Atlanta Woman, Pet Dog Fatally Stabbed Inside Popular Park

A woman and her dog have been brutally killed during an outing inside a popular Atlanta park, sending shockwaves among the community and prompting the neighborhood group to incrase patrol inside the park.

Katherine Janness, 40, and her dog Bowie were found stabbed to death inside Piedmont Park at 10th Street in the city’s Midtown neighborhood at around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday,.

Janness, who lived near the park, had told her wife that she was taking their dog for a walk. According to the investigators, the wife pinged Janness’s phone when she did not come home. She then went to the park and found the bodies, which were stabbed multiple times, near the entrance, reported WSB-TV.

“It’s a gruesome scene,” Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. told the outlet.

The police released a photo of the deceased woman Wednesday and announced a $10,000 reward for information regarding the crime.

“This crime was violent and has all of us concerned,” wrote the Midtown Neighbors’ Association in a Facebook post.

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

Police are still working to determine why Janness was targeted and what the motive was. Investigators are checking surveillance cameras and trying to retrace Janness’ movement to find the suspect.

The brutal stabbing has left parkgoers disturbed.

“I see people walking around happy, laughing. I don’t expect to be hearing somebody is dead here,” a parkgoer told WSB-TV.

After the early morning incident, the Midtown Neighborhood Alliance said it would add extra patrols inside the park as an added security measure, the outlet reported.

Other parkgoers told WSB-TV they have noticed a surge in violent crimes in the area and are taking precautions.

“I don’t really walk late or night or early in the morning. I try to wait until there’s other people around,” Rebecca, a parkgoer, told the publication.

“The Piedmont Park Conservancy is deeply saddened and our hearts go out to the individual’s family and loved ones,” said the park’s office in a statement on Facebook.