Topline: DNA testing and investigative genealogy connected former Navy diver Sean McNulty, dead since 1997, to a series of rapes committed across three states.
Published: September 7, 2025 8:00 am ET
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Sean Patrick McNulty seen in two Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
booking photos from 1978 and 1979.
VENTURA, CA — Authorities have identified a California man as the serial rapist behind a string of violent home invasion assaults dating back to the early 1980s.
According to a statement released Thursday by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Sean Patrick McNulty has been definitively linked to six unsolved rapes—including two in Ventura—and investigations are now underway to determine if there may be more victims.
McNulty, who died by suicide in 1997, eluded justice during his lifetime. But thanks to DNA evidence preserved for more than 40 years, advances in forensic technology, and a multi-agency effort that included investigative genealogy, his identity as the perpetrator has now been confirmed.
“This case demonstrates why the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is so important to sexual assault survivors,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in the release. “Every kit tested has the opportunity to bring critical knowledge to these women… law enforcement and prosecutors recognize that each one of these kits represent a courageous survivor and the enduring voice of a savage crime.”
The breakthrough began with the testing of two long-stored sexual assault kits from cases in Ventura in 1982 and 1983. According to the DA’s office, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Bureau was able to extract DNA from the kits and upload the profiles into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). In March 2024, it was determined that the same man was responsible for both Ventura attacks.
But the DNA didn’t stop there. That same profile also matched rape cases from 1994 in Okemos, Michigan; 1995 in Birmingham, Michigan; and 1997 in Columbus, Ohio—none of which had previously been linked to each other.
A joint investigation was launched by Ventura authorities in collaboration with law enforcement in Michigan and Ohio. Working alongside an investigative genealogist from the Columbus Police Department, they eventually traced the DNA to McNulty, who had lived in multiple states and served as a Navy diver from 1979 to 1992.
Locating a viable DNA sample to confirm the match wasn’t easy. Investigators found McNulty’s headstone in a Ventura County cemetery, only to discover that he had been cremated and his remains were untraceable. But a break came when the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) helped locate a 1993 rape case in Bloomington, Indiana, where McNulty had been named a suspect. After becoming a suspect in that case, he took his own life.
At the request of Ventura’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI) team, Bloomington authorities searched their files and discovered a biological sample collected from McNulty. That sample was transferred to the Columbus Police Department Crime Lab, which confirmed a DNA match to the 1997 Columbus rape. The results were shared with Ventura County, where forensic scientists verified that McNulty’s DNA also matched the two Ventura cases. Authorities in Michigan similarly confirmed his DNA matched their 1994 and 1995 cases.
McNulty, born in Burlingame and raised in Ventura, graduated from Buena High School in 1977. In 1978, he was arrested for making obscene phone calls to a woman. He was married in 1988 but divorced shortly before his death. Investigators attempted to interview his ex-wife but she declined to participate.
Throughout his life, McNulty is believed to have lived in or visited at least 15 states as well as the Philippines. The full list includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia.
The DA’s office said they’ve attempted to contact all known victims in the Ventura cases. Only one could be located. “She had ‘waited forty years’ to receive closure,” the statement said.
Another survivor, from the 1993 Bloomington case, expressed gratitude to investigators, saying: “I am grateful after all these years you didn’t give up.”
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff echoed that sentiment. “The results show the importance of testing every kit and pursuing every lead, no matter how old or how long it takes,” he said. “While nothing can erase the pain and trauma these victims endured, I hope today’s announcement brings them a measure of closure.”
The investigation into whether McNulty may be connected to other unsolved sexual assaults continues. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact District Attorney Investigator Yumi Kirk at (805) 477-1638 or via email at yumi.kirk@venturacounty.gov.
More information about Ventura County’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative—including support services for survivors—can be found at saki.venturacounty.gov.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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28 Years After His Death, Calif. Man Named as Serial Rapist in Multi-State Cases
DNA testing and investigative genealogy connected former Navy diver Sean McNulty, dead since 1997, to a series of rapes committed across three states.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 7, 2025 8:00 am ET
Sean Patrick McNulty seen in two Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
booking photos from 1978 and 1979.
VENTURA, CA — Authorities have identified a California man as the serial rapist behind a string of violent home invasion assaults dating back to the early 1980s.
According to a statement released Thursday by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Sean Patrick McNulty has been definitively linked to six unsolved rapes—including two in Ventura—and investigations are now underway to determine if there may be more victims.
McNulty, who died by suicide in 1997, eluded justice during his lifetime. But thanks to DNA evidence preserved for more than 40 years, advances in forensic technology, and a multi-agency effort that included investigative genealogy, his identity as the perpetrator has now been confirmed.
“This case demonstrates why the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is so important to sexual assault survivors,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in the release. “Every kit tested has the opportunity to bring critical knowledge to these women… law enforcement and prosecutors recognize that each one of these kits represent a courageous survivor and the enduring voice of a savage crime.”
The breakthrough began with the testing of two long-stored sexual assault kits from cases in Ventura in 1982 and 1983. According to the DA’s office, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Bureau was able to extract DNA from the kits and upload the profiles into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). In March 2024, it was determined that the same man was responsible for both Ventura attacks.
But the DNA didn’t stop there. That same profile also matched rape cases from 1994 in Okemos, Michigan; 1995 in Birmingham, Michigan; and 1997 in Columbus, Ohio—none of which had previously been linked to each other.
A joint investigation was launched by Ventura authorities in collaboration with law enforcement in Michigan and Ohio. Working alongside an investigative genealogist from the Columbus Police Department, they eventually traced the DNA to McNulty, who had lived in multiple states and served as a Navy diver from 1979 to 1992.
Locating a viable DNA sample to confirm the match wasn’t easy. Investigators found McNulty’s headstone in a Ventura County cemetery, only to discover that he had been cremated and his remains were untraceable. But a break came when the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) helped locate a 1993 rape case in Bloomington, Indiana, where McNulty had been named a suspect. After becoming a suspect in that case, he took his own life.
At the request of Ventura’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI) team, Bloomington authorities searched their files and discovered a biological sample collected from McNulty. That sample was transferred to the Columbus Police Department Crime Lab, which confirmed a DNA match to the 1997 Columbus rape. The results were shared with Ventura County, where forensic scientists verified that McNulty’s DNA also matched the two Ventura cases. Authorities in Michigan similarly confirmed his DNA matched their 1994 and 1995 cases.
McNulty, born in Burlingame and raised in Ventura, graduated from Buena High School in 1977. In 1978, he was arrested for making obscene phone calls to a woman. He was married in 1988 but divorced shortly before his death. Investigators attempted to interview his ex-wife but she declined to participate.
Throughout his life, McNulty is believed to have lived in or visited at least 15 states as well as the Philippines. The full list includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia.
The DA’s office said they’ve attempted to contact all known victims in the Ventura cases. Only one could be located. “She had ‘waited forty years’ to receive closure,” the statement said.
Another survivor, from the 1993 Bloomington case, expressed gratitude to investigators, saying: “I am grateful after all these years you didn’t give up.”
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff echoed that sentiment. “The results show the importance of testing every kit and pursuing every lead, no matter how old or how long it takes,” he said. “While nothing can erase the pain and trauma these victims endured, I hope today’s announcement brings them a measure of closure.”
The investigation into whether McNulty may be connected to other unsolved sexual assaults continues. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact District Attorney Investigator Yumi Kirk at (805) 477-1638 or via email at yumi.kirk@venturacounty.gov.
More information about Ventura County’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative—including support services for survivors—can be found at saki.venturacounty.gov.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
28 Years After His Death, Calif. Man Named as Serial Rapist in Multi-State Cases
DNA testing and investigative genealogy connected former Navy diver Sean McNulty, dead since 1997, to a series of rapes committed across three states.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 7, 2025 8:00 am ET
Sean Patrick McNulty seen in two Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
booking photos from 1978 and 1979.
VENTURA, CA — Authorities have identified a California man as the serial rapist behind a string of violent home invasion assaults dating back to the early 1980s.
According to a statement released Thursday by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Sean Patrick McNulty has been definitively linked to six unsolved rapes—including two in Ventura—and investigations are now underway to determine if there may be more victims.
McNulty, who died by suicide in 1997, eluded justice during his lifetime. But thanks to DNA evidence preserved for more than 40 years, advances in forensic technology, and a multi-agency effort that included investigative genealogy, his identity as the perpetrator has now been confirmed.
“This case demonstrates why the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is so important to sexual assault survivors,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in the release. “Every kit tested has the opportunity to bring critical knowledge to these women… law enforcement and prosecutors recognize that each one of these kits represent a courageous survivor and the enduring voice of a savage crime.”
The breakthrough began with the testing of two long-stored sexual assault kits from cases in Ventura in 1982 and 1983. According to the DA’s office, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Bureau was able to extract DNA from the kits and upload the profiles into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). In March 2024, it was determined that the same man was responsible for both Ventura attacks.
But the DNA didn’t stop there. That same profile also matched rape cases from 1994 in Okemos, Michigan; 1995 in Birmingham, Michigan; and 1997 in Columbus, Ohio—none of which had previously been linked to each other.
A joint investigation was launched by Ventura authorities in collaboration with law enforcement in Michigan and Ohio. Working alongside an investigative genealogist from the Columbus Police Department, they eventually traced the DNA to McNulty, who had lived in multiple states and served as a Navy diver from 1979 to 1992.
Locating a viable DNA sample to confirm the match wasn’t easy. Investigators found McNulty’s headstone in a Ventura County cemetery, only to discover that he had been cremated and his remains were untraceable. But a break came when the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) helped locate a 1993 rape case in Bloomington, Indiana, where McNulty had been named a suspect. After becoming a suspect in that case, he took his own life.
At the request of Ventura’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI) team, Bloomington authorities searched their files and discovered a biological sample collected from McNulty. That sample was transferred to the Columbus Police Department Crime Lab, which confirmed a DNA match to the 1997 Columbus rape. The results were shared with Ventura County, where forensic scientists verified that McNulty’s DNA also matched the two Ventura cases. Authorities in Michigan similarly confirmed his DNA matched their 1994 and 1995 cases.
McNulty, born in Burlingame and raised in Ventura, graduated from Buena High School in 1977. In 1978, he was arrested for making obscene phone calls to a woman. He was married in 1988 but divorced shortly before his death. Investigators attempted to interview his ex-wife but she declined to participate.
Throughout his life, McNulty is believed to have lived in or visited at least 15 states as well as the Philippines. The full list includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia.
The DA’s office said they’ve attempted to contact all known victims in the Ventura cases. Only one could be located. “She had ‘waited forty years’ to receive closure,” the statement said.
Another survivor, from the 1993 Bloomington case, expressed gratitude to investigators, saying: “I am grateful after all these years you didn’t give up.”
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff echoed that sentiment. “The results show the importance of testing every kit and pursuing every lead, no matter how old or how long it takes,” he said. “While nothing can erase the pain and trauma these victims endured, I hope today’s announcement brings them a measure of closure.”
The investigation into whether McNulty may be connected to other unsolved sexual assaults continues. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact District Attorney Investigator Yumi Kirk at (805) 477-1638 or via email at yumi.kirk@venturacounty.gov.
More information about Ventura County’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative—including support services for survivors—can be found at saki.venturacounty.gov.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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