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An undocumented immigrant has been charged with 30 offenses in a longstanding serial rape case in Marion County, Indiana, following a breakthrough by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through DNA analysis, according to officials.
Leonel Catalan-Torreblanca has been slapped with numerous charges, including level one felonies, which could lead to sentences as long as 50 years in prison, as per Indiana’s previous penal code. This announcement was made by Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears during a press briefing on Wednesday.
The series of assaults that have been linked to Catalan-Torreblanca began in March 2013, with the most recent attack occurring in January 2024, marking more than a decade of criminal activity.
For years, both local and federal investigators were aware that these crimes were interconnected, thanks to DNA evidence that consistently matched across various crime scenes. This linkage was documented in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), although, until recently, there was no match to an identified individual.
Officials shared these developments during a Wednesday news conference, announcing the fresh charges against Catalan-Torreblanca.
Catalan-Torreblanca had previously avoided the database because his only prior criminal history was a misdemeanor DUI arrest, which does not require a DNA swab, according to authorities.
The breakthrough came recently when an ICE collection allowed Catalan-Torreblanca’s DNA profile to be entered into CODIS, triggering a match to the crime scenes.
Officials said ICE DNA collection led to the positive identification and charges. (John Moore/Getty Images)
FBI special agent in charge Tim O’Malley confirmed Catalan-Torreblanca was in the country illegally, though officials said they were “not entirely sure exactly where he’s from originally.”
The FBI expedited and confirmed the Catalan-Torreblanca’s identity on April 22, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit tracked him down and arrested him at a relative’s house within four hours.
“Incredible work out of @FBIIndianapolis — our FBI teams and partners used advanced DNA technology and our Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) to charge the suspect,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a statement on X.
Catalan-Torreblanca is currently being held on a standard bond. It is unclear if ICE has lodged an immigration detainer against him.
It is unclear where and when the suspect came into the U.S. illegally. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press)
During the news conference, Mears praised the “incredible strength and resiliency” of the survivors, who were asked to relive their trauma to assist detectives in bringing the charges forward.
Authorities said Catalan-Torreblanca may have lived near apartment complexes where the attacks took place, warning that there may be other victims or connected cases that lack DNA evidence.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.