Atlanta police are seeking the public’s assistance in the unsolved murder of Katie Janness, who was found stabbed multiple times while walking near Piedmont Park on July 28, 2021.
During a Friday press conference, Atlanta Police Department (APD) said they continue to investigate the Janness murder, assuring the public that it is not a cold case. The FBI is currently collaborating with local law enforcement on the case.
APD senior investigator, Jeffrey Churchill, who has been on the case since the incident happened, said no detail is too small, and urged tipsters to come forward if they known anything. Churchill added that that he regularly visits Janness’ mother in Detroit and keeps in contact with her weekly.
Churchill also touched on the unsolved murder of Prince Oluzor, who was killed on 14th Street when we walked upon multiple people breaking into his car at a gas station on August 31, 2022. As the approached the suspects, one of them shot Oluzor and fled the scene.
APD is asking for the public’s assistance in both cases. See the full presser below.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Janness was murdered as she walked toward the park, off 10th Street and Charles Allen Drive. She told her fiancee, Emma Clark, she was taking a walk with their dog, Bowie, after dinner.
It was the last time Clark spoke to Janness.
When Janness failed to return home, Clark reportedly traced Janness’ location by using a phone app. Clark found both Janness and Bowie dead at the entrance of Piedmont Park at around 1 a.m.
“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,” Clark previously told 11 Alive News. “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.”
APD described the scene as “gruesome” and said the victim was found stabbed numerous times.
“It’s a gruesome scene,” Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. previously said. “Upon their arrival, they did, in fact, find a female deceased in the park, appears to be from some type of stab wounds.”
“What we are hoping is that these individuals will come forward and what we are hoping is that that they saw something while in the park.”
Atlanta PD is currently offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest and indictment. Animal rights group PETA added in $10,000, doubling the reward to $20,000.
If you have any information that could help with the investigation, please call the Atlanta Police Homicide Unit at 404-546-4235 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
“We want the public to know that the park is safe,” Chata Sparks, APD’s director of public affairs, said.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured Photo: This photo shows a memorial at the Piedmont Park, Wednesday, July 28, 2021 in Atlanta. Authorities are searching for the person who fatally stabbed a woman who was walking her dog in Piedmont Park, one of Atlanta’s most popular parks. Katherine Janness, 40, was found dead in Piedmont Park around 1 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Her dog had also been killed. (AP Photo/R.J. Rico)
