diff --git a/src/stores/annotations.ts b/src/stores/annotations.ts
index 6b95e3c4..7d6d2d9c 100644
--- a/src/stores/annotations.ts
+++ b/src/stores/annotations.ts
@@ -212,14 +212,13 @@ export const useAnnotationsStore = defineStore('annotations', () => {
   }
 
   const resetAnnotations = () => {
-    const textPanelHtml = document.querySelector('#text-content')
     if (annotations.value !== null) {
       annotations.value.forEach((annotation) => {
         const selector = AnnotationUtils.generateTargetSelector(annotation);
         if (selector) {
           AnnotationUtils.highlightTargets(selector, {level: -1});
           AnnotationUtils.removeIcon(annotation);
-          if (AnnotationUtils.isVariant(annotation) && textPanelHtml.querySelector('.witnesses')) {
+          if (AnnotationUtils.isVariant(annotation)) {
             AnnotationUtils.removeWitness(selector, annotation.body.value.witness)
           }
         }
diff --git a/src/utils/annotations.js b/src/utils/annotations.js
index 3b4f3f8b..adeb4396 100644
--- a/src/utils/annotations.js
+++ b/src/utils/annotations.js
@@ -292,6 +292,9 @@ export function removeChipsFromOtherViews() {
 export function removeWitness(selector, witness) {
   // find the witnesses span which contains each 'witness' span child element
   // find this witness inside the 'witnesses' html span and remove it
+  const textPanelHtml = document.querySelector('#text-content')
+  if(!textPanelHtml.querySelector('.witnesses')) return;
+
   const witnessesHtmlEl = getWitnessesHtmlEl(selector)
   const witHtml = Array.from(witnessesHtmlEl.children).filter(item => item.innerHTML === witness)
   if (witHtml.length > 0) witHtml[0].remove()