After 30 years, Indiana rape case becomes key to solving multi-state investigation

Sometimes justice moves slowly, but it never stops moving. That's the story of Sean Patrick McNulty, a serial rapist who terrorized women across multiple states in the 1980s and 1990s and whose crimes have finally been solved thanks to modern DNA technology and some determined detective work.

"I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.

Are you new here? Sign up for the free newsletter or subscribe to support our mission.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office, in California, announced this week that they've connected Sean Patrick McNulty to six separate home invasion rapes spanning from California to Ohio, including a particularly disturbing case right here in Indiana.

What makes this story even more remarkable? McNulty died in 1997, but his victims are finally getting the answers they've waited decades for.

The California cases that started it all

It all began with the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a program launched in 2022 to test every single sexual assault kit for DNA evidence. When they tested kits from two unsolved rapes in Ventura County from 1982 and 1983, they found something interesting- the same perpetrator DNA profile in both cases.

The attacks were chillingly similar. In both instances, McNulty used phone calls to gather information about his victims before breaking into their homes. He would bind them with belts, place pillowcases over their heads, and sexually assault them while demanding money. The details are disturbing, but they reveal a calculated predator who had clearly done this before.

The trail leads to Indiana

Here's where the Indiana connection becomes crucial to solving these decades-old crimes. As investigators dug deeper, they discovered McNulty had been linked to a 1993 rape in Bloomington. But this wasn't just another cold case- this was the key that would unlock everything.

The Bloomington case tells a particularly haunting story. A 22-year-old woman woke up around 3 a.m. to find a man standing in her bedroom. After sexually assaulting her, McNulty did something that would prove to be his downfall years later: he found her driver's license and read off her personal information, threatening to kill her if she went to the police.

But the story doesn't end there. About a year after the attack, the victim and her family started receiving suspicious phone calls. Then, after she moved to a different state, someone claiming to be a Bloomington detective called her with questions that showed intimate knowledge of her case. When she contacted the real Bloomington Police Department, they confirmed no one had tried to reach her.

Police were able to trace those calls back to Sean Patrick McNulty in Battle Creek, Michigan. In 1995, Bloomington investigators actually obtained biological samples from McNulty as part of their investigation. The problem? This was before the modern DNA database system existed, so his profile just sat there, waiting.

The breakthrough moment

Fast forward to 2024... The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program helped Ventura investigators locate that old Bloomington case where McNulty was actually named as a suspect. When they reached out to Bloomington police, they made a shocking discovery: McNulty had killed himself in 1997 after becoming a suspect in that Indiana rape.

But here's the incredible part- Bloomington investigators had preserved that biological sample from 1995. They sent it to Columbus, Ohio, where it was tested and matched to a 1997 rape case there. Then the results went back to Ventura County, where scientists confirmed it matched their 1982 and 1983 cases. Michigan authorities also confirmed matches to cases from 1994 and 1995.

Looking at all six cases together, a disturbing pattern emerged. McNulty was methodical, often using deception to gain entry to homes or gather information about his victims. He frequently used phone calls as part of his strategy, sometimes calling back after attacks to further terrorize his victims.

The geographic spread tells a story, too. McNulty served as a Navy diver from 1979 to 1992, which likely explains how he ended up in so many different states. Investigators believe he may have lived in or spent time in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, and even the Philippines.

Justice for the survivors

Perhaps the most powerful part of this story is what it means for the survivors. Ventura County investigators were able to locate one of the California victims, who told them she had "waited forty years" to receive closure. The Bloomington victim expressed gratitude that investigators "didn't give up" after all these years.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko put it perfectly: "Every kit tested has the opportunity to bring critical knowledge to these women, including the knowledge that their perpetrator is deceased and therefore no longer able to harm others."

The bigger picture

This case shows why programs like the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative matter so much. There are thousands of untested rape kits sitting in evidence rooms across the country, and each one represents not just evidence, but a person who deserves answers.

The collaboration between agencies- from California to Indiana to Ohio to Michigan- also demonstrates how modern law enforcement can work when departments share information and resources. The investigative genealogy work done by Columbus police, the preserved evidence from Bloomington, and the systematic testing in Ventura County all came together to solve crimes that might otherwise have remained mysteries forever.

McNulty may have escaped earthly justice by taking his own life in 1997, but his victims now know who attacked them and that he can never hurt anyone else. After four decades, that knowledge brings a different kind of justice- the kind that helps survivors finally close a chapter that has haunted them for far too long.

For anyone who might have information about other crimes McNulty may have committed, Ventura County investigators are still accepting tips. Because even though this case is closed, there may be other survivors out there still waiting for their own answers.

You can connect with the detective on this case, Yumi Kirk, at (805) 477-1638 or at yumi.kirk@venturacounty.gov.

Like what you see? Learn more about Shay Informed here! This is honest journalism with compassion and clarity.