The Gilgo Seashore victims recognized solely as ‘Peaches’ and her toddler daughter ‘Child Doe’ have lastly been named nearly three many years after a few of their stays had been first discovered on Lengthy Island.
US Military veteran Tanya Denise Jackson, 26, and her two-year-old daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes had been recognized in a bombshell press briefing held by Nassau County officers Wednesday, in what marks the most recent growth linked to the infamous Gilgo Seashore serial killer case.
The massive breakthrough comes after Tanya’s dismembered torso – along with her distinctive peach tattoo – was present in a Rubbermaid container in Hempstead Lake State Park, Lakeview, in 1997.
Round 14 years later – on the peak of the seek for Gilgo Seashore serial killer victims – extra of her stays and little Tatiana’s skeletal stays had been discovered alongside Ocean Parkway.
Now, 27 years on, the victims lastly have names. Tanya was a 26-year-old single mom and US Military veteran initially from Alabama and residing in Brooklyn, New York, on the time of her homicide.
She served honorably within the army from July 1993 to February 1995, together with on the Military bases Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, and Fort Leonard Wooden within the Missouri Ozarks.
Whereas residing in Brooklyn, she is believed to have been working at a physician’s workplace, officers stated. She drove a black 1991 Geo Storm.
Her daughter Tatiana was born in Texas in March 1995 and was simply two years previous on the time of her demise.
Suspected Gilgo Seashore serial killer Rex Heuermann – who has to date been charged with the murders of seven ladies on Lengthy Island between 1993 and 2010 – has not been charged in connection to their deaths.
Tanya Denise Jackson, 26, (left) and her two-year-old daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes (proper) had been recognized in a bombshell press briefing
The girl had this distinctive heart-shaped tattoo of a peach on her left breast, incomes her the nickname ‘Peaches’
Officers stated at Wednesday’s briefing that, whereas the victims have lengthy been linked to the Gilgo Seashore serial killer case on account of the place their stays had been discovered, ‘we’re not discounting that [the murders] might be unrelated.’
Nassau County Murder Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick would not rule out that Heuermann is likely to be answerable for the killings in feedback to DailyMail.com.
‘I’m not say it’s Rex Heuermann and I’m not saying it’s not. We’re continuing that it’s not and maintaining our eyes vast open,’ he stated after the briefing.
‘We’re continuing as we do each different investigation. I’m not saying it’s him. I’m not saying it’s not him.
‘We’re in contact with Suffolk County frequently we meet with them frequently we evaluate out notes and our proof and we each pursuing this case collectively.’
A $25,000 Crimestoppers reward is now being supplied for info resulting in the mother and daughter’s killer or killers.
Nassau County officers stated they may proceed to work intently with native and federal regulation enforcement companies on the case, together with Suffolk County – the jurisdiction main the Gilgo Seashore case.
‘The truth is our work has simply begun,’ Nassau County District Lawyer Anne Donnelly stated on the briefing.
Tanya drove a black 1991 Geo Storm and was residing in Brooklyn on the time of her homicide
Officers shared this picture of Tanya’s relations because the mother and daughter had been laid to relaxation in Alabama
‘Figuring out the identifies of the mom and the infant is only a first step.’
She urged anybody who knew Tanya ‘should you labored along with her, should you met her on the grocery retailer, should you had an interplay along with her please tell us.’
Officers additionally urged anybody who might need served with Tanya within the army to get in touch. She additionally had ties to Georgia.
‘Assist us resolve this horrific, horrific crime,’ DA Donnelly stated.
Nassau County officers revealed that the mother and daughter had been recognized 27 years on from their murders because of Investigative Genetic Family tree (IGG) – an investigative technique first made well-known within the Golden State Killer case.
Using IGG ultimately led investigators to relations who had been in a position to be interviewed and extra DNA testing was then carried out.
The daddy of the kid has additionally been recognized and is cooperating with the investigation, officers stated.
On the time of their murders in 1997, Tanya was estranged from her household and the daddy of her baby and so neither she nor the toddler had been reported lacking.
A $25,000 Crimestoppers reward is now being supplied for info resulting in the perpetrator answerable for the mother and daughter’s demise. Pictured: Nassau County officers on the press convention
Accused serial killer Rex Heuermann seems in Suffolk County Courtroom in Riverhead, New York, on April 15, 2025
Now, the mother and daughter’s stays have been buried at Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spanish Fort, Alabama, with army honors.
Reached by telephone by DailyMail.com Wednesday, a relative of the victims declined to remark.
‘At the moment is a bittersweet day. At the moment after many years we’re lastly going to have the ability to let you know the identities of two victims again from 1997,’ DA Donnelly stated on the briefing.
‘The mom’s identify was Tanya. The infant’s identify was Tatiana.’
When requested how lengthy investigators had recognized the identities of Peaches and the toddler, Nassau County Commanding Officer of the Murder Squad Stephen Fitzpatrick informed DailyMail.com earlier than the briefing: ‘We had it for some time and been catching up on 27 years of investigation.’
It was June 28, 1997, when a hiker discovered the dismembered torso of a girl inside a black plastic bag in a Rubbermaid container dumped in a wooded space of Hempstead Lake State Park, Lakeview.
She was estimated to have been killed round three days earlier.
The girl had a particular heart-shaped tattoo of a peach on her left breast, incomes her the nickname ‘Peaches’ or ‘Jane Doe 3.’
Contained in the container was additionally a floral patterned pillowcase and a purple towel.
The girl’s torso was discovered on this Rubbermaid container in June 1997. Extra of her stays had been present in 2011
Contained in the Rubbermaid container was a floral patterned pillowcase and a purple towel (pictured high). Comparable gold jewellery was additionally discovered with each the mother and kid’s stays
In 2011, the sufferer’s legs and arms had been discovered on the north facet of Ocean Parkway, in Jones Seashore State Park, throughout the seek for victims within the Gilgo Seashore investigation. Her head has by no means been discovered.
The skeletal stays of a toddler lady – dubbed Child Doe – had been additionally discovered alongside Ocean Parkway in April 2011.
DNA testing later decided that the toddler was the lady’s younger daughter.
Comparable gold jewellery was discovered with each victims’ stays.
For many years, each of their identities remained a thriller with native police and the FBI in search of the general public’s assist in figuring out them.
Peaches was stated to be black, aged 20 to 30 years previous and had what gave the impression to be a Cesarean part scar.
In 2022, there gave the impression to be a lead within the quest to determine them when authorities in Alabama sought relations of a useless man – Elijah ‘Lige’ Howell – in connection to the victims.
Previous to this, a tattoo artist in Connecticut got here ahead to say they recalled the lady with the distinctive design.
Map displaying the place the stays of victims had been discovered alongside Ocean Parkway
The announcement comes amid a authorized battle between Heuermann’s protection attorneys and Suffolk County District Lawyer Ray Tierney’s workplace over essential DNA proof within the case.
The DA’s workplace informed DailyMail.com he wouldn’t touch upon the event whereas the Frye hearings concerning the DNA proof are nonetheless ongoing.
‘DA Tierney has shunned making any feedback about Rex Heuermann and any matters even tangentially concerned to the investigation, pending completion of the continuing pre-trial listening to,’ his workplace stated.
‘As soon as the listening to is concluded, DA Tierney will resume talking with the media.’
Heuermann’s lawyer didn’t return a request for remark.
Bob Macedonio, the lawyer for Heuermann’s now ex-wife Asa Ellerup, declined to touch upon the event.
Tanya’s stays had been present in Nassau County, whereas the opposite victims had been discovered throughout the county line in Suffolk County.
With the mother and daughter lastly given their names, solely one of many 11 victims discovered alongside Gilgo Seashore is but to be recognized.
Investigators are nonetheless in search of the general public’s assist in figuring out the sufferer referred to as ‘Asian Doe.’
The Gilgo Seashore serial killer case haunted the Lengthy Island group for greater than a decade, ever because the first of a number of our bodies had been found alongside Ocean Parkway in December 2010.
Greater than a decade later, in July 2023, Massapequa Park native Heuermann was then dramatically arrested as he left his workplace in midtown Manhattan.
After 27 years, the victims recognized solely as ‘Peaches’ and ‘Child Doe’ have lastly been recognized
Heuermann was initially charged with the murders of three ladies: Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy and Megan Waterman.
Since then, he has been charged with the murders of 4 extra victims: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack.
All of the victims had been working as intercourse employees after they vanished after going to satisfy a shopper.
Their our bodies had been discovered dumped alongside Ocean Parkway close to Gilgo Seashore and different distant spots on Lengthy Island.
A few of the victims had been sure, others had been dismembered and their stays discarded in a number of areas.
The 61-year-old has pleaded not responsible to all the fees in opposition to him.
Heuermann was linked to the murders following a tip a few pickup truck.
In response to a witness, Costello had disappeared after going to see a shopper who drove a inexperienced Chevy Avalanche in September 2010.
Melissa Barthelemy (high left), Amber Costello (high proper), Megan Waterman (backside left), and Maureen Brainard-Barnes (backside proper) grew to become referred to as the ‘Gilgo 4’
Valerie Mack (left) disappeared in 2000 and components of her physique had been found in Lengthy Island that November. Jessica Taylor (proper) vanished in 2003 with a few of her stays being present in Manorville that 12 months
Sandra Costilla (left) was murdered in 1993, making her the earliest recognized sufferer. Karen Vergata’s (proper) stays had been recognized in 2023. Heuermann has not been charged in connection to her demise
Following the launch of a brand new taskforce, investigators discovered that Heuermann drove that very same sort of auto on the time of the murders, prosecutors say.
He additionally matched the outline of the shopper seen by the witness.
In addition to the DNA proof, prosecutors stated investigators additionally discovered a chilling ‘planning doc’ on a tough drive within the basement of Heuermann’s household dwelling in Massapequa Park.
Within the haunting doc, he allegedly had a piece detailed ‘PREP’ and famous that ‘small’ ladies had been most popular.
Heuermann has lived his total life in Massapequa Park and would commute to his structure job in Midtown Manhattan, the place a number of the victims labored and had been final seen alive.
He was particularly conversant in Ocean Parkway, the place the victims’ our bodies had been dumped, because of a job he had at Jones Seashore in his 20s, in line with prosecutors.
Fears {that a} serial killer or killers had been at massive on Lengthy Island started again in Could 2010, when Shannan Gilbert vanished in weird circumstances one evening.
The 24-year-old, who was working as an escort, had gone to see a shopper within the Oak Seashore Affiliation group when she made a terrifying 911 name, saying that somebody was attempting to kill her.
Police search a marsh in Oak Seashore for the stays of Shannan Gilbert in December 2011
Throughout a seek for Gilbert in December 2010, officers got here throughout the physique of Melissa Barthelemy within the marshes by Gilgo Seashore.
Inside days, three extra our bodies – Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Megan Waterman – had been discovered.
The 4 victims, who grew to become referred to as the Gilgo 4, had been dumped inside 1 / 4 mile of one another, a few of them sure and wrapped in burlap.
Over the next months, the stays of seven different victims had been discovered.
Gilbert’s physique was discovered final. Investigators preserve that she was not a sufferer, however died by unintentional drowning after she fled into the dense thicket that evening.
Heuermann has not been charged in connection to the deaths of the opposite 4 victims: Karen Vergata, Tanya and Tatiana and Asian Doe.
Costilla, in the meantime, had by no means been linked to the Gilgo Seashore serial killer case till Heuermann was hit with prices for her homicide in 2024.
Her homicide expands the timeline that the accused serial killer is alleged to have been actively preying on victims.
Heuermann has pleaded not responsible to all the fees.
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