NEMAHA COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a murder that occurred Thursday, April 3, in Seneca, Kansas.
At approximately 2:50 p.m. on April 3, a 911 call was placed reporting shots fired at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory at 411 Pioneer St., in Seneca. At 2:55 p.m., deputies from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Seneca Police Department arrived and discovered Father Arul Carasala, 57, of Seneca, outside the residence suffering from gunshot wounds.
Seneca EMS arrived and transported Father Carasala to the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital. Despite life-saving measures, he died at the hospital from his injuries.
Kansas Highway Patrol troopers responded and helped secure the scene. Shortly after, deputies from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Seneca Police Department took Gary L. Hermesch, 66, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into custody. He was booked into the Nemaha County Jail on suspected first-degree murder. Hermesch has not yet been formally charged.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The investigation is ongoing. Nothing further will be released at this time.
