The Boston Strangler has long been the stuff of legend, as his litany of serial murders and obscured identity has led to much controversy and debate. Now, however, it appears that investigators have finally figured out just who the Boston Strangler was. Or have they?

Back in the 1960's, a rash of serial killings against women in the Boston area occurred, putting the whole town on edge. A man, Albert DeSalvo, eventually came forward to take credit for the killings, but even then, he was never formally charged in the murders. Now it appears authorities may finally have the evidence they need to close the case.

"On Thursday, citing advances in DNA testing and their own sleuthing, officials in Massachusetts said they have finally linked the confessor to one of the women, a 19-year-old girl who was the Strangler's last victim," reports NBC News.

Though he did admit to the Boston Strangler killings, there was never enough evidence against DeSalvo to build a sufficient case against him. Furthermore, while in jail, he retracted his admission of guilt, further purplexing those who thought for sure that he was the culprit. That being said, it was still widely believed that he had done it. 

DeSalvo's defense lawyer once characterized him as having "one of the most crushing sexual drives that psychiatric science has ever encountered. Thirteen acts of homicide by a completely uncontrollable vegetable walking around in a human body," he said in opening his defense, according to Boston Globe archives.

Now, it appears that authorities have matched DNA found on the body of the Strangler's last victim, 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, and have concluded that the Y-chromosome in that evidence matches the Y-chromosome of DeSalvo's.

"This is good evidence, strong evidence and reliable evidence," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. "But it is not sufficient to close the case with absolute certainty."

Still, the evidence is not a guarantee of DeSalvo's guilt. Authorities will now have to exhume the his body to be 100% certain that the case is closed. DeSalvo was stabbed to death in prison while serving a life sentence for a slew of robberies and sexual assaults.