Katie Janness

On the evening of 27 July 2021, 40-year-old Katie Janness set off on a walk with her dog, Bowie. As a bartender, Katie often kept odd hours, but had no reason to feel unsafe in her neighborhood of Midtown Atlanta. After Katie failed to make it home, however, her partner Emma set off to find her, using GPS to track Katie's cell phone to nearby Piedmont Park…

In July of 2021, a twisted story began to break inside of Atlanta's Piedmont Park, located in the beating heart of the city itself, Midtown.

Early on a balmy Wednesday morning, a woman had gone searching for her wife after getting off of work and finding their home unusually silent. Unable to get in touch with her longtime partner - her texts and calls not being returned or answered - 30-year-old Emma Clark began using the Find-A-Phone feature to locate her wife's cell phone. This led her to Piedmont Park, a few blocks away from their home, where her partner's cell phone location appeared to be static and unmoving.

Venturing close to the park's 10th Street entrance, Emma was able to make out a distorted shape just through the park's gates. What followed is the thing nightmares are made of.

This is the story of Katie Janness.

Katherine Janness, 40 years old as of July 2021, had grown up in the area of Detroit, Michigan. Not much about her early life is publicly known, but we do know that she lived in Detroit until approximately 2006, and her mother and sister continue to live in Michigan to the present day.

Katie, as she was known by all, decided to move to Atlanta in the mid-2000s to pursue a potential career in music. As described by Katie Hahn, a former girlfriend, 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."

After moving to Atlanta, Katie would begin to play in a couple of bands while taking on day jobs that let her pursue her other creative interests. While none of her stints in these bands were very long-lived, she would continue writing poetry and composing songs up until her death in 2021, uploading these songs to her Soundcloud channel, which can still be found online.

Through one of her jobs, Katie would meet her eventual spouse, Emma Clark. Emma was approximately ten years younger than Katie, but the two met a handful of years after Katie had moved to Atlanta. At one of her jobs, Katie worked with Emma's brother; shortly thereafter, the two met and began dating.

While a lot of the online discourse has tried to decipher the specific terminology of their relationship - whether they were girlfriends, partners, or wives - it's become quite clear to me that these terms were interchangeable to both Katie and Emma. Joe Clark, Emma's father, has repeatedly stated that the two considered themselves married, and that's all that mattered. As he described to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"They would've been together forever. They were that couple."

As he then recounted to Atlanta's Fox 5:

"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."

After moving to Atlanta, Katie had taken on a job as a bar manager for the Whole World Improv Theater in Atlanta's Midtown, working there for nearly a decade. Chip Powell, a coworker at the improv theater, said to reporters from WXIA-TV:

"Katie was the most down to earth, beautiful spirit that you would ever meet. So many people in the community knew and loved her."

Eventually, Katie would begin working as a bartender at the Campagnolo Restaurant and Bar, a job she would hold for approximately five years, and this caused her to keep some odd hours. 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..."

Along with Emma, Katie had two dogs that she cared for and loved with all of her heart. One of these dogs, a 14-year-old pit bull named Tori, was Katie's dog. She had adopted the dog shortly after moving to Atlanta, and Tori was one of Katie's longest relationships in the state. The other dog, a 3-year-old named Bowie that weighed approximately 50 pounds, was technically Emma's dog, but both loved him all the same.

Together, Katie and Emma lived with their pups in Midtown Atlanta, which - unlike the popular perception of Atlanta, as a city embedded in the middle of the "dirty south" - is actually a pretty affluent neighborhood that's incredibly welcoming and accepting of all types. Midtown is very LGBTQ-friendly, which is why Katie and Emma had no trouble calling this area "home."

Tuesday, July 27th, 2021 is a day that Katie had off from work, but her wife Emma did not. Emma had to work that night and train some new employees, so she would be working later than usual. The two would spend a chunk of their day together, eating breakfast and spending some time together with their pups, before Emma had to head off to work at Henry's Midtown Tavern, a few blocks away from their home.

That evening, Katie would take Bowie for a walk throughout the neighborhood, deciding to drop by Emma's workplace to visit for a bit. Katie and Bowie stopped by Henry's Tavern at around 11:35 PM, just to pop in and say hello. While there, Katie asked when Emma would be getting off of work - within an hour or so - and decided to come back when she got off so they could all walk home together.

After saying goodbye, it seems like Katie and Bowie decided to continue their walk through the neighborhood, making plans to walk through Piedmont Park, located just down the street.

For those who don't know, Piedmont Park is a very large park located in Midtown Atlanta, literally just down the road from both bars where Katie and Emma worked.

While I can only assume that most people listening to this podcast have never been to Piedmont Park, you have likely heard of it or seen it, even if you didn't realize it at the time. Atlanta is a popular filming destination, and Piedmont Park is usually filmed as a stand-in for scenic locales like New York's Central Park. In fact, those of you who have seen "Avengers: Infinity War" likely recall the scene at the beginning, where Tony Stark and Pepper Potts are jogging through Central Park. That was actually filmed in Piedmont Park.

The 189-acre park is very dense, and is full of walking and running trails, fountains, gardens, a small lake and aquatic center, a dog park, and so much more. There's a lot there, which is hidden inside of the cityscape of Atlanta.

For years, Piedmont Park was known to be a hookup site for gay men in Atlanta, until at least 2009 or so, when police began installing security cameras and attempting to crack down on this type of sexual solicitation. However, the park is still home to many homeless people in Atlanta, despite city officials attempting to crack down on that over several years. But the size of the park makes it hard to control, especially at night, when visibility in the park can make it hard to see more than a few feet in front of you.

Keep all of this in mind moving forward, as Piedmont Park plays an important role in this story.

A surveillance image, captured at approximately 12:09 AM, shows Katie walking Bowie across the Rainbow Crosswalk at 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, located just down the road from Henry's Midtown Tavern. This would be the last known location for both Katie and Bowie and indicates that they had been walking for approximately half an hour before rounding around to Piedmont Park.

Several minutes later, Emma would wait for Katie and Bowie to arrive back at Henry's Midtown Tavern since they had made plans to walk home together. After a while, though, it became apparent that Katie wasn't coming, even though Emma made several attempts to text and call her at this time.

Emma then walked home on her own, expecting to find out that perhaps Katie's phone had died, or something had come up. Arriving home, however, she was surprised to find that neither Katie nor Bowie were there. She would continue to attempt to call and text Katie but was again unable to get in touch.

After a few more minutes, Emma decided to use the "Find My Phone" feature on Katie's phone to locate her. Emma then got on her bicycle and began riding towards the phone's location, which was motionless near Piedmont Park, less than a mile from their home. This was a park that Katie often took Bowie to on their late-night walks, while she either listened to music on earbuds or caught up on podcasts. In the past, Emma had encouraged Katie to take pepper spray with her on these walks, but Katie had always said she felt comfortable there... after all, Midtown was her home. I'm sure having a pit bull with her added to this sense of security.

After 1:00 AM, Emma arrived at the park, using the GPS from the "Find My Phone" app to point her toward Katie's still-unmoving cell phone. There, at the 10th Street entrance to the park, she noticed what looked like a trash bag lying in the grass, just beyond the gates. This, however, would prove to be the body of her 3-year-old pit bull, Bowie. As she recounted 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."

After discovering the body of her deceased pup, Emma then began trying to find her longtime partner, Katie. This second discovery was made moments later, when Emma noticed the stationary figure lying approximately 100 feet away, at the foot of a tree.

"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."

Officers from the Atlanta Police Department arrived at the scene just a few minutes after Emma, at approximately 1:10 AM. There, they were pointed to the crime scene approximately 100 yards inside of the park, near the 10th Street Entrance at Charles Allen Drive. Speaking to the press hours later, Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. would describe it as a "gruesome scene."

Both Katie and Bowie had been stabbed multiple times, although an autopsy would be conducted to confirm the exact damage and cause of death for both. Details of these would not be released for some time, other than the vague wording of the initial police statements. However, rumors and leaks would proliferate the reporting of this story early on, causing some of the gory details to reach a wide audience shortly after it happened.

Because Katie's cell phone had been found at the scene, it was believed that robbery was not a motive in any way. As Emma would later recall to the Washington Post:

"They didn't take her phone. She had $200 headphones, and they didn't take those. They didn't take her keys."

A small amount of cash would be found in Katie's pocket, which seemed to confirm that robbery had not been a motive. However, a rumor has persisted over many months that the killer took something from the scene, perhaps the leash that Katie had been using to walk Bowie. That is just a guess on my part, however.

Later, police officials would hint at the killer remaining at the scene, with evidence surfacing that he did not leave the park immediately after killing Katie and Bowie. Fulton County's District Attorney Fani T. Willis would state to the Washington Post:

"It's a very frightening crime... strange. Most people commit a murder and want to get the hell away because they don't want to be caught."

Another rumor - which has been posited by anonymous sources in Atlanta's law enforcement community - seems to center around the killer dragging Katie's body to where it was found, approximately 100-150 feet away from Bowie, who was located closer to the park's entrance. If so, it's possible that they had killed or incapacitated Katie in another part of the park, and then dragged her to a darker, more isolated location.

A massive search of the area would ensue in the days after the murder, with officers scouring through the park, looking for any potential clues. The small lake inside of the park would be searched by dive teams for clues, perhaps a murder weapon or some evidence that the killer might have tried to clean themselves up after the stabbings. Police would also conduct multiple searches throughout the neighborhoods around Piedmont Park, looking for any clues or surveillance footage.

As it turns out, a city-operated camera had been pointed at the front entrance of the park, near where the bodies of both Bowie and Katie had been found that fateful morning. Police would begin to search through the archived footage to see if anything there matched up with the crime, as they expanded their scope throughout the neighborhood.

Another camera, located down the block, had captured Katie walking Bowie across the Rainbow Crosswalk at the cross-section of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue at approximately 12:09 AM. This was approximately half a mile from where their bodies were discovered about an hour later, approximately ten minutes away if they had taken either a direct route through or around Piedmont Park. This indicates that the attack had taken place no sooner than 12:19 or so, seeing how Emma (Katie's partner) had gotten off of work a short time later and been unable to get in touch with Katie.

Personally, I find it likely that the murders took place in a rather-narrow timeframe, perhaps 12:20 - 12:35 AM (perhaps even 12:30), since that would give Katie and Bowie enough time to get to the area of the park where they were found, but would also explain why Katie was late to arrive at Emma's workplace or walk home with her.

Sadly, despite there being nine cameras inside of Piedmont Park operated by the city of Atlanta, they had not been working at the time of the murder. At least, they were not updated and synced with Atlanta P.D.'s systems; if so, they might have provided an easy path to the killer. Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Emma's cousin Heather Johnson stated, referring to a camera positioned at the park entrance:

"If it had been working, it would have shown something."

A couple of days after the murder, authorities were photographed taking away a large tree branch from the park, presumed to be collecting it as evidence. However, it's also possible to have been a red herring that websleuths like myself have simply gotten stuck on.

A $10,000 reward for information was put forth by the Atlanta Police Department, in the hopes that it might inspire someone to come forward. Shortly thereafter, the reward was increased to $20,000, thanks to the organization PETA matching the original donation.

However, at around the same time, the FBI was called in to assist with the investigation, leading many to presume that this case was much more than anyone had originally assumed. That would prove to be correct, as additional updates revealed how graphically brutal the crime against Katie had been.

Following the initial disclosure of this story, it would begin to attract international attention, with publications as far away as Europe covering the intricate details of this crime scene and subsequent investigation.

One of the things that attracted a lot of attention early on was the murder of another young woman in a park nearby. On the same evening as Katie's death, an 18-year-old named Tori Lang had been shot and killed at the Yellow River Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia, approximately 17 miles away from Piedmont Park. The two murders - which were extremely different but both brutal in their own way - were linked by many online because of their timing and proximity, leading to a lot of discussion about a potential serial killer operating in Atlanta's parks.

In the days and weeks to come, mourners would bring flowers and dog treats to Piedmont Park, leaving them near the entrance, where Katie and Bowie's bodies had been found. Their deaths had been the first recorded at the park since 2009 when 43-year-old Patrick Boland had been stabbed to death in what was at first believed to be a robbery-gone-wrong. However, police later ascribed the death to a purported sexual encounter, with Boland presumed to have been attempting to solicit sex from someone inside the park.

Patrick Boland, a gay man, had been stabbed in the chest and left for dead inside of Piedmont Park. Approximately 15 minutes later, another gay man was stabbed a few blocks away, with their cases tentatively linked by law enforcement. Despite many believing that both stabbings could have been committed by the same individual - and that Boland's death might have even been a hate crime - both stabbings remain unsolved to this day. A connection to Katie's death remains possible, albeit unlikely, due to Patrick's killer never being found.

In the weeks to come, public officials would attempt to iterate that Piedmont Park itself was safe, with many theorizing this meant the threat had been specifically aimed at Katie and Bowie. However, repeated attempts to soothe public fears fell on deaf ears, with the gruesome nature of the crime soon becoming public knowledge. Corey Briscoe, a Midtown resident, told Atlanta's Fox 5:

"Everyone's on high alert. I hear people talking about (the murder) at the corner store... at the train station, they don't want to go out. They just don't want to walk around no more. It's just, even seeing the helicopters around all the time now, it's not how Midtown feels."

This crime happened to come after a significant uptick in violent crime in Atlanta, which had risen significantly through the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Atlanta Police had investigated 157 homicides, the highest murder rate in more than two decades, more than 50% higher than the previous year, 2019 (99 murders). This number continued to rise throughout 2021, reaching a new height of 158 murders - including Katie's - the highest murder rate Atlanta had seen in 30 years.

Speaking at a vigil held the week after Katie's murder, her partner Emma's father, Joe Clark, would speak about the vicious end that both Katie and Bowie had faced, saying:

"They were left to die alone. The way Katie died, no one should ever have to."

Joe then spoke about the unknown killer, whose identity had eluded investigators thus far:

"What they did to her is ridiculous. There is a monster on the loose in the city of Atlanta."

Emma would give multiple interviews in the days and weeks after Katie's death, hoping to draw attention to the case. Some of her comments and physical reactions would cause skeptics online to view her suspiciously, but that's something I'll touch upon a bit later in this episode.

Katie's mother, who lived in Beverly Hills, Michigan with Katie's sister, wrote a letter that was published by Atlanta's WSB-TV in August of 2021. In this letter, Katie's mom heartbreakingly wrote that Katie had been planning to visit her later that week, and she had actually been out shopping for some treats for Katie when she got the news that her daughter had been killed. Her letter read, in part:

"Because of COVID, we haven't been together since Christmas 2019. This was the first occasion I've been looking forward to in so long. Her sister Ronnie and I have missed her company, and now instead of hugging her hard and laughing at her wit, we are in complete agony."

In the weeks to come, additional reports would break slowly but surely, providing more context about the deaths of both Katie and Bowie, but leaving enough details vague as to allow police to disseminate actual tips from crackpots and rumors.

One such rumor alleged that a marking had been left on Katie's body by the killer, although the specific details were not fully known. Police would attempt to clamp down on this rumor for the foreseeable future but would have to relent months later. More on that in a bit.

When speaking to the press, investigators and other police officials described this case as an unusual and unique crime that the city of Atlanta had never seen before, with Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant calling the case:

"... so unique that I felt that we needed to collaborate with as many resources as we possibly can."

Many - like myself - were drawn to the fact that the APD had requested the assistance of the FBI within 24 hours of the crime, which is pretty unusual for murder cases. Typically, the FBI is only brought in to help out with crimes that cross state boundaries; or, in certain instances, cases that involve federal crimes. Some had theorized early on that this had been a hate crime - possibly related to Katie's sexuality - but this remains a theory to this day. As to why the FBI was called in to assist, we can only guess at.

Police officials would attempt to rebut multiple rumors about the crime, which were spreading primarily through social media sites and apps. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms would personally address some of the rumors during a press conference held a week after the murders, claiming that there was no evidence that a serial killer had been on the loose and that it was too early to determine whether the killer had targeted Katie because of her sexuality. Police officials stated that they planned on uncovering details as they arose, and were not letting any preconceived notions guide their quest.

Approximately one week after the murders, 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."

A day or so later, it was reported that one of these witnesses had come forward, and was cooperative with investigators. However, it's unknown if any of the other potential witnesses ever did, so please try and find these images online and see if these people look familiar.

The existence of these photos indicates to me that police have other images or possibly even footage that has not yet been released; possibly other witnesses, or maybe even a potential suspect. This footage might also reveal when Katie entered the park, and from which entrance. However, this information can likely be used to create a pretty tight timeframe for the crime itself, so if this is true, authorities are likely going to conceal specific details of their case for as long as possible to maintain the integrity of their investigation. If additional photos or footage exist, I would only expect police to release them if they begin to feel this case is unsolvable.

However, I do have to state that while I do hope there is additional surveillance footage out there, it is very possible that such footage doesn't exist. As I stated earlier in this episode, Piedmont Park is a very large park - approximately 189 acres - and there are large gaps without any fencing surrounding it. Even though there are multiple entrances, it would be possible for the killer to have left the park at any point along multiple streets, such as 10th and 12 Streets, Piedmont Avenue, and Monroe Drive. So just keep that in mind.

In September of 2021, during a meeting with select journalists, police officials would state that no one had been ruled out as a suspect, seeming to hint at the killer having a personal connection to Katie... although the specifics of this theory were not expanded upon in any significant detail.

Emma Clark, Katie's longtime partner, was the target of a lot of misplaced gossip in the days and weeks after Katie's murder, primarily due to how people perceived her to be reacting to the loss of her wife.

The day after the murder, a GoFundMe was set up by Emma's family members to help organize and pay for a memorial service for Katie. On it, Emma posted a statement about her loss, writing:

"Today I lost the love of my life and my baby boy. It was tragic. She was the most intelligent, kind, humble, and beautiful person I have ever known. I wanted to spend every second with her. He was the sweetest most loyal companion. My heart is so very broken, my world will never be the same. Thank you to everyone who has reached out. It is truly appreciated."

As the donations continued to come in - exceeded the cost needed to pay for a memorial - the scope of the GoFundMe expanded. Now it was stated that the funds would help Emma pay some expenses of her own.

Throughout this, Emma would continue to give interviews with numerous outlets, hoping to raise awareness for the case and explain certain details, such as the muddied timeline that had been offered by anonymous sources. In these interviews, she seems to be someone still affected by the loss of her loved ones - having been the one to discover their bodies - but some viewed her as a rather-unemotional, given the circumstances.

To that, I would simply offer the point that everyone deals with trauma and loss in different ways, and I know that if I had encountered a horrific scenario like this involving my significant other, I would probably be in a suspended state of shock for the rest of my life.

In November of 2021, nearly four months after Katie's murder, Emma would publicly call for the Atlanta Police Department to clear her name, having been unfairly maligned as a suspect online; particularly among social media sites and apps, where discussion of the case continued to propagate. She alleged to have even received death threats by telephone, forcing her to buy a gun and move out of Midtown, with her address having been leaked online.

At one point, Emma admitted in an interview that approximately 3/4 of the money raised on GoFundMe had been used to pay for a condo, due to Emma's forced departure from her longtime home. To many of Emma's skeptics, this was just further proof of her guilt.

Despite the pleas by Emma and her family to have police publicly clear her, Atlanta Police shied away from doing so, releasing a blanket statement that cited the integrity of their investigation. They didn't want to make any statements about anyone's guilt until their investigation had reached its end, which I do understand.

To this, I would simply like to state that on this podcast, I make it a point to never point fingers at anyone that hasn't been linked to a case through police statements or reputable evidence. Not only do I think this is important from a legal standpoint - after all, I don't want to get sued for alleging some rando is a murderer - but I think it's important from a moral position. I like to use this podcast to raise awareness for unsolved cases and tell these kinds of stories in an informative way... to me, pointing fingers at a potential suspect is rarely helpful. I know that some want me to include more theories of my own, but I try not to say anything that hasn't been informed by evidence of some kind. As we've seen in this case, random bullshit online has done more to detract from this case than inform, and we don't need more from me.

In my opinion, there is very little evidence pointing towards Emma as a suspect. Other than her connection to Katie, I find it unlikely that she would kill her own dog to stick it to her girlfriend, who - by all accounts - she was madly in love with (and vice/versa). It just doesn't make sense to me. Besides, I'm sure that police have investigated her thoroughly and determined that the timeframe just doesn't work out. Katie was last seen alive at 12:09 AM, and I believe Emma didn't get off of work until approximately 12:30... I'm sure that coworkers can account for her whereabouts, and cameras throughout the neighborhood can do the same. After all, Atlanta is one of the most heavily-surveilled cities in the country, and it would only take a few well-placed cameras to confirm Emma's whereabouts at a specific time.

To me, Emma is not a valid suspect in this case. Maybe I will eat my words in the future, but I find it hard to believe that she would have been able to commit the kind of acts seen in this case... which, as we'll learn, were incredibly barbaric.

In November of 2021 - weeks after Emma Clark's plea to be cleared as a suspect - authorities in Fulton County would release the autopsy report, which had been written by the county's medical examiner. This report would reveal the full extent of Katie's wounds and hint at her killer showing a level of depravity never-before-seen in Atlanta.

Katie had suffered dozens of stab wounds to her head, neck, and abdomen, numbering at least 50 in total. Approximately 15 of these stab wounds had been to her head, with the killer cutting up the face between her chin and forehead, mutilating her eyelids, nose, and upper lip. Dozens of other stabs were centered around her neck and torso, nearly severing her head from her body and piercing major organs and arteries.

In an interview conducted in September (months before the autopsy report had been made public), Emma Clark had stated to 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."

Most of the stab wounds were 3/4" or less, indicating less of an intentional stab, and more of a shallow cut intent on inflicting pain.

Katie had suffered significant mutilation of her upper torso, especially near a colorful tattoo on her back, which seemed to have been specifically targeted by her killer's blade. There, she had been stabbed at least 14 times, with some of the wounds to her back indicating that she had been attacked from behind at some point.

The killer had also mutilated Katie's breasts, cutting open a large portion of her abdomen, stretching from her sternum down to her groin. Defensive wounds all over her hands and extremities indicate that she had fought back against her attacker, and earbuds found adjacent to her body seem to point to her listening to music or podcasts at the time of the attack.

Despite rumors of there being a strong component of sexual assault in this crime, the autopsy revealed that there had been no sign of rape. However, the killer had seemingly pulled Katie's jeans down her knees, perhaps to make room for the mutilation to her abdomen.

In the most shocking note of this case, the autopsy would reveal that at least three letters had been carved into Katie's torso: the letters 'F' 'A' and 'T'. The 'F' and 'A' had been grouped together on the right side of her chest, while the 'T' had been carved on the left side. The grouping and framing of the letters seemed to indicate that the killer had carved them into her flesh while standing or crouching above her, facing her feet.

I've seen some online theorize that this may have been a fragment of a longer word, perhaps a well-known homophobic slur, but the absence of additional letters in the autopsy leads me to believe that this isn't the case. Barring any other evidence suggesting otherwise, I'm going to assume that the letters were meant to spell "FAT" and mock Katie's weight, an attempt by the killer to belittle Katie after her death and inflict additional pain upon her loved ones.

On a grisly note, it's believed that these letters had been carved into Katie's flesh while she was still alive, due to the way the blood hemorrhaged around the wounds. This indicates that the killer had done this for their own gratification, proving them to be an unhinged sexual sadist of some kind.

In addition to these multiple stab wounds to her body, Katie had also suffered significant blunt force injuries to her face, neck, and extremities.

A necropsy was also performed on Bowie, which seemed to confirm early reports, that the 3-year-old pit bull had died trying to protect Katie. While we don't know exactly what this means - due to the results of the necropsy being withheld by investigators - we can surmise that Bowie managed to bite or nip at the killer, perhaps leaving behind blood or skin cells in the dog's mouth... or simply on his fur, as has been theorized by some sources. Personally, I can only hope that Bowie managed to take a solid bite out of the sadistic piece of shit responsible for this crime.

One of the major theories, in this case, is that Katie was targeted by her killer for some unknown reason, perhaps someone infatuated with her or her longtime partner. There's no evidence of this, but it's a possibility we have to explore when discussing this case.

Many have questioned why Katie decided to walk through Piedmont Park at that time of night, which even before this crime would have been seen as a questionable thing to do, especially for a solo woman. But as has been countered by many who knew her, Katie often took Bowie for walks in the evening, and because of her job, she often kept hours that many of us would consider odd.

While Katie didn't always venture through Piedmont Park on her walks, it wasn't necessarily unusual for her. As recounted by Emma to 11 Alive:

"Since I was at work, she came by and I don't know exactly the route she would take. I noticed she did walk through the park, sometimes she wouldn't go deep in the park, she might have walked from the 12th Street entrance to the 10th Street entrance."

It's possible that someone had intended on killing Katie, and had either followed her into Piedmont Park or had been lying in wait inside of the park waiting for her. Personally, I don't think either is likely, but of the two, the former is more possible. Since Katie seemed to know Midtown really well, and - as we just learned in the quote from Emma, never really took a specific route on her walks - I find it unlikely that someone would have been lying in wait for her.

Besides that, I find it hard to believe that if someone had been planning on killing Katie, they would have done so near the entrance of a popular public park... especially since the 10th Street entrance of Piedmont Park is located near some apartment buildings and condos, and is not-too-far away from some restaurants and bars. There are far better places to commit a crime like this, and it's my belief that the killer in this case is extremely lucky to have not been discovered. There was no skill involved in them evading witnesses... just pure, blind luck.

However, if Katie had been targeted, she may have been picked out because of her personal beliefs, which she was rather outspoken about. In particular, her political beliefs (which I definitely can relate to). In an interview with CBS 46, Emma recounted:

"... she felt very strongly in, like, her views, but she was always really nice about it... I know that she would tell me about regulars she had at the bar that would disagree with her on things, and she would just try to change their minds, little by little, and like every time she saw them, she would always talk about them, the next time they come in, I'm going to talk to them about this... she always wanted to... change people's minds..."

On the flip-side, while Katie may have been targeted by her killer, I find it a lot more likely that her killer was someone unknown to her beforehand. Or, at the very least, someone she didn't know very well.

In the same interview with 11 Alive that I quoted from a minute ago, Emma Clark would recount:

"She didn't have a lot of people outside of her job that she would speak to on a regular basis besides her friends. I just thought, maybe it was somebody who saw an opportunity. That's all I can think, I honestly don't know."

Perhaps this was an opportunistic killer, who simply decided to lash out at someone they saw the evening of Katie's death, perhaps spurred on by personal issues in their own life. Maybe they had been following her throughout the park, and decided to act before Katie and Bowie made it out through the 10th Street entrance. Maybe, as some have surmised, this killer had been lying in wait near the gate and attacked Katie, unaware that Bowie was close behind.

If so, I find it likely that this killer was an unstable, violent incel-type, someone with an innate hatred of women. Perhaps they carved an insult into her body which they deemed to be the worst insult against a woman (the word "FAT") and mutilated the tattoo on her back because it was the PRIDE flag or something like that.

Based on Katie's wounds, we can surmise that this killer is someone who either hated Katie or women in general, perhaps someone who possibly had some kind of prior medical training or expertise... knowing how to stab Katie and Bowie and neutralize both rather quickly, then focusing the knife in on Katie, and spending a few minutes butchering her body before fleeing the scene.

Many online seem to believe that Katie's killer was a transient, perhaps a homeless individual that resided at Piedmont Park at the time of the crime. While this is possible, I guess, I have to admit that I find it unlikely.

After all, a homeless individual would have a hard time trying to conceal evidence of a crime like this, with blood likely staining this killer's clothing and body. Additionally, homeless people are often heavily scrutinized as it is... I can only imagine that someone with the aptitude to carry out a crime like this would be ostracized by the rest of the homeless community in Atlanta, and a lot of attention would be paid to them as a result.

Others have theorized that the killer was someone suffering from an intense mental illness... perhaps untreated schizophrenia or something like that. While this is a possibility, I also don't find it very likely. Someone suffering from a paranoid delusion would have a really hard time killing Katie and Bowie in such a brutal and public way and then escape from the park without leaving a trace of themselves behind. I just don't buy it.

Unlike the common perception, people suffering from mental illness aren't all violent psychopaths. While mental illness is often portrayed in movies and TV as something either black or white, mental illness includes a lot of shades of gray, and I just don't think that someone off of their meds would go out to commit a crime like this.

That being said, the brain chemistry of this killer is undoubtedly all kinds of fucked up, but... in a different way. This person is likely a sexual sadist who wanted to pursue violence, and tragically, chose Katie as their subject. Think less of a Richard Chase-type ("The Vampire of Sacramento") and more of a Dennis Rader/B.T.K. or Jack the Ripper-type. To me, that's the type of killer this is... someone who wanted to inflict pain and shock the nation, not someone trying to pursue death as part of a mental delusion.

Another possibility, which I haven't touched upon thus far, is that there might have been more than one killer acting in tandem. While there doesn't seem to be much evidence of this thus far, this would explain how both Katie and Bowie were subdued at around the same time, and killed in such a narrow timeframe. As I said, there doesn't seem to be much public evidence to support this, but it is something to think about as we near the end of this episode.

In the weeks after the murder, the Piedmont Park Conservancy started a Safe Haven fund, which would support safety improvements recommended by public officials. However, at this point, it doesn't seem like any of these safety improvements have been implemented, with former patrons of the park decrying the lack of action as recently as just a few weeks ago (January of 2022).

In the months since this case was first reported, it has received a lot of attention throughout the country. The graphic details of Katie's death - as well as the brave sacrifice made by Bowie, who died trying to defend Katie - were enough to shock the nation and pull at our heartstrings. However, other than the occasional public statement, Atlanta P.D. has remained pretty mum.

In January 2022, approximately six months after the murder, police officials spoke to the press and claimed that the case was still "very active" and progressing, albeit slowly, in the "right direction." These officials claimed that investigators with the A.P.D. were still meeting with the FBI and pursuing new leads every week, but had nothing new to report to the public. I can only hope that they were being honest, with investigators releasing very little about this case - not even a broad description of a suspect - since this case began unfolding many months ago. However, with possible physical evidence left at the crime scene, continued advancements in DNA technology may hold the answers.

More recently, law enforcement sources have hinted at a possible "familiarity" between Katie and her killer, due not only to Bowie being killed - hinting at the killer being able to get in close to the dog during the violent attack - but the "overkill" of Katie, which hints at emotions running high. These anonymous sources also state that if the attack was truly random, the killer would have likely committed other similar crimes - either before or after Katie's murder - which there is no current evidence of. Maybe they committed other similar crimes in different cities or states, but at the moment, we can only guess at possible connections.

In the age of COVID, more people than ever have been working from home, and this killer maybe someone who lives an isolated life. They have likely been able to conceal evidence of the murder, and any potential scars it left... possibly even physical scars, such as a dog bite, scratches, things like that. While they might not have co-workers or roommates to account for their whereabouts and behavior, they undoubtedly have someone in their life that knows - or assumes - something.

In a public statement, Deputy Chief Hampton spoke to this, encouraging anyone to contact authorities:

"If you saw anyone with any unexplained injuries, an intense attraction to the case in the media. A change in appearance. A change in hair color. A change in any type of facial hair. An absence of school work, come forward (and) give us a call. There is nothing too insignificant."

This crime took place at the end of July 2021, so think back and ask yourself if anyone you know that was in the Atlanta area at the time matches these details. This crime is still incredibly solvable, it might just require someone listening to have the gumption to come forward. And don't forget that a significant reward awaits anyone that does come forward.

If you know anything about this case - or maybe think you do - please reach out to the Atlanta P.D. Homicide Unit at 404-546-4235. Or, you can even reach out anonymously at Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477 (TIPS).

A memorial for Katie and Bowie continues to sit at the 10th Street entrance to Piedmont Park, so if you find yourself in Midtown Atlanta, please stop and take a moment to think of Katie and the years of her life that she and Bowie will never get to live.

While I have hope that this case will be solved in the near future, as of this episode's recording, the story of Katie Janness (and Bowie) remains unresolved.

Episode Information

Episode Information

Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan

Published on February 19th, 2022

Music Credits

Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music

Theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves

Sources and other reading

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