A DNA breakthrough has led to the arrest of a man in the cold case murders of two Alabama teens 20 years ago.

Coley McCraney, 45, was arrested on Saturday for the murders of Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley.

The two 17-year-old girls were found dead in the trunk of J.B.'s car in 1999, a day after being reported missing by their families. They vanished on their way home from party in Ozark, Alabama.

Tracie Hawlett (left) and J.B. Beasley (right), both 17, were found dead in J.B.'s car in 1999. Their bodies had been put in the trunk and they had both been shot in the head

Coley McCraney, 45, was arrested on Saturday for the murders. Police matched DNA found at the scene to some that had been submitted by one of his relatives as part of a voluntary ancestry research program

Both girls had been shot once in the head and one of them had been raped.

Police collected DNA from the scene but for years they have been unable to find a match to a potential suspect.

However, a recent search found a match to one of McCraney's relatives who had voluntarily submitted their DNA to find out more about their ancestry.

Investigators traced it back to the man, who now lives in a different city but who once lived where the girls' bodies were found.

The girls' bodies were found in the trunk of J.B.'s vehicle. Above is the crime scene in 1999

McCraney was taken into custody at around 6.30pm on Saturday. No additional details about his arrest or his life were immediately available.

The girls' families, who have been desperately looking for answers for years, have not yet commented on his arrest.

It is not yet known which of McCraney's relatives' DNA led police to him.

He has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of rape.

The teenage girls' families believe they had gotten lost on their way home from the party they were at and stopped at a gas station when they were attacked.