State crime officials say the 1974 disappearance and slaying of a Georgia girl has been solved after investigators say DNA and other clues point to a serial killer.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation declared the case solved in a Wednesday statement, saying they developed evidence to support the likelihood that serial killer Paul John Knowles killed 13-year-old Ima Jean Sanders.

Her skeletal remains were discovered in 1976 in a wooded area in Peach County.

GBI agents said Knowles had gone on a multi-state crime spree in 1974, committing at least 18 killings.

He was apprehended in November 1974 near McDonough after kidnapping a Florida state trooper and another man and killing both.

Authorities say Knowles was later shot to death by a GBI agent while trying to escape from custody.

Tags: Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Peach County, serial killer, Paul John Knowles, Jean Sanders