DNA Identifies Multi-State Serial Rapist From 1980s-90s Cold Cases

Sean Patrick McNulty, a former Ventura resident, has been identified as the perpetrator behind multiple unsolved home invasion rapes in Ventura County during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as additional rapes in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. DNA testing of sexual assault kits from 1982 and 1983 in Ventura matched DNA from other cases across several states through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), leading to a joint multi-state investigation. McNulty was a suspect in a 1993 Bloomington, Indiana rape case and died by suicide in 1997 after becoming a suspect; his cremation initially complicated obtaining a DNA sample. However, investigators obtained a biological sample from Indiana, confirming McNulty’s DNA matched the evidence from the Ventura and other cases, linking him conclusively to these crimes. Authorities continue to investigate whether McNulty was responsible for additional assaults and are urging anyone with information to come forward. This breakthrough highlights the power of forensic genealogy and inter-agency cooperation in solving cold cases decades later.