BATON ROUGE, La. -- As the search continues for the south Louisiana serial killer, state crime labs are now taking a close look at DNA evidence from hundreds of rapes to find a possible connection.

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The labs haven't had the money to process hundreds of rape kits, leading to a backlog that dates back 10 years. Recently, state lawmakers allocated more than $500,000 to help in the investigation.

Many of the unprocessed rape kits contain DNA evidence. Investigators say it's possible that DNA in one of the kits could match that of the serial killer, who may have started his spree as a serial rapist.

A match would give police more insight into the killer's crimes, and may make it possible to talk to one of his victims, police said.

There are 3,100 unprocessed kits throughout the state, including 550 in the State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge and 200 in the lab in New Iberia.

"We're going to concentrate on the East Baton Rouge and New Iberia-Acadiana area because we know the serial killer has operated in these areas, and we have DNA marking in these areas," state police spokesman Col. Terry Landry said.