(WXIN/WTTV) Police in California have used DNA evidence to identify a nationwide serial rapist who killed himself in 1997 after becoming a suspect in a central Indiana rape investigation.

Sean Patrick McNulty, who grew up in Ventura, California, has been connected via DNA to at least six home-invasion rapes that occurred across the country between 1982 and 1997. McNulty was identified publicly this week in a release from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Sean Patrick McNulty

McNulty was born on June 4, 1959, in Burlingame, California, before spending most of his childhood in Ventura. He graduated from Buena High School in 1977.

A year after graduation, in 1978, McNulty was arrested by the Ventura Police Department for placing “obscene phone calls” to a local woman. He was arrested again in 1979, although the charges are not known. Between 1979 and 1992, he served as a diver for the U.S. Navy.

McNulty reportedly married a woman in 1988 and later divorced her just before his death in 1997. While investigating McNulty, authorities said they tried to speak with his ex-wife about where he lived throughout the years. However, she refused to speak with them.

McNulty died by suicide in 1997 in Emmett Township, Michigan. This came after police in Bloomington, Indiana, named McNulty as the suspect in a 1993 home-invasion rape.

1993 Bloomington rape investigation

At around 3 a.m. on May 26, 1993, a 22-year-old woman woke up to see the outline of a man standing at the foot of her bed. The man reportedly told her to roll over on her stomach and put her head under her pillow.

The suspect told the woman he was “only interested in personal belongings” and asked where her valuables were. Rather than stealing these items, the man instead put a scarf in her mouth, tied a belt around her head, put a pillowcase over her face and taped her hands behind her back.

The man then taped her ankles to the corners of her bed and cut off her clothes with a knife. He then proceeded to sexually assault her.

After the assault, the man reportedly took out the woman’s driver’s license and read all of her personal information out loud. He then said, “I know all about you, so if you go to the police, I will come back and kill you,” before running away from the home on foot.

Around a year after the assault, the victim and her family began receiving suspicious phone calls. After moving to a different state, the woman said she got a call from a man claiming to be a Bloomington police detective. However, BPD later confirmed no one had tried contacting her.

Bloomington police were able to trace the phone calls to a man living in Battle Creek, Michigan: Sean Patrick McNulty. Investigators obtained biological samples from McNulty in 1995, which predated the nationwide CODIS system matches suspect DNA to other rapes in the area.

While Bloomington police were still investigating the case, McNulty died by suicide. His body was cremated and a headstone was placed at a Ventura County cemetery.

Now, California officials say DNA evidence has linked McNulty to at least five other home-invasion rapes that occurred throughout the ’80s and ’90s in California, Ohio and Michigan.

Years-long investigation into McNulty, DNA tracking

The most recent developments in the investigation came in March 2024, when Ventura County deputies were able to use CODIS to match DNA evidence in two separate rapes, both occurring in Ventura in 1982 and 1983.

After discovering the DNA connection, the suspect’s genetic profile was connected to three more cases across the country: rapes occurring in 1994 in Okemos, Michigan; 1995 in Birmingham, Michigan; and 1997 in Columbus, Ohio.

In each of the five cases, the suspect’s identity was completely unknown. Ventura County officials reached out to agencies in Michigan and Ohio to launch a joint investigation into the serial attacks.

Soon, a genealogist with the Columbus Police Department in Ohio identified McNulty as a potential suspect. After this, a crime analyst with the FBI tracked down the Bloomington rape case file that named McNulty as a suspect.

Bloomington investigators were soon asked to try and dig up any evidence in their case against McNulty and eventually found his DNA profile. Analysis done by the Forensic Services Bureau soon confirmed that McNulty’s DNA matched evidence found at all five crime scenes.

“We are definitely glad that all the agencies were able to work together to hopefully bring a little closure to the victims,” Bloomington Police Captain Ryan Pedigo said in an email.

“I waited 40 years.”

Ventura County officials said they worked to locate and notify the victims of McNulty’s local crimes regarding his identification and death. Only one victim could be found, who told investigators that she had “waited forty years” to receive closure in this case.

The Ventura County team was also able to speak with the victim in the Bloomington case, who thanked investigators for their renewed interest in unsolved rapes.

“I am grateful after all these years you didn’t give up,” the victim said.

Meanwhile, victims in the Michigan and Ohio cases have all been contacted by their local agencies.

“I am proud [of our team] and the strong collaboration with our local, state and federal partners that made this possible,” said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. “The results show the importance of testing every kit and pursuing every lead, no matter how old or how long it takes.”

To read the full release from Ventura County and get more information on the other out-of-state cases involving McNulty, click here.

Other possible victims

While police are considering the half dozen reported cases closed, investigators say they fear that more victims of McNulty’s crimes are out there.

Ventura County officials were able to establish that McNulty either lived or spent time in the following states during his life (as well as the Philippines):

Anyone with information on other crimes potentially committed by McNulty is encouraged to call 911 or reach out to their local authorities.

To make an anonymous report in central Indiana, call the local Crime Stoppers group at (317) 262-TIPS. To make a tip in the Ventura County area, call DA Investigator Yumi Kirk at (805) 477-1638.

For a list of Indiana rape crisis centers and sexual assault service providers, including a 24-hour hotline, click here. For services available to student victims in Bloomington, click here. For victim services help from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, click here.