By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Police Department has arrested Harold Rashad Dabney III, of Montgomery, in connection to the death of Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, 59, a retired Auburn University veterinary professor who was killed while walking her dog in Kiesel Park.
Schnuelle’s body was discovered Saturday afternoon in a wooded area of the park and later identified by the Lee County Coroner’s Office. Police believe she was attacked while walking her dog. The dog was found unharmed.
“Julie Gard Schnuelle, DVM, Ph.D., was a beloved member of Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Auburn Family,” Auburn University said in a statement. “She served as a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Sciences in the Large Animal/Food Animal section from 2003 to 2021, when she retired as a professor emerita.”
Police charged Dabney with two counts of capital murder. Investigators believe he stole a red Ford F-150 truck after the attack and fled the scene. He was later arrested on Beehive Road. Dabney is being held without bond.
Lee County Coroner’s Office transported Schnuelle’s body to ADFS Montgomery Medical for a postmortem examination.
Kiesel Park, the city’s largest, featuring trails, a pond, and an off-leash dog area, remains closed during the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Auburn Police at 334-246-1391.