The remains of a U.S. Army veteran and her daughter associated with a string of murders around Gilgo Beach, New York, have recently been identified ― decades after their deaths.
The victims are 26-year-old Tanya Denise Jackson and her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes, the Nassau County Police Department announced Wednesday.
Jackson’s torso was found inside a container at Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview in June 1997. For decades, Jackson was referred to as “Peaches” for the distinct tattoo of the fruit on her torso.
The skeletal remains of Dykes were found in April 2011 along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach, one year after the body of 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy was found in the same area. Jackson and Dykes were linked by DNA in 2015.
The killings of Jackson and Dykes have become associated with a slew of murders around the Gilgo Beach area. In 2023, police arrested Rex Heuermann in connection with the killings of at least three women found around Gilgo Beach. Heuermann was a married architect living on Long Island before his arrest.
While behind bars, Heuermann was charged with four other killings. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Nassau County Police Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick stopped short of naming Heuermann as a suspect in the killings of Jackson and Dykes during Wednesday’s press conference.
“We will not discuss evidence, we will not discuss suspects,” Fitzpatrick said.
Police are sharing more information about Jackson and Dykes in the hopes that those who may have known the two will come forward.
Jackson was born on Oct. 22, 1970, in Alabama. From July 1993 to February 1995, she was stationed on military bases across the country: Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon) in Georgia, Fort Leonard Wood in the Missouri Ozarks, and Fort Sam Houston in Texas.
“Anybody who was in the military who might have served with her, please get in contact with us,” Fitzpatrick said.
Dykes was born on March 17, 1995, in Texas. Fitzpatrick said the pair eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York. Jackson may have been employed at a doctor’s office, and may have had a female friend who watched the baby while she was at work.
Fitzpatrick said police spoke with Dykes’ father, who is not considered a suspect at this time. Jackson was estranged from her family, Fitzpatrick added.
Nassau County Crime Stoppers is offering a $25,000 reward for anyone with information on Jackson and Dykes.
“We’re asking for your help to get the word out to the public in continued efforts to seek justice,” Fitzpatrick said.