A convicted child rapist who has spent more than 40 years in prison and was publicly identified as a suspect in the 1976 disappearance of a Lawrence boy is no longer considered sexually dangerous and must be released from prison, the state Department of Correction said Tuesday.

Wayne W. Chapman, 70, finished serving sentences for child rape and other offenses in 2004, but remained locked up under a state law that keeps sex offenders in prison if they are found to be sexually dangerous, officials said.

Lawrence police have also linked Chapman to the disappearance of 10-year-old Andy Puglisi, who was last seen at a public pool in the city on Aug. 21, 1976.

The DOC said it cannot appeal the decision. Chapman is a Level 3 sex offender, according to the website for the Sex Offender Registry Board.

Two psychologists who recently examined Chapman concluded that he no longer fits the legal criteria to be considered a sexually dangerous person, said lawyer Eric Tennen, who represents Chapman.

Under state law, inmates who were civilly committed to the state prison system for being sexually dangerous must be released if two independent examiners conclude they no longer meet the threshold for that designation, Tennen said.

State law defines sexually dangerous people as offenders who have been convicted of a sex crime and suffer from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes them likely to engage in sexual offenses if they are not confined to a secure facility.

Tennen said he was notified of the psychologists’ findings on Monday.

He said he doesn’t intend to ask a judge to set a release date for Chapman, who is incarcerated at MCI-Shirley, until he finds a place for his client to live that can accommodate his medical needs.

“There is a process in place that holds these men until they’re no longer a danger,’’ Tennen said.

“In Mr. Chapman’s case he is now at an advanced age and has medical issues that make it so he is not dangerous as defined by law,’’ he added.

Tennen declined to discuss Chapman’s medical condition. He identified the psychologists who made the findings in the case as Gregg Belle and Katrin Rouse-Weir. They didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon. A state public safety official said the psychologists work for Forensic Health Services Inc. of Delaware.

Melanie Perkins, who was with Puglisi the day he disappeared and made a documentary about his case, “Have You Seen Andy?,’’ said she believes Chapman is still dangerous. She said she rejects assertions that Chapman’s frailty has made him less of a threat.

“There’s more than one way to rape or molest a child. You don’t necessarily have to be ambulatory,’’ she said.

Governor Charlie Baker told reporters that he wants to review the law in light of this case.

“We need to take a look at the law and figure out if there’s something we can do about the statute,’’ he said.

Lawrence police Chief Roy Vasque said Chapman remains a person of interest in the Puglisi case, which remains under investigation.

“When he gets out we will certainly make an attempt to speak with him,’’ Vasque said.

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera said he’s heard from Perkins and read comments on social media from city residents who are upset about Chapman’s release.

The mystery of Puglisi’s disappearance is still felt in Lawrence, he said.

“People are still trying to figure out what happened,’’ Rivera said.

Chapman was convicted in 1977 of two counts of rape of a child, according to a 2005 Supreme Judicial Court decision. Shortly thereafter, he pleaded guilty to several more sex offenses. In both cases, evidence revealed that Chapman lured young boys into wooded areas under the pretext of searching for his missing dog and then sexually assaulted them, the SJC said.

As he was finishing his prison sentence, prosecutors successfully petitioned for Chapman to remain locked up as a sexually dangerous person, according to Carrie Kimball Monahan, a spokeswoman for the Essex district attorney’s office.

Under the law, Chapman had the authority to file a petition for release every 12 months, she said. In 2016, his request for release went to trial and a jury found Chapman was still sexually dangerous, Tennen said.

Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.