Nassau County police reveal ID of Gilgo Beach victim 'Peaches' and her toddler
MINEOLA, Long Island (WABC) -- Nassau police revealed the identity of the Gilgo Beach homicide victim known as Jane Doe No. 3, commonly referred to as "Peaches" because of a tattoo on her body, and her toddler, on Wednesday.
The woman was found inside a Rubbermaid container at Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview in June 1997.
The skeletal remains of her child were found during a series of discoveries off Ocean Parkway in April 2011, and the toddler was linked to her five years later through DNA analysis as part of the renewed Gilgo Beach homicide investigation.
Their identities remained a mystery for decades.
But on Wednesday morning, police announced the mother was a 26-year-old Army veteran from Alabama named Tanya Denise Jackson. Her 2-year-old daughter was identified as Tatiana Marie Dykes, born in Texas on March 17 1995.
They were both living in Brooklyn at the time and Jackson may have worked as a medical assistant, police said.
Both of their remains were recently buried at Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spanish Fort in Alabama, with military honors.
Family members provided DNA samples to confirm their identifies.
The girl's father has been cooperative in the investigation. She was estranged from some family members and was never reported missing, police said.
A $25,000 reward is now being offered to anyone with information leading to an arrest in their deaths.
Investigators are asking anyone who served with her in the military to come forward.
She served from July 1993 to Feb. 1995 at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Fort Gordon in Augusta, Ga., and Fort Leonard Wood in the Missouri Ozarks. She has also been associated with Georgia, Texas and Missouri.
Investigators are leaving open the possibility that her death is not linked to the other Gilgo Beach victims, although it is usually discussed as part of the larger suspected Gilgo Beach pattern.
"We have 27 years of catching up to do," Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said.
Officials said solving aging cases like these can be challenging as evidence fades, but the district attorney's office said it will not give up.
"The reality is our work has just begun, knowing the identities of the mom and the little baby is just a first step to help us get to solving these murders," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.
Rex Heuermann, who is charged with seven other Gilgo Beach killings, has not been charged with killing Jackson, though her death has long been associated with the serial murders.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney declined to comment on the development announced by police in neighboring Nassau County, citing an ongoing pretrial hearing about DNA evidence.
"DA Tierney has refrained from making any comments about Rex Heuermann and any topics even tangentially involved to the investigation, pending completion of the ongoing pre-trial hearing. Once the hearing is concluded, DA Tierney will resume speaking with the media," his spokeswoman said in a statement.
RELATED | Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach: The Podcast
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
