The remains of a U.S. Army veteran and her daughter have been identified after decades, shedding light on a string of murders in the Gilgo Beach area of New York. 26-year-old Tanya Denise Jackson and her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes, were the victims, as announced by the Nassau County Police Department.
Jackson’s torso was discovered in a container at Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview in June 1997, earning her the nickname “Peaches” due to a distinctive tattoo on her torso. Dykes’ skeletal remains were found in April 2011 along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach, one year after another victim, Melissa Barthelemy, was found in the same area. DNA evidence linked Jackson and Dykes in 2015.
These murders have been linked to a series of killings in the Gilgo Beach area, leading to the arrest of Rex Heuermann in 2023. Heuermann, a married architect from Long Island, was charged with multiple killings and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
While authorities have not named Heuermann as a suspect in the deaths of Jackson and Dykes, they are urging anyone who may have information about the two victims to come forward. Jackson, born in Alabama in 1970, served in the military from 1993 to 1995 at various bases across the country. Dykes, born in Texas in 1995, lived with Jackson in Brooklyn, where Jackson may have worked at a doctor’s office.
Nassau County Crime Stoppers is offering a $25,000 reward for information on Jackson and Dykes, emphasizing the importance of public assistance in seeking justice for the victims. Police are encouraging anyone who may have served with Jackson in the military or knew the pair in Brooklyn to contact them with any relevant information.
