NOW IS THE TIME: Tuscaloosa Investigators Solicit Tips About Chanda Fehler’s Unsolved 1987 Murder

If you know who murdered Chanda Fehler in 1987 or have any other concrete details that are relevant to the case, now is the time to go to police and share that information.

That was the message that Captain Jack Kennedy, the Commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, repeated many times during a Friday afternoon press conference at the county sheriff's office.

Kennedy said the VCU has existed under different names since 1974, and a major perk of their multi-agency, non-jurisdictional cooperation for the last 50 years is that today's investigators still have access to the case files of every violent crime committed since that time.

For Kennedy and the 2025 VCU, that means the ability to take bleeding-edge forensics techniques and apply them to still-unsolved cases that may be several decades old.

That's what's going on now as Kennedy and the VCU dig back into the 1987 murder of Chanda Fehler, who was seeking her master's degree at the University of Alabama when she was killed 38 years ago.

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"Chanda Fehler was an outgoing University student at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen on June 10th, 1987, on the University of Alabama campus at the Riverside swimming pool, which has since been demolished and paved over," Kennedy said.

Chanda never came home and was reported missing, and Kennedy said she was discovered later that week.

"Unfortunately, four days later, she was discovered by fishermen in the Black Warrior River near the Peterson area of the river. The way that she was found was clearly indicative of foul play," Kennedy said. "Many, many facts and details from this case have been published in the old newspaper and media and now online fashions for the last 38 years, I am not going to get into any gruesome details but I can say that we are just one of a long line of investigative teams who have revised this case since 1987."

Kennedy said he wanted to remind local media outlets and their audiences about the Fehler killing for a few reasons on Friday.

Firstly, the state offered a $10,000 reward for valid information about the killing in 1987, and Kennedy said he has recently confirmed that offer is still valid for anyone who helps close the case. Secondly, with new forensic techniques giving unprecedented information about the case, he said the VCU is closer than ever to solid answers about the case and the window is closing for anyone to come forward and share information on their own terms.

"An intense evaluation of physical evidence is being conducted," Kennedy said. "These modern, state-of-the-art techniques were not available until just a few years ago. We are hopeful that the result of these tests will help provide leads or closure to this case."

Lastly, it's been 38 years since this young woman was murdered and discarded in the River.

"If there's anyone out there who has any information and has been holding on to it for 38 years, now is the time to come forward," Kennedy said. "It is long been believed by investigators that the suspect in this case knew Chanda and was not a stranger. Invariably, there are people who have personal information about the suspect or suspects that could help solve this crime. Eyewitness testimony is just as important as forensic evidence and sometimes even more valuable."

Kennedy said this does not have to mean actually witnessing the Fehler killing, but could be information about a change in behavior or even an admission from someone who was directly involved.

"Now is the time to provide closure for Chanda and her family. Now is the time that any information that you provide [which leads to an arrest] is worth $10,000. Now is the time to do the right thing," Kennedy said.

The Friday press conference also featured Chanda's three siblings and her sister-in-law, who joined police in pleading for concrete answers about who killed her and why - before time steals the chance for justice away from them.

"Our mother is deceased; she died eight years ago this month and she never got to see this all the way through. It was her wish to see an arrest in her lifetime and that didn't happen," said Chanda's sister Allison Fehler Sherill. "We definitely want an arrest in our lifetimes and in the suspect's lifetime because there's someone walking around who has gotten away with this for 38 years."

If anyone has any information about Chanda Fehler's death or who is responsible for it, they are urged to finally come forward and share those details with police. Kennedy said anyone who can help solve the case needs to call him directly at 205-464-8692, or talk to any other police officer with who they are comfortable.

But stop waiting, and help the Fehler family find closure and what is left of justice for the murder of their sister Chanda.

For more coverage of crime and courts news in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.