Police in California have arrested a man in the decades-old case of the so-called Golden State Killer, who killed at least 12 people and raped dozens of women in the 1970s and '80s.

The suspect was identified as 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer. He is being held without bail in Sacramento on two counts of murder, authorities said.

The arrest marked a sudden breakthrough in a case that had eluded law enforcement officials for decades. DNA evidence led authorities to DeAngelo.

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"The answer has always been in Sacramento," Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said at a news conference on Wednesday. "For over 40 years, countless victims have waited for justice. Over these years, hundreds of individuals have sought justice for these victims and their families."

The "Golden State Killer" — also known as the "East Area Rapist" and the "Original Night Stalker" — is believed to have carried out a series of grisly rapes and murders between 1976 and 1986.

The attacker reportedly killed at least 12 people and raped at least 45 women. Victims ranged from as young as 13 to age 41.

Authorities struggled for decades to solve the crime spree. The FBI and California state officials issued a renewed call to find the suspected attacker in 2016, offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the attacker's arrest and conviction.

"Countless hours have gone into this investigation, and this team came together and worked consistently to bring justice in this matter and to identify the subject responsible," Sean Ragan, the special agent in charge at the FBI's Sacramento field office, said Wednesday.