Nearly three decades after their remains were discovered in separate locations on Long Island, a woman and her toddler daughter have finally been identified, bringing long-awaited answers—and renewed questions—in one of New York’s most haunting unsolved cases.
Tanya Denise Jackson, a 26-year-old Army veteran originally from Mobile, Alabama, and her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes, were named Wednesday by Nassau County police.
Their remains had been found years apart—first in 1997 and later in 2011—not far from the sites tied to the infamous Gilgo Beach killings.
Jackson, who had been living in Brooklyn at the time of her death, was nicknamed “Peaches” by investigators because of a tattoo on her torso.
Her daughter’s skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area roughly 20 miles away. Authorities believe both were killed sometime in the late 1990s.
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The breakthrough in identification came through DNA analysis and advanced forensic genealogy, police said.
The FBI helped make a preliminary identification in 2022, and additional testing confirmed the findings last year, allowing authorities to notify surviving relatives and arrange proper burials. Jackson was laid to rest with full military honors.
Officials were cautious in linking the case to that of Rex Heuermann, the Manhattan architect accused in the Gilgo Beach serial murders.
“I’m not saying it is Rex Heuermann and I’m not saying it’s not,” said Nassau County Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick. “We are proceeding as if it’s not, keeping our eyes wide open.”
Police say Jackson had been estranged from her family, which contributed to delays in reporting her missing. She served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1995 and had lived on military bases in Texas, Georgia, and Missouri.
Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. “Knowing the identities of the mom and the little baby is just a first step,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “The reality is, our work has just begun.”
