Docs: Former IU employee arrested after downloading 1 million+ files of child sexual abuse material

INDIANAPOLIS — A Houston man who was a former professor at Indiana University School of Medicine has been charged after he allegedly downloaded more than one million files of child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, 39-year-old Pablo Martinez-Contreras was taken into custody in Marion County on the following charges:

• 14 counts of possession of child pornography, each a Level 5 felony
• One count of possession of child pornography, a Level 6 felony.

Detectives received information about multiple cybertips that were made in late December 2024 and early January from a Google account. The tips reported that hundreds of child porn files were linked to the account and were accessed through multiple IP addresses, including addresses linked to Indiana University.

After an investigation, the account holder was allegedly linked to Martinez-Contreras. In response to a search warrant from Google, more than 1.3 million media uploads were reportedly made from the account, including tens of thousands of child pornography files and several hundred thousand files containing child erotica and/or child pornography.

The Google search included User information that reportedly identified Martinez-Contreras as the user. The search stated that Martinez-Contreras had multiple addresses in Central Indiana, including a Fishers and an Indianapolis address in February.

Workforce records obtained by law enforcement stated that Martinez-Contreras had been employed by Indiana University. The documents said his LinkedIn profile states that he worked as a research professor specializing in biomedical research and cell biology, specifically researching Alzheimer’s disease at the university’s school of medicine.

The documents said that as of March, Martinez-Contreras was working as a professor of neuroscience at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

On April 3, an arrest warrant was issued for Martinez-Contreras. The release said that Martinez-Conteras had left the country and detectives arranged for local authorities to take him into custody when he returned.

On Aug. 20, Martinez-Contreras was arrested on his active warrant at the Atlanta airport and was extradited to Indiana.

“Crimes that exploit children are among the most reprehensible offenses our detectives investigate,” IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said in the release. “The work of our ICAC detectives, in collaboration with our federal partners, helps identify, arrest, and bring to justice those who harm or exploit our most vulnerable,” he added. 

According to court documents, officials set Martinez-Contreras’ bond at $60,000, 10% of which is required to be cash. The Marion County Clerk’s Office received the cash bond on Sept. 6. The jury trial for Martinez-Contreras is scheduled to begin on Nov. 12.

FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to Indiana University and the Indiana University School of Medicine in reference to this story. This story will be updated if they return the request for comment.