On July 28, 2021, Janness and her dog Bowie were discovered fatally stabbed several times just inside the park at the 10th Street entrance. For those who knew Janness the best, Atlanta was never the same. Janness, 40, worked at a neighboring restaurant, loved to sing, and lived close to the Midtown park.
The murder sparked calls for more park security and innumerable internet detectives to analyze the scant information police had disclosed. Memories of the incident have diminished over time.
Some people who visited the park in recent weeks just remembered that a woman had been killed there; they could not remember Janness’s name. Others claimed to be completely unaware of the incident.
However, Atlanta police have stated that they are concentrating on DNA evidence and that the investigation is still active and ongoing.No one has been named as a suspect.
What happened to Katie Janness?
Just after one in the morning, Emma Clark, Janness’s lover of almost seven years, found her body a hundred yards inside the Piedmont Park gate at Charles Allen Drive and 10th Street. After Janness never came home from her nighttime stroll with Bowie, Clark had tracked her phone.
According to the authorities, Janness had been stabbed over fifty times, and the initials FAT were etched into her torso and chest. The body of the dog was found approximately 100 feet away.
In an autopsy report published shortly after the incident, Dr. Karen Sullivan stated, “I believe that Katherine Janness died as a result of severe force injuries to her face, neck, and torso that resulted in injuries to major blood vessels and internal organs.” Homicide is the classification given to the manner of Ms. Janness’s death.
According to authorities, Janness was the first person killed in the well-known park since 2009, however the murder was one of 160 homicide cases Atlanta police looked into in 2021.
Since the killing
One of the people urging that Janness’s situation not be forgotten is Stupka. Stupka grew impatient as more time passed since it seemed like little progress was being made and little information had been made public.
Beyond the latest statement, Atlanta police have declined to comment and have been hesitant to provide case facts. Police claimed in 2023 that the FBI was involved in an attempt to identify a suspect.
Justice has not been done to her. One of Janness’s lifelong friends, Stupka, stated, “I would like for everyone to have more peace with this.” There is irritation, rage, and all that sort of stuff you go through for a semblance of peace.
Ben Gray of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is credited.
Ben Gray of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is credited.
Stupka claimed that following the murder of her companion, she never felt secure in Atlanta. So she went out. She has lived in Bali for the past two years, although she frequently travels to the city and the United States to see her loved ones.
A representative for Mayor Andre Dickens recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the mayor’s thoughts are always with those who have lost a loved one and that all victims and their families deserve justice.
Piedmont Park security
On occasion, a bench honoring Janness and her dog was occupied in the weeks preceding the grimfour-year anniversary. In 2022, it was put up in the dog park.
The 44-year-old Edward Bauer, who was up in Atlanta, is familiar with the case and frequently visits the park. Although he recalls the commotion following the murder, he claimed not to have seen many adjustments to Piedmont Park’s security.
After departing the dog park in late June, Bauer remarked, “I am aware of the fact that I don’t have to worry as much.” However, it’s also the kind of sporadic crime that can happen in any big metropolis.
Since 2021, police have installed two more cameras within the park’s perimeter, which includes Piedmont Avenue, 10th Street, and Monroe Drive, for a total of five cameras. According to spokesperson Aaron Fix, that is on top of the hundreds of cameras that are accessible to authorities in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Several requests for comment and information regarding the cameras at the park were not answered by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, which Atlanta police claim is in charge of them.
Caroline Silva is credited.
Caroline Silva is credited.
Doug Widener, the CEO of Piedmont Park Conservancy, likewise refused to speak with the AJC, claiming he wasn’t in charge at the time of the terrible event. The park is jointly managed by the city and the conservancy, a charity.
The AJC was informed by then-CEO Mark Bant in 2022 that the organization hires additional overnight security services to support police security. According to Banta at the time, the organization and the city decide on the security budget every five years.
The conservancy spent just over $4 million in 2021, of which $104,235 was allocated to security services. According to publicly audited data, $140,575 of the slightly over $5.5 million spent in 2024 went for security services.
