A man authorities describe as an illegal immigrant has been charged with 30 felonies in a string of sexual assaults that terrorized women on Indianapolis’ north side over more than a decade, officials said this week.
This SERIAL RAPIST’S ten year crime spree IS OVER.
Thanks to the incredible work of the men and women of federal law enforcement, this criminal illegal alien has been CAUGHT.@ICEgov is now working with local Indiana authorities to ensure this demented rapist is REMOVED from… https://t.co/YabhW5ClXQ pic.twitter.com/2OSn7vJRjM
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 11, 2026
Leonel Catalan-Torreblanca, 49, was arrested April 23 after DNA evidence conclusively linked him to attacks dating from March 2013 to January 2024, all within a roughly 10-block radius near 96th Street and College Avenue. He faces multiple counts of rape, sexual battery, criminal confinement, kidnapping, strangulation and burglary.
Investigators cite knowing that the cases were connected due to DNA collected from each crime scene—including home invasions at apartment complexes such as Ashton Brook in 2013 and 2015, Carlyle Court in 2016, a residence on Guilford Avenue in 2016 and The Lodge at Trails Edge in 2024.
While evidence was entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, showing a single offender through a clear DNA match between crime scenes, the system was unable to trace the evidence to a known individual.
According to Immigration records, that’s because Catalan-Torreblanca entered the country illegally under the Obama administration. Though he had encounters with authorities, including a DUI, charges for voyeurism and solicitation, records show that Catalan-Torreblanca left the United States in 2018.
However, Immigration records show that Catalan-Torreblanca illegally snuck back into the country in 2023 under Biden’s open border policies—continuing the same “unspeakable” behaviors.
Court records reveal that Catalan-Torreblanca would tie up his victims with their own articles of clothing after sneaking into their apartments, sometimes wearing a mask and gardening gloves.
“Next time, don’t leave the door unlocked,” he told a victim after an assault, according to court records.
The assaults were violent, court records show, often involving suffocation and gagging women with their own underwear.
That continued behavior, including a January 2024 break in, however, led to a breakthrough in the cold case. In early April 2026, a DNA profile collected from Catalan-Torreblanca, was uploaded to the CODIS system by Homeland Security Investigations. The system immediately triggered a DNA match, positively connecting Catalan-Torreblanca to each crime scene and victim.
The FBI expedited confirmation of his identity on April 22, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives arrested him hours later at a relative’s home.
“Thanks to the incredible work of the men and women of federal law enforcement, this demented rapist’s ten-year crime spree is over. He is now facing 30 charges including rape, sexual battery, criminal confinement, kidnapping, strangulation, and burglary,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
He remains in local custody pending trial, with an ICE detainer lodged.
“ICE is asking Indiana officials to hand him over to ICE custody,” Bis continued. “Indiana cooperates with ICE, so we will be able to work together to get him off our streets and out of our country. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the United States.”
Officials stressed support for survivors and the power of inter-agency cooperation in bringing long-sought justice.
“For years, investigators refused to let these survivors be forgotten, continuing to pursue every lead until DNA technology identified the defendant,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. “No matter how much time passes, our commitment to seeking justice never wavers.”
