Netflix’s latest true crime documentary, The Predator of Seville, revisits a case that evaded justice for years—until brave survivor Gabrielle Vega spoke out and brought together an army of women, all of whom had been attacked by Manuel Blanco Vela, a Spanish tour guide who ran student trips through his company Discover Excursions.
For years, he was seen as a trusted figure among young women traveling from Spain to the likes of Portugal and Morocco, but according to multiple testimonies, that trust is exactly what he exploited. Blanco Vela might have seemed charming on the surface, but he was repeatedly luring vulnerable young women into his hotel rooms and assaulting them.
This is what we know about Manuel Blanco Vela’s case and his whereabouts today.
Who is Manuel Blanco Vela?
Manuel Blanco Vela ran Discover Excursions, a travel company offering trips (mainly to young American students studying abroad) across Spain, Portugal, and Morocco aimed at international students.
He built a reputation as a friendly and trustworthy guide, and survivors later said that sense of trust played a key role in how he was able to gain access to victims, along with the fact that his company appeared to be affiliated with their universities.
What happened to Gabrielle Vega?
Gabrielle Vega was 19 when she studied abroad in Spain in 2013.
During a weekend trip to Morocco organized by Blanco Vela, she says he encouraged her group to stay inside the hotel for an evening, claiming it was too dangerous to go out alone at night, and began offering drinks.
Vega, during a TODAY interview, recalled having one beer and two glasses of champagne but experiencing an unusually strong reaction. “It was unreal what I was feeling. I wasn’t even coherent,” she explained. “I couldn’t stand up.”
She says she blacked out and upon waking, entered the hotel room’s bathroom, and Blanco Vela followed her inside. “He immediately put himself in my mouth and knocked me over,” Vega stated.
The next morning, she experienced flashbacks of him in his underwear assaulting her. A friend later confirmed she had been in the bathroom with Blanco Vela for around 30 minutes.
Vega later developed PTSD and has spoken about experiencing suicidal thoughts after the incident, highlighting how profound an impact it had on her life. She was unable to complete her studies as a result.
How many women accused Manuel Blanco Vela?
Investigations and survivor accounts indicate a repeated pattern involving alcohol, isolation, and assault. Estimates suggest between 50 and 100 women may have accused Blanco Vela of assaults or attempted assaults over time, although only a small number of cases were prosecuted.
In 2017, students Hayley McAleese and Carly Van Ostenbridge attended a Discover Excursions trip to Lagos, Portugal.
They say Blanco Vela also told them the area was unsafe and it was better to stay in the hotel with him for the night. Once there, he invited the women into his room and allegedly asked them to perform a “sexy dance,” which they refused. He then attempted to prevent them from leaving, but thankfully they were able to escape and raise the alarm.
According to reports, Blanco Vela later claimed the women had come onto him before leaving the area the next day, citing a family emergency.
When the incident was reported by McAleese and Van Ostenbridge, they were told jurisdictional issues—with Blanco based in Spain and the incident occurring in Portugal—meant the case was unlikely to proceed.
After speaking publicly on Facebook in 2018, Vega said she connected with eight other women within two days who described similar experiences with the tour guide. Following her TV appearance on the TODAY show, along with McAleese and Van Ostenbridge, more than 30 women made contact.
What happened to Lauren Bajorek?
Manuel Blanco Vela is also linked to the death of 21-year-old American student Lauren Bajorek.
In 2015, she died after falling from a balcony at his apartment in Seville on her 21st birthday. Her death was not prosecuted as a homicide, but Blanco Vela was later found civilly liable.
The circumstances surrounding the fall have remained a point of concern, particularly as more women later came forward with allegations of assault connected to him.
Another student who studied in Spain at the same time as Bajorek wrote in a blog about her own experience of Blanco Vela: “Because in the summer of 2015, despite what I believed at the time, I was young and vulnerable, as so many travelers are. And where there is vulnerability, there is often someone who arrives to take advantage of it.”
How was Manuel Blanco Vela caught?
For years, many women did not report their experiences, often due to being abroad or unsure how to navigate the complex overseas legal systems.
The case gained traction after survivors began connecting online and sharing their accounts publicly.
Vega later appeared on U.S. television alongside other women, helping bring wider attention to the allegations.
Journalistic investigations, including podcast reporting into an alleged serial offender targeting foreign students in Seville, also helped link cases together.
Where is Manuel Blanco Vela now?
In 2025, Spain’s National Court found Manuel Blanco Vela guilty of assaulting three American students.
He was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in total; six years for a sexual assault against Gabrielle Vega and two and a half years for assaulting Hayley McAleese and Carly Van Ostenbridge. The conviction followed testimony from multiple survivors.
Blanco Vela has appealed the decision.
Lawyer Mark Eiglarsh said: “[Gabrielle's] courage and perseverance have not only brought justice but have also helped protect countless other women from enduring the same horrific nightmare she faced at just 19 years old.”
