The place is Manuel Blanco Vela now? Contained in the “Predator of Seville”’s alleged crimes — and the way he was caught

Manuel Blanco Vela appeared like a pleasant tour information in Spain, however the overseas college students he was meant to observe over revealed a special story.

Netflix's The Predator of Seville explores how a number of girls united over their shared experiences with Blanco Vela — and finally helped put him on trial for his crimes.

The three-part collection facilities on survivor Gabrielle Vega as she recounts her personal encounter with Blanco Vela and explains how she linked with different survivors. The documentary additionally delves into the tragic demise of Lauren Bajorek, who's mentioned to have crossed paths with Blanco Vela, and tracks the lengthy struggle for justice that finally caught up with the tour information.

So, the place is Manuel Blanco Vela now? Learn on for what we all know.

Who’s Manuel Blanco Vela?

Manuel Blanco Vela, a.ok.a. "Manu White," ran Uncover Excursions, an organization that organized low-cost journeys for American college students in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. In accordance with archival footage from his trial in early 2025, Blanco Vela mentioned he began as an intern in 2010 and labored his approach as much as director earlier than finally shopping for the corporate.

A number of folks interviewed within the documentary say Blanco Vela got here off as good and approachable, however a few of his accusers say that picture didn't match what they skilled behind closed doorways. His amiable entrance, they declare, was used to assist manipulate and reap the benefits of them.

Within the doc, accuser Sarah Carey describes Blanco Vela as somebody with "numerous energy and connections." She provides that being round him felt unsettling, like he "didn't have a soul."

What occurred to Gabrielle Vega?

In 2013, 19-year-old Gabrielle Vega was finding out overseas in Spain. After listening to good issues about Uncover Excursions, she and her mates booked a visit to Morocco with the corporate.

Talking in The Predator of Seville, Vega claims Blanco Vela was the principle tour information and that he initially appeared "pleasant" and excited to point out the group round.

On the final evening of the journey, Vega remembers Blanco Vela encouraging everybody to remain within the resort for security. She and her two roommates frolicked on the resort bar, and Blanco Vela finally joined them. He provided to order champagne, they usually all agreed to hang around with him of their room.

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Vega says that's when issues began to really feel off, alleging that Blanco Vela requested the ladies invasive questions and took his pants off in entrance of them. At one level, Vega remembers feeling unwell and disoriented, to the purpose the place she handed out. When she got here to, she felt utterly out of sync along with her physique, like her "mind was engaged on such a sluggish stage."

She remembers making it to the lavatory, the place she remembers seeing Blanco Vela within the bathe along with her roommates. They scurried out, and Vega went inside. Vega then claims that Blanco Vela adopted her, hit her on the pinnacle, and sexually assaulted her.

The subsequent morning, Vega says she discovered bruises on her knees. As reminiscences of the evening got here again, she felt sick and overwhelmed. "It was, like, so vivid and visible and simply, like, horrifying," she says.

Did different girls come ahead?

After sharing her story on Fb, Vega linked with different girls who had related experiences with Blanco Vela.

In April 2018, she appeared on Megyn Kelly Today with two of them, Hayley McAleese and Carly Van Ostenbridge. Through the interview, McAleese mentioned the journey she and Carly took in Might 2017. The pair, who had been 19 on the time, went on a Uncover Excursions journey to Lagos, Portugal. One evening, the entire group went out to a bar.

On the finish of the evening, Blanco Vela allegedly got here as much as them and mentioned the town wasn't secure, suggesting they stroll again to the resort collectively. He invited them to his room, the place it ended up being simply the three of them.

McAleese claimed his habits shifted straight away — he obtained "very sexual" and began asking inappropriate questions. He then requested them to bounce for him, and Van Ostenbridge recalled how she tried to lighten the state of affairs by doing a foolish dance to interrupt the strain. That didn't go over effectively. Blanco Vela allegedly advised them they wanted to do a "horny dance" on high of him, which is when McAleese realized they wanted to get out of there.

"At that time, he took us and pushed us in opposition to the counter, and tried to carry us and make us dance the way in which he wished us to bounce," McAleese defined to Kelly. "We clearly didn't need to, so we weren't making that simple for him."

McAleese claimed issues escalated additional when Blanco Vela advised them they couldn't go away. She alleged he held her in opposition to the wall and kissed her, then grabbed Van Ostenbridge's hand and compelled her to the touch him. McAleese mentioned she was in a position to push him off, however that he wouldn't let Van Ostenbridge go.

In accordance with Van Ostenbridge, it was solely after McAleese managed to open the resort room door that he launched her. The 2 ran out of the room and went to their mates' room to inform them the whole lot. Once they confronted Blanco Vela, he allegedly denied any wrongdoing and mentioned that McAleese and Van Ostenbridge got here onto him. The subsequent day, Blanco Vela didn't present up, claiming he had a household emergency.

What occurred to Lauren Bajorek?

On a 2020 episode of the podcast Motive, Vega revealed that greater than 50 girls reached out to her and her lawyer about Blanco Vela's conduct following the Kelly interview. One message she acquired was from Carey Bajorek, who claimed that Blanco Vela killed her daughter, Lauren Bajorek.

Lauren was in her early 20s when she went to Spain. She died only a few weeks in a while her twenty first birthday after falling from the tenth flooring of Blanco Vela's condominium.

As revealed within the doc, Lauren had gone out to have a good time her birthday with mates — Sarah, Ellie, and Lauren P. — and Blanco Vela joined them. Ellie and Lauren P. went dwelling early, and Sarah and Lauren finally ended up at Blanco Vela's condominium, the place Lauren tragically fell to her demise.

On the time, Blanco Vela mentioned that Lauren jumped, although the police later dominated out a suicide. The reality of what occurred stays unknown. What is understood is that whereas Lauren and Sarah's blood-alcohol ranges had been excessive, Blanco Vela was sober.

The prison case had already been dismissed by the point Carey employed a lawyer, Eduardo García, however they pursued civil proceedings. The court docket finally discovered Blanco Vela answerable for negligence.

How did Manuel Blanco Vela get caught?

A lot of Blanco Vela's alleged victims didn't report what occurred, actually because they had been within the U.S. or didn't know easy methods to navigate Spain's authorized system. Issues began to alter when Vega and different survivors started connecting on-line, sharing their tales, and documenting their experiences. After Vega appeared on TV, the allegations reached a a lot wider viewers.

Her efforts went past media appearances. In early 2019, Vega observed an internet site that appeared loads like Uncover Excursions and appeared to have former staff working there. She suspected Blanco Vela is perhaps operating a brand new operation, so she alerted the U.S. embassy. A couple of days later, the embassy issued a warning about an alleged sexual predator in Seville and suggested vacationers to take precautions.

In accordance with the docuseries, Vega spent months gathering statements from the ladies who had allegedly been assaulted. She compiled their accounts, had them reply questions, and coordinated translations into Spanish so the embassy may evaluation the whole lot. She even obtained her abuela to assist translate the testimonies. Quickly sufficient, a case was introduced in opposition to Blanco Vela.

The place is Manuel Blanco Vela now?

In February 2025, Blanco Vela was convicted of sexual assault by Spain's Nationwide Courtroom. In accordance with the documentary, he acquired eight and a half years in jail — six for Gabrielle Vega's case, and two and half for the assaults of Hayley McAleese and Carly Van Ostenbridge.

Native information shops reported that Blanco Vela's sentence forbade him from working as a tour information for seven and a half years. He was additionally ordered to pay €40,000 to Vega and €1,500 to McAleese and Van Ostenbridge.

A notice within the doc mentions that Blanco Vela has appealed the conviction to the Spanish Supreme Courtroom. He declined to talk for The Predator of Seville.

The place can I watch The Predator of Seville?

The Predator of Seville is now streaming on Netflix.

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