The suspect believed to be the notorious Golden State killer — wanted in a dozen murders and nearly 50 rapes from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s — has been arrested in California, officials said Wednesday.

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested early Wednesday at his Citrus Heights home, located 16 miles northeast of Sacramento, after a DNA sample matched that of the Golden State Killer, officials said at a news conference. (Shown above are sketches of the suspect that were in the possession of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.)

County records show DeAngelo is currently in the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he’s being held on two counts of first-degree murder. He is reportedly on suicide watch.

More from LifeZette TV

MORE NEWS: College Professor Uses Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death Shameful Attack On Conservatives

Officials said prosecutors will seek the death penalty against DeAngelo –– who is reportedly a former police officer.

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said that DNA led investigators to identifying DeAngelo and helped solve the case in the last six days.

Do you agree that protesting is acceptable, but rioting is not? Yes No Email Address (required) By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement Results Vote

“We knew we were looking for a needle in a haystack, but we also knew that needle was there,” Schubert said. “We found the needle in the haystack and it was right here in Sacramento.”

The Golden State Killer is believed to be responsible for at least 12 murders, 45 rapes, and 120 home burglaries throughout the state of California.

The cold-case killer is believed to have raped 37 people around Sacramento and Central Valley, and killed two between 1976 and 1978, according to The Sacramento Bee. Officials believed he moved to the Bay Area and Southern California from there.

Original NightStalker. Golden Gate Killer. Caught! https://t.co/AjgVjKOXPD — Maggie Kaigler (@newsgirl123456) April 25, 2018

MORE NEWS: Black Lives Matter Coming After American Families

DeAngelo worked as an officer with the Exeter Police Department from 1973 until 1976. He was fired from the Auburn Police Department in 1979 after he was arrested for stealing a can of dog repellent and a hammer from a drug store, according to Auburn Journal articles from the time.

Related: Walmart Workers May Have Just Helped Nab a Dangerous Illegal

Jane Carson-Sandler, who is believed to have been raped by the Golden State Killer, also known as the East Area Rapist, told South Carolina’s The Island Packet that on Wednesday she was contacted by authorities about his possible arrest.

“I just found out this morning,” she told the newspaper. “I’m overwhelmed with joy. I’ve been crying, sobbing.”

This Fox News piece is used by permission. Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more at Fox News:

Maine officer shot and killed by suspect who stole his car, robbed store

Tennessee Waffle House reopens 3 days after fatal shootings

3 more radioactive sludge barrels rupture at Idaho site