Indianapolis, IN
Suspected serial rapist arrested in Indianapolis after DNA breaks case
Indianapolis man charged with 30 counts for rapes on city’s north side
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears shares an update in a rape investigation along with law enforcement officials on May 6, 2026.
A man investigators believe is a serial rapist is in custody more than 13 years after the first case was reported to police.
All of the rape investigations took place in the same area of the city’s north side between 2013-2024. The Marion County Prosecutor announced May 6 that Leonel Catalán-Torreblanca is facing 30 counts tied to the cases.
The 49-year-old’s charges include rape, sexual battery, criminal confinement, kidnapping, burglary and strangulation. Catalán-Torreblanca, who is in the country illegally, had his DNA collected during an unrelated Homeland Security Investigations case. It was matched to the rape cases using the FBI’s DNA database, CODIS.
The details about how Catalán-Torreblanca entered the country or what the other investigation was about were not released. He’s been in custody since April 23.
“This arrest is a clear reminder that advances in DNA technology and the FBI CODIS database are powerful tools in identifying and apprehending violent offenders,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley.
“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.”
A probable cause affidavit for his arrest, listing the details of each rape, paints a picture of a man who would sneak into women’s apartments, sometimes wearing a mask and gardening gloves. He would try to cover their mouths and faces with their own clothing or items before leaving after the violent assaults.
“These aren’t just cases. These are real victims and lives forever changed,” IMPD Deputy Chief of Investigations Kendale Adams said. “We recognize all that these victims endured, and I hope this arrest sends a clear message. IMPD will continue to work relentlessly to hold offenders accountable and seek justice for those who are victimized.”
Leonel Catalan-Torreblanca’s DNA allegedly tied to 5 rapes
At 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2024, police were called about a welfare check at an apartment complex in the 9500 block of Benchmark Drive.
The woman they met at the scene told detectives it was around midnight that she awoke to a man standing over her bed. After sexually assaulting her, he instructed her to sit inside the tub in her bathroom. She stayed in the tub for hours unsure if he had left. At some point she ran warm water because she was cold.
When she saw it was daylight outside and didn’t hear any noise, she grabbed a pair of scissors and ran out the front door to get help from a neighbor. She was taken to St. Vincent Hospital for an examination.
Police report of a rape at the same complex in 2016
At 5:56 a.m. on Oct. 23, 2016, police were called to a nearby apartment complex at a unit in the 9500 block of Guilford Drive. A woman told a detective that she fell asleep around 3 a.m. on her couch; when she woke up, feeling hot, so she opened her patio door and left the screen door closed.
Around 4 a.m., she woke back up to a man standing in front of her. He tied a shirt around her mouth and took one of her scarves to tie her hands behind her back.
During the assault, she asked him why he was doing this, and court documents state that he said, “Because I like it and because I like you.” After the assault he left through the patio door.
Another police report at the same complex in 2016
The month before, at 7:46 a.m. Sept. 3, 2016, police were called to the same apartment complex one street over in the 9500 block of Carlyle Drive. A woman told police a man had come into her apartment and raped her, according to court documents, and she was taken to Community Hospital North for an exam.
She was asleep, according to court documents, before she was awoken to a blanket being placed around her face. She heard a man with an accent say, “Please, don’t look. Please don’t move,” before the assault. She told the detective that he used a pair of her leggings to tie her hands behind her back and cover her mouth.
“Next time, don’t leave the door unlocked,” he said after the assault, according to court records.
A rape report was taken in the same area in 2015
At 4:44 a.m. on June 27, 2015, police were called about a rape that happened in the same area in her apartment in the 9400 block of Barcroft Drive.
According to court documents, the woman told a detective that a man got inside her apartment through a sliding glass door on her upper balcony before being assaulted in her bed.
After the assault, investigators wrote in court documetns, the man said, “Don’t tell anyone. Don’t move for five minutes. I have people outside, and they’ll know. You should be careful next time and make sure all your doors are locked.”
A rape report was taken in 2013
At about 7 a.m. on March 24, 2013, a detective was made aware of a sexual assault reported at St. Vincent Hospital, according to court documents. A woman told the detective that the night before, around 10:30 p.m., she and a friend had ordered a taxi to go to a bar downtown. After a few drinks, they went back to her apartment.
She thought her friend had locked the door when she left, so the woman went to sleep around 4 a.m. About 20 minutes awoke to being assaulted by a man.
She described the man as wearing a black mask, and he tied a scarf around her throat. After the assault, court documents said the man began “tucking” her into bed before leaving and said that if she ever told anyone, he would be back. After leaving, she got up and noticed that the keys to her door were missing from her purse. She grabbed a knife and ran to a neighbor’s apartment.
Sexual assault victims are encouraged to reach out to IMPD’s Sex Crimes Office by calling 317-327-3330. If anyone has any information related to these cases, investigators want them to reach out.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
Indianapolis, IN
New Prime Video doc: Kyle Larson’s maniacal mission to race Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same day
Kyle Larson focused on Indy 500
Arrow McLaren’s Kyle Larson discusses focusing on the Indianapolis 500.
INDIANAPOLIS — Despite knowing the odds were against him, that it would take perfect weather, impeccable timing, the travel gods aligning and everything he had within his soul, Kyle Larson went for “The Double” twice, a feat in racing only four other drivers have attempted.
“The Double” is a maniacal mission to complete 1,100 miles in one day at two of the most iconic races in cities more than 400 miles apart — the Indianapolis 500 first, then NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, N.C.
Larson’s two-time attempt at “The Double” in 2024 and 2025 is the subject of a new Prime Video documentary, “Kyle Larson vs The Double,” which premieres May 21.
The film delves into the incredible challenges Larson faces, on and off the track, as he goes for one of the most elusive triumphs in racing — from 500 miles in an Indy car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to jumping on a plane to North Carolina to compete for 600 miles in a stock car at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“The logistical challenge of ‘The Double’ is staggering,” Prime Video says in the film’s press release, “managing the extreme physical toll of heat, dehydration, G-forces and mental exhaustion.”
Before Larson, four other drivers took on “The Double” — John Andretti in 1994; Robby Gordon in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004; Tony Stewart in 1999 and 2001; and Kurt Busch in 2014.
Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600.
In Larson’s 2024 run at “The Double,” rain delayed the Indy 500, causing him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600. He finished 18th in Indy and was replaced by Justin Allgaier at Charlotte. Larson competed in both races in 2025, but crashes dashed his hopes of finishing 1,100 miles in one day.
The film goes beyond Larson’s mission on the track, taking a personal look at his life and career, his mindset, his sacrifices and the people around him who cheered him on.
“Sometimes, the most compelling stories in sports aren’t about crossing the finish line,” Prime Video says, “they’re about the sheer will and determination it takes to compete at the highest level.”
Watch ‘Kyle Larson vs The Double’ trailer
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
Indianapolis, IN
Franklin Middle School’s ‘Welcome to Reality’ event prepares students for adulthood
FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — Franklin Community Middle School will host its annual Welcome to Reality event on Friday, offering eighth-grade students a hands-on, immersive experience designed to prepare them for the financial and personal responsibilities of adulthood.
Welcome to Reality is an interactive simulation that places students in the role of a 28-year-old working adult. Prior to the event, students select a career based on their grade point average and are assigned a corresponding salary.
During the event, students navigate through a series of stations including housing, transportation, utilities, and food. Students are required to make real-life financial decisions and manage a check registry to track expenses.
“This event is absolutely pivotal in the transition to high school for our students,” Monica Anderson, FCMS school counselor said. “The students experience, in real time, how their education can impact their future.”
Community members play a critical role in the simulation by facilitating transactions and serving as tour guides for students throughout the event.
The event is scheduled in groups throughout the school day:
- 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
- 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Indianapolis, IN
Even without a garden, you can get farm-fresh produce in Indianapolis
Grow this vegetable and get hooked on gardening
Tyler Gough, director of Indy Urban Acres, says you’ll get hooked on gardening once you start growing your own tomatoes.
Locally grown food is typically more sustainable and fresher than imported groceries, but even in Indiana, where almost two thirds of the state is farmland, local veggies can be hard to find.
Some Indianapolis residents grow fruits and vegetables in their own backyards. Others might join a community garden. Many frequent the local network of farmers markets.
At least half a dozen community supported agriculture groups, known commonly as CSAs, provide another way to shrink the divide between Indianapolis dwellers and their food systems. From Greenwood to Noblesville, neighbors have banded together to create local agriculture cooperatives, buying food in bulk from nearby farmers — some even within city limits.
How CSAs work
Every week during the growing season, the Fisher family, Amish farmers in Montezuma, pack blue mail bins full of cucumbers, carrots and corn and send them to Indianapolis. A driver totes the bins about 80 miles east to the Irvington CSA, which has been connecting neighborhood residents with farm- to- Irvington produce for almost two decades.
“It connects me to the food I eat,” Alyssa Chase, an Irvington CSA coordinator said. “I’ve been to the farm. I know exactly where it’s grown, and I know whose hands are picking it.”
The CSA model is simple. Participants pay farmers, usually smaller scale growers, an upfront fee to help cover season start-up costs. Then each week, the customers receive a delivery.
There’s no guarantee of bounty. CSA members might be blessed with an abundance of greens one week, but they also share with growers the risks involved with farming.
Not only does the local delivery model provide urbanites with fresh food and family farms some much-needed support, it’s more eco-friendly than the grocery store. A bustling network of refrigerated planes and trucks import 90 percent of Indiana’s produce, said Rachel Brandenburg, a food distribution manager at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Indianapolis area farmers also offer slightly non-traditional, more tailored CSA programs, via monthly subscription boxes. Farmers markets offer a way to purchase local produce a la carte (even in the winter). Free food stands like in Fletcher Place and the White River State Park,’s U-Pick garden offer local produce at no cost.
“We’ve got a pretty robust system of urban growers here in Indy, some really shining examples who take the mission to their farms, the mission of feeding their neighbors,” Brandenburg said.
Starting in May each week at the Irvington CSA, members stop by the Downey Avenue Christian Church to pick up fresh produce. The first month can bring greens lettuce, kale and Swiss chard. Next sweet red strawberries appear in the bins, then cucumbers followed by carrots, squash, tomatoes and corn as summer turns to fall.
How to find fresh food near you
The Irvington CSA eventually spilled over into Greenwood, which now runs a separate CSA program delivering produce from the Fisher Farm to the southern suburbs.
Similar programs have popped up across much of Indianapolis:
Kheprw’s Community Controlled Food Initiative offers year-round local produce pick-ups in Midtown, and Tuttle Orchards delivers subscription produce boxes across several area locations, with weekly pick ups at North Mass Boulder, Irvington Vinyl and Books, JCC Indianapolis, Geist Coffee, Wasson Nursery and Indiana Artisan.
Warfleigh resident Ben Matthews delivers his CSA boxes locally — by bike.
Bountiful Farm and Floral, a small urban farm, delivers produce directly to the homes of Irvington members. And Soul Food Project offers CSA delivery and pick up at the Binford Farmers Market, plus at its local farms in Irvington and Martindale-Brightwood.
IndyStar’s environmental reporting is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at sophie.hartley@indystar.com or on X at @sophienhartley.
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