Professor stabbed to death in Alabama while walking her dog, suspect in custody

An Alabama man has been charged with capital murder over the killing of a beloved Auburn University professor. Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, 59, was found dead in a wooded area of an Auburn park. She leaves behind a husband and two children.

Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, has been arrested and charged with capital murder, kidnapping, and robbery. Dabney has been accused by prosecutors of intentionally causing the woman’s death during her abduction and during the commission of a robbery, per WRBL.

On Saturday, September 6, Schnuelle had driven to Kiesel Park to walk her dog. She was attacked in a wooded area of the park, police said. Police were called to the 500 block of Chadwick Lane at around 2:07 pm for a report of a woman’s body being found in a wooded area. 

Schnuelle was pronounced dead at the scene by Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton, who later confirmed her injuries were consistent with a sharp object. Schnuelle’s body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for a postmortem examination. Her dog was found safe and is in the care of family and friends.  

On Sunday morning, Auburn police responded to a call in the 2300 block of Beehive Road, just miles from the park, for a report about a suspicious person. Officers located Dabney and said their observations led them to believe he was connected to the case. He was later identified as the suspect responsible for the killing. 

Police said that he stole Schnuelle’s red Ford F-150 truck from the scene and abandoned it along Wire Road. He was taken into custody at 8:30 am and is being held at the Lee County Jail without bond. Schnuelle was a retired professor of Large Animal and Food Animal Medicine at the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine.