These Victims FINALLY Identified – 30 Years Later!

A U.S. Army veteran and her 2-year-old daughter, missing for nearly three decades, have been identified as the victims whose remains were scattered near Gilgo Beach – but authorities refuse to confirm if they’re connected to suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann’s trail of death.

At a Glance

• The remains of “Peaches” have been identified as Tanya Denise Jackson, a 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran, and her 2-year-old daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes
• Jackson’s remains were initially found in 1997, while additional remains, including her daughter’s, were discovered in 2011 near Gilgo Beach
• Identification was made through advanced DNA and genealogical research after nearly 30 years
• Authorities caution against automatically linking these victims to the Gilgo Beach serial killings attributed to Rex Heuermann
• Three sets of remains connected to the Gilgo Beach investigation still remain unidentified

Mother and Daughter Finally Named After Decades

After nearly three decades of mystery, law enforcement has finally put names to the remains found near Long Island’s infamous Gilgo Beach. Tanya Denise Jackson, a 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran previously known only as “Peaches” due to a distinctive fruit tattoo on her torso, and her 2-year-old daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes, have been identified through painstaking DNA analysis and genealogical research. Both victims lived in Brooklyn before their disappearance and subsequent murder. The revelation puts faces to two more victims in the sprawling investigation that has haunted Long Island for years and captured national attention.

Watch coverage here.

The timeline of discovery reads like a grim scavenger hunt. Some of Jackson’s remains were initially discovered in 1997, while additional remains, including those of her young daughter, weren’t found until 2011. For years, investigators had little to go on – just a woman with a peach tattoo and a toddler who became forgotten victims in a case that would eventually balloon into one of America’s most notorious serial killer investigations. The fact that it took advanced genetic technology to finally name these victims raises serious questions about how many other murder victims remain nameless across America.

The Gilgo Beach Connection – Or Lack Thereof

Despite the proximity to the Gilgo Beach killing grounds, authorities are being frustratingly tight-lipped about whether Jackson and her daughter were victims of Rex Heuermann, the man currently charged with murdering seven women in the area. It’s a classic case of government bureaucracy at work – we have a suspected serial killer in custody, victims found in essentially the same area, but officials refuse to connect dots that seem blindingly obvious. The lack of transparency prevents victims’ families from finding closure while potentially hampering the investigation itself.

“Although Tanya and Tatiana have commonly been linked to the Gilgo Beach serial killings because the timing and locations of their recovered remains, we are not discounting the possibility that their cases are unrelated from that investigation,” said Homicide Det. Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick. “Speculation and theories by people and on the internet should not be brought into this.”

That statement is classic law enforcement doublespeak. On one hand, they acknowledge the obvious connections between these victims and the Gilgo Beach case. On the other hand, they demand the public ignore the logical conclusions anyone with common sense would draw. This kind of bureaucratic fence-sitting only feeds conspiracy theories rather than squashing them. If investigators have evidence these murders aren’t connected to Heuermann, they should present it instead of leaving the public in perpetual suspense.

The Investigation Continues

Despite naming Jackson and her daughter, the Gilgo Beach investigation remains far from complete. Of the ten victims found in the Gilgo area, three sets of remains are still unidentified, including one initially thought to be male but now believed to have presented as female. The complexity of this case shows how our justice system struggles with identifying and seeking justice for society’s most vulnerable – many of the victims were sex workers or others living on society’s margins who weren’t immediately reported missing.

“The reality is our work has just begun,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “Knowing the identities of the mom and the little baby is just a first step to help us get to solving these murders.”

Donnelly’s statement rings hollow when we consider how long it took to identify these victims in the first place. The horrific murder of a mother and her innocent 2-year-old child should have been solved decades ago. Instead, their remains sat in evidence lockers while bureaucrats twiddled their thumbs. It took advances in DNA technology – not exceptional police work – to finally give these victims back their names. And while we’re now told “the work has just begun,” families have been waiting nearly 30 years for justice that never seems to arrive.