Katherine ‘Katie’ Janness was 40 years old when she and her dog Bowie were stabbed to death in Piedmont Park in Atlanta in July 2021. Their murders remain unsolved now four years later.
There is a great write up on this case on reddit by catgirl69. You can read it here.
Katherine Linnet Janness was born on September 4, 1980.
Katie worked as a bartender at Campagnolo, an Italian restaurant and bar on Piedmont Avenue, and also at Whole World Improv Theatre on Spring Street in Atlanta.
Katie’s family and friends have said that she loved reading books. She loved music and taught herself to play the guitar. She sang and played guitar in a band called Violet Skin.
Katie Hahn, a former girlfriend, said to the Washington Post:
“Her words to me were, ‘Detroit was a ghost town, and I have to get out and make music.’ She was a wonderful singer and songwriter of beautiful lyrics.”
She was known for her creative spirit and for having a gentle nature. In 2021, Katie had been with her partner Emma Clark for seven years. The couple shared two dogs – Tori (14) and Bowie (3).
Emma’s father said to the media after the murders “They would’ve been together forever. They were that couple. “Their love and relationship was based on mutual understanding to let each other live a full life. They were a happy couple building their life-long future.”
As we mentioned, Katie was a bartender, so she often worked late into the night. On Tuesday July 27, 2021, at around 11pm, Katie took Bowie for a neighbourhood walk. This was a routine of theirs
Clayton Skinner, a regular customer at the bar, recounted to CBS 46:
“She was a very sweet person, a little geeky… She routinely walked her dog late at night because she typically worked night shift. I think maybe she had a sense the park was safer than it is…”
Katie had not been working that night, but Emma was working at a nearby tavern. Katie and Bowie stopped to talk to Emma at around 11.30pm. The two women agreed that Katie would return later and walk Emma home after her shift.
Emma said that she would send Katie a text once she was finished and that she would likely be done in around an hour.
Katie and Bowie continued on their walk and went into Piedmont Park.
This is some info about the park, including some crime stats:
Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia, covers 189 acres. It is located in the heart of Midtown, a lively neighborhood in northeast Atlanta. The park is known for its green space and recreational facilities.
Piedmont Park had the highest amount of crime, with 1,595 offenses from 2009-2016. Similar to citywide statistics, larceny dominated the list of crimes, with larceny from-vehicle charges accounting for nearly 60 percent of all crimes in the park. Other notable statistics include:
Highest in both from-vehicle larceny and non-vehicle larceny.
3rd highest in auto thefts, with 107 instances of stolen vehicles.
2nd highest in pedestrian robberies – attempts to use fear or force to steal property from pedestrians.
At 12.20am on July 28, 2021, Emma texted Katie and said that she was finished with work. She also tried calling Katie. Katie did not respond to Emma. Emma assumed Katie’s phone had died and decided to just walk the few blocks to their apartment.
When Emma got home and there was no sign of Katie or Bowie, she used the ‘Find my iPhone’ app to see where Katie was. The app showed that Katie’s phone was in Piedmont Park. The phone was stationery and Emma wondered if Katie had maybe dropped and lost her phone in the dark.
Emma got her bicycle and rode to the park. She arrived at around 1am, still tracking Katie’s phone. As she cycled into the park, she could see a dark figure laying in the street around 50 feet away. She realized that it was Bowie. Even though it was dark, Emma saw that he was severely injured or killed.
Emma began to panic and started looking for Katie. Under a tree, she saw Katie’s lifeless body. Emma called 911 at 1.10am.
Emma would later speak to 11 Alive News:
“The first thing I noticed is I saw Bowie. He was visible from the gate of the park. He was maybe 50 feet from the gate on the inside and she was further on the right. I just ran in and grabbed him because I didn’t know, maybe he was still alive. Obviously I knew something was wrong because he was just laying there. I didn’t put two and two together because I didn’t notice her right away.”
“I ran up to her, I tried to feel for a pulse but it was clear that she was gone. I turned around and I just ran out of the park. It was dark, and I didn’t know what was going on. I was terrified and shocked. That’s when I called the cops immediately.”
An autopsy was conducted on Katie and it was found that she had suffered more than 50 stab wounds to her face, neck and torso. She died from “sharp force injuries of her face, neck, and torso” that caused injuries to major blood vessels and internal organs. At least 15 of those wounds were to her head. Katie suffered stab wounds to both of her eyes.
Katie’s body had been mutilated – the letters “F”, “A”, and “T” had been carved into her torso, and there had been significant mutilation to her upper torso. It is believed that Katie had a tattoo and that was particularly mutilated.
Emma would tell the Washington Post “There was a slice on her face, like in an X pattern on her face. And there was a deep cut to her throat; it was cut all the way to the bone.”
Her death was classified as a homicide.
Bowie also died from multiple stab wounds.
After the autopsy was released, Emma’s father Terrell Clark, released a statement on behalf of the family to ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB.
“With today’s release of Katie’s autopsy report it’s more important than ever that the search for her killer be a top priority for APD and the FBI,” the statement said. “The report is extremely heartbreaking to read and know the exact nature of what Katie endured in her final moments on this Earth. Whoever is responsible is very disturbed and remains a danger to everyone’s safety. Please be vigilant and aware of your surroundings for we would hate for any family to be put through this nightmare.”
A press conference was held a few days after the murders.
The APD Chief was quoted “This crime was so unique that I felt that we needed to collaborate with as many resources as we possibly can.”
Police tried to check CCTV from the park and found that it was outdated and not functioning at the time of the murders.
Emma also stated to the media that she did not think robbery was the motive.
“They didn’t take her phone. She had $200 headphones, and they didn’t take those. They didn’t take her keys.”
As Emma’s father mentioned, the FBI became involved very quickly. They worked with the Atlanta Police Department and they offered a $10,000 reward for information that could help lead to an arrest.
According to the Unresolved podcast, in August of 2021, Atlanta P.D. released a series of photos of potential witnesses seen in and around Piedmont Park on the night of. These photos were from surveillance cameras across the street from park entrances and were primarily people seen walking through the park at night, some of whom had simply been jogging or passing through. These potential witnesses include:
– A group of women seen leaving the park at approximately 11:55 PM.
– A man seen walking from the opposite end of the park, on Piedmont Avenue, at approximately 12:25 AM.
– A person in a hoodie seen walking out of the same end of the park, along Piedmont Avenue, at 12:43 AM.
– A man in a blue running suit seen jogging in and out of the park at approximately 12:46 AM. He had entered the park’s entrance where Katie and Bowie’s bodies were found just 15 or 20 minutes later, so it’s very possible he may have seen or heard something. Strangely enough, this man was only inside the park for approximately 40 seconds, seeming to run in and out within a minute, but his jogging pattern doesn’t seem to change in any noticeable way.
Police would not say whether any of the people seen in the photos was a suspect, but that they might know something that could create additional leads for law enforcement. Speaking to the press, Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. would state:
“Not saying that they’re responsible – I want to be clear about that. But we’re hoping they saw something that could further our investigation.”
At least one of these witnesses eventually came forward but it is unknown if police made contact with all of them or if any had information about Katie’s murder.
In November 2021, police made a statement. They said the case “remains open and very active,” Officer Steve Avery, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department, told ABC News on Saturday.
“Our investigators continue working tirelessly to find the person(s) responsible,” Avery said in a statement. “We understand it is frustrating for there to be so little information released publicly. However, to ensure the investigation isn’t compromised, we simply cannot release much information on our active investigation. We know how important this case is to those in our communities and we will continue our work to bring this investigation to a resolution.”
In 2024, the Atlanta City Council approved $1.5 million in new funding for additional patrols and upgraded security camera systems around the park.
“We’re going to have a presence there,” Councilmember Michael J. Bond said at the time. “And we’re going to make sure everyone has a safe environment.”
In June 2025, just before the four year anniversary of the murders, Atlanta PD released this statement:
“The investigation into the 2021 murder of Katherine Janness and her dog, Bowie, remains active and ongoing. The Atlanta Police Department remains committed to solving this case of a life taken in an act of senseless violence and bringing justice to those responsible. As the investigation is near the start of its fourth year, the investigation is focused on DNA evidence.”
At that time, Channel 2 Action News also requested info about the necropsy that was conducted on Bowie. They were denied from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, saying that the “disclosure of which would be an invasion of personal privacy.”
“They’re going to know exactly how Bowie was killed, and that’s going to be critical because he, I believe, again, was killed first. So, with the autopsy, one thing they could look at, is there any dog hair in her wounds? She had 50 stab wounds from her head, neck and chest, so there would be a great possibility if that same weapon was used on him,” crime scene investigator Sheryl “Mac” McCollum told Channel 2’s Karyn Greer.
Crime Stoppers announced just before the four year anniversary that the reward in the case had been increased to $25,000.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/230067455/katherine-linnet-janness
https://unresolved.me/katie-janness
https://dixonfirm.com/blog/atlanta-park-crime
https://www.yahoo.com/news/4-anniversary-nears-questions-remain-005226323.html