Gilgo Investigation: Bodies Of 'Peaches,' Toddler Identified: DA

MINEOLA, NY — After years of questions as the Gilgo Beach investigation unfolded, Nassau police have announced the identity of 1997 homicide victims known as Jane Doe No. 3, or "Peaches," and her toddler, known as "Baby Doe."

The woman was identified as Tanya Denise Jackson, who was 26 at the time of her slaying, and her young child was named Tatiana Marie Dykes, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said at a Wednesday news conference.

The pair have been considered to be possible Gilgo Beach victims, but officials said they are not discounting the possibility that the slayings may have been committed by someone else.

A $25,000 Crime Stoppers reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person responsible for the slayings of Tanya and her child, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.

“Our work has just begun,” 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.”

The torso of the woman, which featured a heart-shaped peach with a bite mark tattooed above her left breast, was found in a green Rubbermaid bin in 1997 in Hempstead Lake State Park, Patch previously reported. The woman came to be known as "Peaches" for that unique tattoo. In 2011, her arms and legs were found on Ocean Parkway.

On April 4, 2011, the skeletal remains of the female toddler were discovered along Ocean Parkway; the two-year-old daughter was reportedly found wrapped in a blanket and wearing a gold bracelet and hoop earrings similar to the jewelry found with her mother.

“Agents and detectives subsequently interviewed family members and obtained DNA samples to confirm the identities through our Nassau County crime lab,” Steven Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Nassau's police homicide squad, said.

Jackson served in the United States Army for two years, and was born in Alabama, officials said, adding that she was living in Brooklyn at the time of her death.

Rex Heuermann, charged in the deaths of seven Gilgo Beach victims, has not been charged in the deaths of Jackson or her daughter.

A total of 11 sets of remains were found in the Gilgo Beach slayings, which rocked Long Island. The remains included that of an Asian male.

In July 2023, Heuermann was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder charges and three counts of second-degree murder charges in the deaths of sex workers Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway in 2010. Heuermann was also charged with the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Last June, Heuermann was slapped with new second-degree murder charges in the deaths of two additional women, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. In December, Heuermann was charged with the death of a seventh victim, Valerie Mack.

Suffolk police declined comment.

"Suffolk County District Attorney Ray 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," a representative of his office said.

Also on Wednesday, a conference was held in court to determine the future dates for the Frye hearing, held so that the judge can determine the admissibility of key DNA evidence in the case.

Karen Vergata, whose legs were first found by beachcombers — a doctor and his brother — in a bag along the shore of Davis Park on Fire Island in 1996, has also been thought to possibly be linked to the Gilgo Beach murders. Her skull was later found on Ocean Parkway in 2011, near the dismembered remains of Peaches.

Vergata, or Jane Doe #7, was identified in 2023 around the time of Heurmann's arrest.

He has not been charged in her death.

In October 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was pursuing a new lead in Alabama, the Mobile Police Department said in a Facebook post.

In a statement to Patch at the time, then-Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said FBI "investigators were following a lead" in Mobile, AL, to "potentially identify a victim."

Last month, the Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport helped the Gulf War veteran's family with her remains and those of her daughter, and the pair made their final journey home to Alabama, where they were buried together and given full military honors.

Jackson was buried in Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, AL, according to records from the Veterans Administration, which allows dependent children to be buried with a member of the military.

In a poignant photo released by investigators, her family can be seen seated for the graveside presentation of the American flag from a veteran on bent knees.

A woman is looking down, as her one hand tightly grasps the fabric folded into a triangle, in a long overdue moment.

It was one that investigators hope brings some closure as they continue searching for leads in the case.

“I hope today’s announcement brings a sense of peace to their family and loved ones,” said Christopher Raia, Assistant Director, FBI New York Field Office.