2 years after a woman and her dog were slain in an Atlanta park, police renew calls for public help

ATLANTA — Atlanta police renewed calls Friday for the public's help to try to solve the gruesome stabbing death of a woman who was walking her dog at a popular park two years ago, a killing that stoked fear across the city.

Katherine Janness, 40, was found just inside an entrance to Piedmont Park around 1 a.m. on July 28, 2021. She had been stabbed multiple times, and her dog, Bowie, was found nearby also stabbed to death.

Police still do not have a suspect.

“You may not have even been in the park that night, but if you've heard or saw anything that seems suspicious or just off, please notify us,” Lt. Germain Dearlove said at a news conference. “We will check and confirm every tip. Nothing is too small.”

Police have cast a wide net in the investigation, including looking at the victim's background, he said. They have conducted numerous interviews but can't say whether the killer knew Janness.

“It seems senseless to me,” Dearlove said of the slaying.

Janness, known as Katie, was a bartender at a restaurant near the park where she died, friends and relatives have said.