GA - Katherine Janness, 40, fatally stabbed and dog killed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 Jul 2021 #3

[citizen_sleuth]

Memorial for victims of Piedmont Park murder grows one month later - FOX 5 Atlanta (August 29)
<snipped>
"We thank you for your patience. This is going to take time," An Investigator with Atlanta Police said.

It’s been one month since Katie Janness and her dog Bowie were found gruesomely stabbed to death inside Piedmont Park.

Atlanta police have not released any information on a suspect in the case.

[...]

"I assure you that the men and women assigned to this investigation are working around the clock," an investigator with Atlanta Police said.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I don't believe this article has been posted here already but the last paragraph contains what is (at least to my knowledge) the first and only statement attributed to LE that reveals something was "carved into her torso."

Piedmont Park murder reminds investigators of decades-old cold case - FOX 5 Atlanta (August 24)
<snipped & BBM>
In the potential message killing of Ms. Janness, police sources have told FOX 5 what was carved into her torso. Police do not want that information revealed because deputy chief Charles Hampton, said, "there are details that only the killer would know about."

 

[DobbyRN]

Memorial for victims of Piedmont Park murder grows one month later - FOX 5 Atlanta (August 29)
<snipped>
"We thank you for your patience. This is going to take time," An Investigator with Atlanta Police said.

It’s been one month since Katie Janness and her dog Bowie were found gruesomely stabbed to death inside Piedmont Park.

Atlanta police have not released any information on a suspect in the case.

[...]

"I assure you that the men and women assigned to this investigation are working around the clock," an investigator with Atlanta Police said.

I am curious as to what the "legal eagles" of our Websleuths group thinks this means? Does this lean towards, they have a suspect or they have no suspect?

 

[LotusPawprint]

Memorial for victims of Piedmont Park murder grows one month later - FOX 5 Atlanta (August 29)
<snipped>
"We thank you for your patience. This is going to take time," An Investigator with Atlanta Police said.

It’s been one month since Katie Janness and her dog Bowie were found gruesomely stabbed to death inside Piedmont Park.

Atlanta police have not released any information on a suspect in the case.

[...]

"I assure you that the men and women assigned to this investigation are working around the clock," an investigator with Atlanta Police said.

Just want to note, to members here and to the FOX 5 Atlanta team, that these quotes re: Thank you for your patience, this is going to take time, and we we are working around the clock are from the press conference on AUGUST 3RD. It is sloppy of them to insert those quotes without stating, "law enforcement said early in August", otherwise both in print and when watching their 2 min news clip it comes across like investigators just gave this information.

Drives me nuts as a WSer but even more as someone who looks to these news reports for, oh I don't know, NEWS!



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[AtlantaBourne]

60%-70% of homicide arrests are made within 1 month (same day being the highest % and a majority with 10 days)

DNA results should be back by now, if they have DNA linking the victim to a perpetrator why would they want to to surveil them at the risk of additional crimes?
[unless the DNA could be explained away]

It's interesting that we haven't had a follow-up on the person arrested from the Atlscoop video.

Also worth noting here has been a very notable uptick, especially in the Midtown and Buckhead areas of Atlanta, of mentally disturbed persons committing violent crimes.
Here is one from Atlscoop from this weekend of a person with a pipe attacking persons and vehicles: Login • Instagram

I have searched but cannot find instructions on how to post a link...feel really stupid about it. Any help would be appreciated.
According to CBS46 Atlanta news reports of this LE involved shooting of a man hitting someone and cars with a pipe, Sun., 08/29 around 5am, watching the news video showing a pair of white shoes in the street there is a metal object laying next to the shoes w/a rubber tip on one end & IMO appears to be the bottom piece of an aluminum cane. Would love to know where that came from & where the rest of that cane is. Also, for those not familiar with the area, this Sunday incident was on a small street that runs between Peachtree St & Juniper St. Extremely close to Henry's Tavern where Emma worked & where she last saw Katie & Bowie.

 

[PrairieWind]

I don't believe this article has been posted here already but the last paragraph contains what is (at least to my knowledge) the first and only statement attributed to LE that reveals something was "carved into her torso."

Piedmont Park murder reminds investigators of decades-old cold case - FOX 5 Atlanta (August 24)
<snipped & BBM>
In the potential message killing of Ms. Janness, police sources have told FOX 5 what was carved into her torso. Police do not want that information revealed because deputy chief Charles Hampton, said, "there are details that only the killer would know about."

Interesting use of the word "instrument." The killer used an instrument to carve a message into her body.

 

[PrairieWind]

I am curious as to what the "legal eagles" of our Websleuths group thinks this means? Does this lean towards, they have a suspect or they have no suspect?

I don't know that I can make anything out of it. Its been a month with little new information. That tells me they don't know. But the lack of asking for public help etc, leads me to believe they do have a suspect. Really hard to say.

 

[PrairieWind]

Interesting use of the word "instrument." The killer used an instrument to carve a message into her body.

Getting back to this. We had heard before that there "may" have been a message carved into her. But I think this is the first time its been confirmed. There were some other sites that had rumors very early on as to what that message/word was. But who knows if they were accurate.

 

[FonescaFan]

Getting back to this. We had heard before that there "may" have been a message carved into her. But I think this is the first time its been confirmed. There were some other sites that had rumors very early on as to what that message/word was. But who knows if they were accurate.

Interesting. Could the use of the word ‘instrument’ mean it was different from the murder weapon, and/or that the murder weapon wasn’t a knife?

 

[nao]

Moo...box cutter could be used to do precise carving.. But not good for stabbing only slashing. Moo

 

[AtlantaBourne]

Moo...box cutter could be used to do precise carving.. But not good for stabbing only slashing. Moo

That takes me back to my question regarding the manner of death in the autopsy report released by Fulton County ME, "sharp forced injuries to face, neck and torso". I thought the phrase 'stab wounds' or 'knife injuries' was purposely left out. IMO due to no definitive evidence that the murder weapon was a knife or similar weapon.

 

[PrairieWind]

That takes me back to my question regarding the manner of death in the autopsy report released by Fulton County ME, "sharp forced injuries to face, neck and torso". I thought the phrase 'stab wounds' or 'knife injuries' was purposely left out. IMO due to no definitive evidence that the murder weapon was a knife or similar weapon.

I have seen "sharp force injuries" more recently in reports. It is becoming more common when the exact manner isn't clear. It is used as opposed to "blunt force injuries" ie a ball bat or etc. Sometimes I think a coroner could tell from the wound, it is clearly a stab with a knife from the size and shape of the entry and depth of the injury. I think that would normally be said to be a knife wound. But in a case like Katie, from the rumors she was injured differently. I don't mean to be crude, but it sounds like she was injured beyond that. So the coroner may not be comfortable saying "stabbing" since that may not even come close to describing it. If a throat is cut, is that a stabbing? Not really. So they call that a "sharp force injury." MOO of course.

 

[TL4S]

Has anyone been able to determine if the robo-bathroom automatically locks at 11pm closing time?

 

[cujenn81]

I’ve been reading Sexual Homicide: Patterns & Motives by Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas. There’s a (somewhat) similar crime discussed in the book — it was interesting to see how the case was investigated and just thought I’d share.

*** WARNING: graphic details ***

Victim (found deceased on the rooftop of an apartment building in Chicago):

• beaten about the face and strangled with the strap of her purse
• nipples cut off after death and placed on her chest
• “You can’t stop me.” was scrawled in ink on the inside of thigh
• “F*** you” was scrawled on abdomen
• a pendant in the form of a Jewish sign (Chai), which she usually wore as a good luck piece around her neck, was missing and presumed taken by the murderer
• earrings were placed symmetrically on either side of her head
• jaw and nose broken and molars loosened
• multiple face fractures caused by a blunt force
• postmortem bite marks visible on thighs, as well as contusions, hemorrhages, and lacerations of the body

COD: strangulation (first manual, then ligature, with the strap of her purse)

“The fact that the murderer used a weapon of opportunity indicated that he did not prepare to commit this crime. He probably used his fist to render her unconscious, which may be the reason no one heard any screams.”

“This crime’s style is a single homicide with the murderer’s primary intent making it a sexually motivated type of crime. There was a degree of planning indicated by the organization and sophistication of the crime scene. The idea of murder had probably occupied the killer for a long period of time. The sexual fantasies may have started through the use and collecting of sadistic depicting torture and violent sexual acts.”

“The crime was considered very high risk for the offender. He committed the crime in broad daylight, and there was a possibility that other people might see him. It appeared that the victim happened to cross the path of the offender. The location of the crime suggested the offender felt comfortable in the area. He had been here before, and he felt that no one would interrupt the murder.”

“The crime scene indicated that the murder was one event, not one of a series of events. It also appeared to be a first-time killing, and the subject was not a typical organized offender. There were elements of both disorganization and organization; the offender might fall into a mixed category.”

“The crime scene was not staged. Sadistic ritualistic fantasy generated the sexual motivation for murder. He placed the victim in a degrading posture, which reflected his lack of remorse about the killing. The crime scene portrayed the intricacies of a long-standing murderous fantasy. The positioning of the victim suggested that the offender was acting out something he had seen before, perhaps in a fantasy or in a sadomasochistic pornographic magazine.”

“He positioned her earrings in a ritualistic manner, and he wrote on her body. This reflects some sort of imagery that he probably had repeated over and over in his mind. He took her necklace as a souvenir, perhaps to carry around in his pocket. The investigative profilers also noted that the body was positioned in the form of the woman’s missing Jewish symbol.”

“The sexual acts showed controlled aggression, but rage or hatred of women was obviously present. Although the offender might have preferred his victim conscious, he had to render her unconscious because he did not want to get caught. He did not want the woman screaming for help. The murderer’s infliction of sexual, sadistic acts on an inanimate body suggests that he was disorganized. He probably would be a very confused person, possibly with previous mental problems. The fact that he inflicted acts on a dead or unconscious person indicated his inability to function with a live or conscious person. The crime scene reflected that the killer felt justified in his actions and that he felt no remorse. He was not subtle. He left the victim in a provocative, humiliating position, exactly the way he wanted her to be found. He challenged the police in the message he wrote on the victim; the messages also indicated that the subject might well kill again.”

“The crime received intense coverage by the local media because it was such an extraordinary homicide. The local police responded to a radio call of a homicide. They in turn notified the detective bureau, which notified the forensic crime scene unit, medical examiner’s office, and the county district attorney’s office. A task force was immediately assembled of approximately twenty-six detectives and supervisors. An intensive investigation resulted, which included speaking to and interviewing more than two thousand people. Records checks of known sex offenders in the area proved fruitless. Handwriting samples were taken of possible suspects to compare to the writing on the body. Mental hospitals in the area were checked for people who might fit the profile of this type of killer.”

The FBI’s Behavorial Science Unit was contacted in order to draw up a profile. The outcome of the investigation was the apprehension of a suspect thirteen months after the discovery of the victim’s body.

 

[K.jill]

I have searched but cannot find instructions on how to post a link...feel really stupid about it. Any help would be appreciated.
According to CBS46 Atlanta news reports of this LE involved shooting of a man hitting someone and cars with a pipe, Sun., 08/29 around 5am, watching the news video showing a pair of white shoes in the street there is a metal object laying next to the shoes w/a rubber tip on one end & IMO appears to be the bottom piece of an aluminum cane. Would love to know where that came from & where the rest of that cane is. Also, for those not familiar with the area, this Sunday incident was on a small street that runs between Peachtree St & Juniper St. Extremely close to Henry's Tavern where Emma worked & where she last saw Katie & Bowie.

Here is a link to an article about this:Police investigate early morning officer involved shooting in midtown Atlanta
When i post a link i copy the address on my web browser and then paste it on my WS post. Does that make sense?

 

[Shellinaya]

I have searched but cannot find instructions on how to post a link...feel really stupid about it. Any help would be appreciated.
According to CBS46 Atlanta news reports of this LE involved shooting of a man hitting someone and cars with a pipe, Sun., 08/29 around 5am, watching the news video showing a pair of white shoes in the street there is a metal object laying next to the shoes w/a rubber tip on one end & IMO appears to be the bottom piece of an aluminum cane. Would love to know where that came from & where the rest of that cane is. Also, for those not familiar with the area, this Sunday incident was on a small street that runs between Peachtree St & Juniper St. Extremely close to Henry's Tavern where Emma worked & where she last saw Katie & Bowie.

This looks like the story here.

However the story says the object is a pipe, not a cane.
The man was hitting cars with it, like you said, and he has been arrested. The pipe looks pretty substantial in the photo.

 

[Shellinaya]

I’ve been reading Sexual Homicide: Patterns & Motives by Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas. There’s a (somewhat) similar crime discussed in the book — it was interesting to see how the case was investigated and just thought I’d share.

*** WARNING: graphic details ***

Victim (found deceased on the rooftop of an apartment building in Chicago):

• beaten about the face and strangled with the strap of her purse
• nipples cut off after death and placed on her chest
• “You can’t stop me.” was scrawled in ink on the inside of thigh
• “F*** you” was scrawled on abdomen
• a pendant in the form of a Jewish sign (Chai), which she usually wore as a good luck piece around her neck, was missing and presumed taken by the murderer
• earrings were placed symmetrically on either side of her head
• jaw and nose broken and molars loosened
• multiple face fractures caused by a blunt force
• postmortem bite marks visible on thighs, as well as contusions, hemorrhages, and lacerations of the body

COD: strangulation (first manual, then ligature, with the strap of her purse)

“The fact that the murderer used a weapon of opportunity indicated that he did not prepare to commit this crime. He probably used his fist to render her unconscious, which may be the reason no one heard any screams.”

“This crime’s style is a single homicide with the murderer’s primary intent making it a sexually motivated type of crime. There was a degree of planning indicated by the organization and sophistication of the crime scene. The idea of murder had probably occupied the killer for a long period of time. The sexual fantasies may have started through the use and collecting of sadistic depicting torture and violent sexual acts.”

“The crime was considered very high risk for the offender. He committed the crime in broad daylight, and there was a possibility that other people might see him. It appeared that the victim happened to cross the path of the offender. The location of the crime suggested the offender felt comfortable in the area. He had been here before, and he felt that no one would interrupt the murder.”

“The crime scene indicated that the murder was one event, not one of a series of events. It also appeared to be a first-time killing, and the subject was not a typical organized offender. There were elements of both disorganization and organization; the offender might fall into a mixed category.”

“The crime scene was not staged. Sadistic ritualistic fantasy generated the sexual motivation for murder. He placed the victim in a degrading posture, which reflected his lack of remorse about the killing. The crime scene portrayed the intricacies of a long-standing murderous fantasy. The positioning of the victim suggested that the offender was acting out something he had seen before, perhaps in a fantasy or in a sadomasochistic pornographic magazine.”

“He positioned her earrings in a ritualistic manner, and he wrote on her body. This reflects some sort of imagery that he probably had repeated over and over in his mind. He took her necklace as a souvenir, perhaps to carry around in his pocket. The investigative profilers also noted that the body was positioned in the form of the woman’s missing Jewish symbol.”

“The sexual acts showed controlled aggression, but rage or hatred of women was obviously present. Although the offender might have preferred his victim conscious, he had to render her unconscious because he did not want to get caught. He did not want the woman screaming for help. The murderer’s infliction of sexual, sadistic acts on an inanimate body suggests that he was disorganized. He probably would be a very confused person, possibly with previous mental problems. The fact that he inflicted acts on a dead or unconscious person indicated his inability to function with a live or conscious person. The crime scene reflected that the killer felt justified in his actions and that he felt no remorse. He was not subtle. He left the victim in a provocative, humiliating position, exactly the way he wanted her to be found. He challenged the police in the message he wrote on the victim; the messages also indicated that the subject might well kill again.”

“The crime received intense coverage by the local media because it was such an extraordinary homicide. The local police responded to a radio call of a homicide. They in turn notified the detective bureau, which notified the forensic crime scene unit, medical examiner’s office, and the county district attorney’s office. A task force was immediately assembled of approximately twenty-six detectives and supervisors. An intensive investigation resulted, which included speaking to and interviewing more than two thousand people. Records checks of known sex offenders in the area proved fruitless. Handwriting samples were taken of possible suspects to compare to the writing on the body. Mental hospitals in the area were checked for people who might fit the profile of this type of killer.”

The FBI’s Behavorial Science Unit was contacted in order to draw up a profile. The outcome of the investigation was the apprehension of a suspect thirteen months after the discovery of the victim’s body.

Horrible. I think now that we will be waiting a long time for the resolution of this murder. They don't seem to have any suspects. There is nothing in the news about it, except rehashing old stuff. But who knows what the FBI is doing ... unfortunately, they aren't talking about it.

 

[K.jill]

5 weeks

 

[K.jill]

I’ve been reading Sexual Homicide: Patterns & Motives by Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas. There’s a (somewhat) similar crime discussed in the book — it was interesting to see how the case was investigated and just thought I’d share.

*** WARNING: graphic details ***

Victim (found deceased on the rooftop of an apartment building in Chicago):

• beaten about the face and strangled with the strap of her purse
• nipples cut off after death and placed on her chest
• “You can’t stop me.” was scrawled in ink on the inside of thigh
• “F*** you” was scrawled on abdomen
• a pendant in the form of a Jewish sign (Chai), which she usually wore as a good luck piece around her neck, was missing and presumed taken by the murderer
• earrings were placed symmetrically on either side of her head
• jaw and nose broken and molars loosened
• multiple face fractures caused by a blunt force
• postmortem bite marks visible on thighs, as well as contusions, hemorrhages, and lacerations of the body

COD: strangulation (first manual, then ligature, with the strap of her purse)

“The fact that the murderer used a weapon of opportunity indicated that he did not prepare to commit this crime. He probably used his fist to render her unconscious, which may be the reason no one heard any screams.”

“This crime’s style is a single homicide with the murderer’s primary intent making it a sexually motivated type of crime. There was a degree of planning indicated by the organization and sophistication of the crime scene. The idea of murder had probably occupied the killer for a long period of time. The sexual fantasies may have started through the use and collecting of sadistic depicting torture and violent sexual acts.”

“The crime was considered very high risk for the offender. He committed the crime in broad daylight, and there was a possibility that other people might see him. It appeared that the victim happened to cross the path of the offender. The location of the crime suggested the offender felt comfortable in the area. He had been here before, and he felt that no one would interrupt the murder.”

“The crime scene indicated that the murder was one event, not one of a series of events. It also appeared to be a first-time killing, and the subject was not a typical organized offender. There were elements of both disorganization and organization; the offender might fall into a mixed category.”

“The crime scene was not staged. Sadistic ritualistic fantasy generated the sexual motivation for murder. He placed the victim in a degrading posture, which reflected his lack of remorse about the killing. The crime scene portrayed the intricacies of a long-standing murderous fantasy. The positioning of the victim suggested that the offender was acting out something he had seen before, perhaps in a fantasy or in a sadomasochistic pornographic magazine.”

“He positioned her earrings in a ritualistic manner, and he wrote on her body. This reflects some sort of imagery that he probably had repeated over and over in his mind. He took her necklace as a souvenir, perhaps to carry around in his pocket. The investigative profilers also noted that the body was positioned in the form of the woman’s missing Jewish symbol.”

“The sexual acts showed controlled aggression, but rage or hatred of women was obviously present. Although the offender might have preferred his victim conscious, he had to render her unconscious because he did not want to get caught. He did not want the woman screaming for help. The murderer’s infliction of sexual, sadistic acts on an inanimate body suggests that he was disorganized. He probably would be a very confused person, possibly with previous mental problems. The fact that he inflicted acts on a dead or unconscious person indicated his inability to function with a live or conscious person. The crime scene reflected that the killer felt justified in his actions and that he felt no remorse. He was not subtle. He left the victim in a provocative, humiliating position, exactly the way he wanted her to be found. He challenged the police in the message he wrote on the victim; the messages also indicated that the subject might well kill again.”

“The crime received intense coverage by the local media because it was such an extraordinary homicide. The local police responded to a radio call of a homicide. They in turn notified the detective bureau, which notified the forensic crime scene unit, medical examiner’s office, and the county district attorney’s office. A task force was immediately assembled of approximately twenty-six detectives and supervisors. An intensive investigation resulted, which included speaking to and interviewing more than two thousand people. Records checks of known sex offenders in the area proved fruitless. Handwriting samples were taken of possible suspects to compare to the writing on the body. Mental hospitals in the area were checked for people who might fit the profile of this type of killer.”

The FBI’s Behavorial Science Unit was contacted in order to draw up a profile. The outcome of the investigation was the apprehension of a suspect thirteen months after the discovery of the victim’s body.

Thank you for sharing, Cujenn81.
This is very interesting and sounds very similar.

 

[Shellinaya]

This looks like the story here.

However the story says the object is a pipe, not a cane.
The man was hitting cars with it, like you said, and he has been arrested. The pipe looks pretty substantial in the photo.

Sorry, the man was not arrested, he was shot by police.