Autopsy on dog belonging to Piedmont Park murder victim
ATLANTA - Authorities are examining the dog that belonged to the woman stabbed to death in Piedmont Park.
The murder has shocked the Atlanta community. Katherine Janness was cut multiple times by an assailant who also killed her dog.
Investigators believe it is almost a certainty the pet named Bowie engaged with the killer in an effort to protect his owner.
Katherine Janness (Courtesy of the Atlanta Police Department)
As such, APD ordered an autopsy of the animal looking for potential DNA that may have ended up on, or in the mouth of Bowie.
"They will treat the dog forensically the same way they would treat a human being," said Vincent Velazquez, a former homicide detective with the Atlanta force.
Velazquez expects bite impressions have already been taken off the animal as well as a check of the dog's nails for potential skin that may have been left by the person who committed the murder.
SEE ALSO: 'We are investigating a callous murder': APD addresses rumors over Piedmont Park murder
Katherine Janness and her partner Emma Stanley (Courtesy of the family)
The detective with more than two decades of experience says a "transfer of evidence" could be significant.
If authorities can collect a sample, it can be compared to a criminal database and potentially the identification of the killer.
SEE ALSO: Former detective says APD should be more transparent about Piedmont Park murder
Atlanta Police shared a photo taken from a Midtown security camera before Katherine Janness' murder. (Atlanta Police Department)
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