hope that eventually the perp will be identified, wondering if they are from another country, making identification more difficult and time consuming? speculation.
2022 rbbm

Beyond Criminal Headlines: Michael Seiden on the Katie Janness murder investigation

Katherine “Katie” Janness, 40, and her dog Bowie were brutally stabbed to death in Atlanta, Georgia’s Piedmont Park on July 28, 2021.

www.wgauradio.com

''During the news conference, Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Charles Hampton was asked about the status of Katie Janness’ case.

“We are relying on the science and the technology,” Hampton said. “Investigations take time. We’ve been fortunate to get some of these high-profile cases solved in days and weeks. And then there are other cases that our team continues to work diligently to bring the people responsible to justice.”

Hampton said APD is continuing to meet with the FBI weekly about the case and that it is still an active investigation.''