(WHDH) — A 19 year-old man is facing a slew of criminal charges after federal investigators say he planned to murder and dismember gay men who he met on a popular dating app.
Chance Seneca, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was indicted Thursday on hate crime, kidnapping, firearm and obstruction charges in connection with his attempted murder of a gay man and his overarching scheme to kidnap and murder gay men , according to the Department of Justice.
In June 2020, Seneca attempted to kidnap one man and successfully kidnapped two other men through his use of Grindr, a dating app for gay and bisexual men, the indictment alleges.
The indictment further alleges that Seneca attempted to murder one of the men because of his gender and sexual orientation, and that he intended to dismember and keep parts of the victim’s body as trophies, mementos and food.
Seneca also tried to cover up his actions by deleting communications between himself and the victim of the attempted murder, according to investigators.
The maximum sentence for the hate crime, kidnapping and firearm offenses is life imprisonment.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)