A beloved ex-veterinary professor was hacked to death while walking her dog in an Alabama park — where she took her pet to exercise almost every day.
The killer stole her truck and fled — but was caught by cops a short distance away the next day.
The body of Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle, 59, a former professor of Large Animal Medicine at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was discovered in a wooded area of Kiesel Park in Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
She had driven to the park with her dog in her red Ford F-150 pickup truck. The pup stuck by his owner’s body and was found unharmed.
The truck was recovered on Sunday, a couple minutes’ drive away on Wire Road.
Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, from Montgomery, was arrested and charged with capital murder, Auburn outlet Open Line reported.
Auburn’s vet school, along with many of her former students and colleagues, are mourning the animal lover, who specialized in livestock.
“She was a force. She was only a little bit over 5-foot-2, not your typical large animal veterinarian,” Destinee Bearden Patterson told AL.com.
“She was a force in this world, such a bright, bright light, just an all-around wonderful human being that is going to be missed terribly.”
Dabney was arrested on Beehive Road just off I-85 after Auburn police received a call reporting a suspicious person.
“Officers in contact with Dabney made observations that led them to believe Dabney had involvement with the homicide that occurred the previous day,” police said, as reported by AL.com.
He is being held without bond at the Lee County Jail.
News of Schnuelle’s killing left the local community stunned, with locals and even state representatives paying tribute to her.
“Suzanne and I are devastated by the news of this tragic loss in our community,” said US Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) in a social media post. “We are praying for the victim’s family and loved ones and for justice to be served.”
Schnuelle was regularly seen in Kiesel Park and its accompanying dog park, which is a popular spot for Auburn’s veterinary students, said her former student Ashley Rutter.
“She ran there every day,” Rutter told AL.com.
“She was always so welcoming. She was spunky and ready to make jokes. But if she saw something she didn’t like, she would always stand up for you and for herself. She’d be there to defend you and help you out.”
