New, state-of-the-art DNA analysis is helping to crack cold cases across the country.

Most recently, the 30-year-old murder of an 8-year old Indiana girl is solved, thanks to the new technology.

So, we wanted to know if Erie police are looking into using this new investigative tool.

This new way to use DNA to track down killers or suspects in violent cold-case crimes is so new, law enforcement agencies across the country are really just learning about it, including here in Erie.

The cold-case murder of 8-year old April Tinsley, of Indiana, is the latest case to be solved using genetic genealogy.

After 30 years, it only took weeks to solve the case, using the new DNA analysis.

Police in Indiana had the killer’s DNA, and investigators used the suspect's genetic profile and compared it to a public database of genealogy information. They narrowed it down to two brothers, investigators then collected several items from the suspect's home, which contained his DNA, and on Sunday, police arrested John Miller, 59, who admitted to murdering Tinsley decades ago.

Genetic genealogy has already helped police identify suspects in 5 cold cases across the country, including the notorious Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, 72.

DeAngelo’s arrest was the first major cold case arrest, also stemming from familial DNA. He's accused of at least 12 murders and more than 50 rapes in California in the 70's and 80's.

Erie Police Deputy Chief Mike Nolan is taking note of this new investigative tool.

Nolan says the department is discussing unsolved homicides and other major crimes they may have DNA evidence on, “It is very, very early in the process, but we are talking about it, and it is very promising,” said Nolan.

So just how the department may be able to use it, remains to be seen, “The more other states, the more times it's used successfully, I think that's going to speed up the process here in Pennsylvania for us to have a clear understanding of how the state wants us to handle these types of things,” said Nolan.

A company called Parabon Labs started offering a service that looks at the DNA of crime suspects, and compares it to publicly-available results from all those DNA tests people are taking, like 23 and Me or Ancestry.com.

The company is now looking into helping to solve several cold cases across the country.