Harold Rashad Dabney III, Montgomery, Alabama man arrested in slaying of retired Auburn University professor, Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle. Victim had gone to dog walk when she was assaulted and left for dead.
Alabama authorities have arrested a male suspect in relation to the slaying of a retired Auburn University veterinarian professor who was set upon while walking her dog in broad daylight.
Harold Rashad Dabney III, of Montgomery, was taken into custody Sunday and charged him with two counts of capital murder related to the ‘stabbing death’ of 59-year-old Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle at Kiesel Park on Saturday.
Retired vet professor had gone to Kiesel Park with her dog when she was fatally assaulted
The man’s arrest follows officers responded to a call of a suspicious person circa 8.30 a.m, Sunday near the 2300 block of Beehive Road. Officers located the person and identified him as Dabney. Officers made observations that led them to believe Dabney had involvement with the homicide that occurred the previous day.
Officers had been called out the day before to Kiesel Park in the 500 block of Chadwick Lane to investigate a report of a body being found circa 2 p.m, WAKA reported.
Officers found the body of Dr. Julie Schnuelle in some woods at the park. They say she had injuries indicating the death was caused by an assault. At the time of the fatal assault, Schnuelle was walking her dog, AL.com reported.
Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle Obituary, Death; Auburn vet professor found dead in park after fatal assault. Authorities have identified the woman found dead in Kiesel Park as Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, a longtime Auburn University professor… https://t.co/54ayJjsRhV pic.twitter.com/2AhMvf00YZ
— Merradon (@merradonnews) September 7, 2025
Random attack or intentional (female) target?
Dabney was confirmed as the suspect and charged with two counts of capital murder. He was transported to the Lee County Jail where he is being held without bond.
Investigators say the red Ford F-150 seen leaving the scene belonged to Schnuelle and was stolen by Dabney after the homicide occurred. The vehicle has since been recovered.
Schnuelle was a frequent visitor to Kiesel Park and its dog park, which is a popular spot for Auburn’s veterinary students.
‘She ran there every day,’ Dr. Ashley Rutter, a former student of Schnuelle’s, told AL.com.
Auburn University released a statement calling Schnuelle a ‘beloved member’ of the local veterinary and university community. Schnelle joined the school in 2003 and remained employed until 2021, when she retired as a professor emerita.
Schnuelle was a professor emerita in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
According to her bio, she studied veterinary medicine at Auburn and biology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
She received her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at Auburn. Her specialties included dairy production, bovine embryology and canine reproduction.
Authorities declined to say whether the suspect and the victim had previously met or whether the woman was the victim of a random attack. No motive was immediately known.
Authorities continue to investigate.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call police at 334-501-3100. Tips can also be submitted through the tip line at 334-226-1391 or via email at police@auburnalabama.org
