Retired Professor Killed in Broad Daylight at Alabama Park

The Auburn Police Department announced an arrest had been made in the homicide of a retired Auburn University instructor.

Police responded to a call around 2 p.m. Saturday on Chadwick Lane regarding a body found in a wooded area of Kiesel Park, investigators said.

Officers found the body of a 59-year-old woman. Police said she had injuries from an assault and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Lee County Coroner's Office identified the woman as Julie Gard Schnuelle, a retired Auburn professor.

According to Auburn police, Harold Dabney III, of Montgomery, was charged with two counts of capital murder relating to the death of Dr. Schnuelle.

The police department said a red Ford F-150 belonging to Schnuelle was stolen and later recovered.

Police said Dabney was taken into custody after reports were made Sunday morning of a suspicious person on Beehive Road.

Schnuelle retired as a professor in the university's Department of Clinical Sciences in 2021, according to the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine's website.

In a statement, leaders at Auburn praised Schnuelle as a "beloved member of the Auburn family" and said they extend their condolences to her family and loved ones "during this unimaginably difficult time."