Louisiana man allegedly used Grindr in attempt to kill and eat gay men

A Louisiana man has been indicted after allegedly attempting to use Grindr to kidnap, murder and eat gay men, officials have said.

Chance Seneca, 19, of Lafayette, was charged by a federal grand jury on Wednesday with six counts, including hate crime, kidnapping, firearm and obstruction charges, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

A release from the department states that Mr Seneca was charged based on his alleged attempted murder of a gay man alongside an “overarching scheme to kidnap and murder gay men that he met online”.

Prosecutors allege that the 19-year-old used Grindr, a dating app for gay people, in the attempt to kidnap one man and the successful kidnap of two other men.

They further allege that Mr Seneca targeted one of the men because of his gender and sexual orientation.

“The defendant intended to dismember and keep parts of the victim’s body as trophies, mementos and food,” the indictment alleges.

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The indictment also alleged that Mr Seneca was in possession of a firearm in furtherance of the hate crime and tried to cover up his actions by deleting messages between himself and the victim, the DOJ said.

The maximum penalty for the hate crime, kidnapping and firearm offences is life imprisonment and 20 years for the attempted kidnapping and obstruction offences.

The statutory minimum for the gun charge is also five years.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Seneca’s lawyer, Clay LeJeune, for comment on the indictment.

Grindr said in a statement to The Hill that the reports of the alleged attempted murder in Louisiana were “beyond disturbing”.

They said: “This is yet another reminder of the hatred and violence faced by all-too-many people in the LGBTQ+ community, despite the many advances across the globe. We stand ready to assist local authorities with their investigation of this matter.”

The company, pointing to its security guide, told the outlet that users should report any "improper or illegal behaviour" with the app or to help@grindr.com.