Still few answers to 'gruesome' Piedmont Park murder 3 months later
ATLANTA - Thursday marks three months since the brutal murder of 40-year-old Katie Janness and her dog in Piedmont Park and her killer is still on the loose.
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Janness went out to take her fiance's dog for a walk during the early morning of July 28 and never came back.
Family members said her fiance followed them through her iPhone tracker and found both Janness and her 3-year-old pit bull Bowie dead near the entrance to the park at 10th Street and Charles Allen Drive.
Police said Janness had been stabbed multiple times and Atlanta police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton described the scene as "gruesome" and "hard to stomach."
Officials have kept the investigation very quiet, saying only that they have identified possible witnesses to her death.
In August, the APD released a series of photos of people who were in the area the night Janness was killed and may have seen something. According to APD, The people shown in the previously released videos and photos are not considered suspects and authorities are encouraging them to contact detectives and aid in this investigation.
Since then, at least one person in the photos has reached out to Atlanta police and is cooperating with the investigation.
The Midtown community has rallied around Janness' family, including her partner Emma Clark, who wrote her "world would never be the same" after the deaths.
"She was the most intelligent, kind, humble, and beautiful person I have ever known. I wanted to spend every second with her," said Clark, who had been Janness' partner for 7 years. "He was the sweetest most loyal companion."
Joe Clark, who would have been the victim's father-in-law, told FOX 5 that his daughter and Janness were looking toward their future together before her life was cut short.
"Their love and relationship was based on mutual understanding to let each other live a full life," Clark said. "They were a happy couple building their life-long future.
Katherine Janness and her partner Emma (Courtesy of the family)
In response to concerns about safety in the park, the Piedmont Park Conservancy started a Safe Haven fund, which would support safety improvements recommended by Atlanta city officials.
Donations can be made online at Piedmont Park's website.
PETA is helping to front a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment in the case. That's in addition to a $20,000 reward from local police and the FBI.
Anyone with information in the case should contact Atlanta Police Homicide at 404-546-4235 or Crimestoppers at 404-577-TIPS.
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