Pastor Dave Sarver and the Grace Brethren Church of Portis, Kansas, will appreciate your prayers as they experience the shock and grief of the murder of one of their parishioners, Scott Noel (pictured). Here is a short excerpt from one of the media stories. Further information is at http://new.khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12886&storytopic=4 and at http://www.saljournal.com/rdnews/story/Portis-murder-follow-3-26-08
The Osborne County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigations are trying to figure out who killed Scott Noel.
The 55 year old was found dead Tuesday afternoon in his home near Portis.
Police say it could be a burglary gone bad.
Investigators spent the day in and around Scott Noel’s farmhouse just southeast of Portis.
For some, it is their first local murder case.
“We have not had anything remotely similar to this in 15 years,” said Sgt. Jack Ennis.
The Sheriff’s office is not releasing many details, but believes Noel was killed sometime between 11 and 2 Tuesday afternoon.
Since then the public has been flooding them with possible leads.
“We are receiving phone calls constantly. We are following up all the information we get as fast as we can because we are very concerned about getting this solved,” said Ennis.
Just over a hundred people live in Portis.
So in a town where everyone is considered family, a murder affects everybody.
“I think everybody was traumatized and heartbroken. Everyone felt victimized. Cannot imagine what the family is going through. Everybody’s heart goes out to them,” said Alison Holt.
Shad Bernard and Family