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Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Case: Victims ‘Peaches’ and ‘Baby Doe’ Identified After Decades
In a significant development in the notorious Gilgo Beach serial killer case, the victims previously known only as “Peaches” and her toddler daughter “Baby Doe” have been identified nearly three decades after their remains were first discovered on Long Island. This breakthrough brings closure to a long-unsolved mystery and offers a renewed focus on the investigation. The victims have now been identified as Tanya Denise Jackson, a 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran, and her two-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes.
Breakthrough Announcement
The identification was revealed during a press conference held by Nassau County officials, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing investigation. This development offers hope for further insights into the crimes and potential connections to other victims.
Discovery of Remains
- Tanya’s dismembered torso, distinguished by a distinctive peach tattoo, was initially found in a Rubbermaid container in Hempstead Lake State Park in 1997.
- Fourteen years later, during the extensive search for Gilgo Beach serial killer victims, additional remains of Tanya and the skeletal remains of Tatiana were discovered along Ocean Parkway.
After 27 years, these victims have finally been given their names back.
Victims’ Backgrounds
Tanya, originally from Alabama, was a 26-year-old single mother and U.S. Army veteran residing in Brooklyn, New York, at the time of her death. She served in the military from July 1993 to February 1995, with postings at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
While living in Brooklyn, she was reportedly employed at a doctor’s office and drove a black 1991 Geo Storm.
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Tatiana was born in Texas in March 1995 and was only two years old when she died.
Heuermann’s Involvement
Rex Heuermann, the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer currently charged with the murders of seven women on Long Island between 1993 and 2010, has not been charged in connection with Tanya and Tatiana’s deaths.
Ongoing Investigation
Officials have indicated that while the victims’ remains were found in an area linked to the Gilgo Beach serial killer case, the possibility that their murders are unrelated is not being discounted.
Nassau County Homicide Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick emphasized that all avenues are being explored, stating, “I am not saying it is Rex Heuermann and I am not saying it is not. We are proceeding that it is not and keeping our eyes wide open.”
Collaboration between Nassau and Suffolk County authorities continues, with regular meetings to compare notes and evidence.
A $25,000 Crimestoppers reward is now offered for any information leading to the apprehension of those responsible for the deaths of Tanya and Tatiana.
Law Enforcement Efforts
Nassau County officials affirm their commitment to working closely with local and federal law enforcement agencies, including Suffolk County, which is leading the Gilgo Beach investigation. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly stated, “The reality is our work has just begun,” urging anyone who knew Tanya to come forward with information.
Authorities are also seeking contact from individuals who may have served with Tanya in the military or had connections to her in Georgia.
“Help us solve this horrific, horrific crime,” Donnelly urged.
Investigative Genetic Genealogy
Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), a method previously utilized in the Golden State Killer case, facilitated the identification of Tanya and Tatiana. This technique led investigators to family members, enabling interviews and subsequent DNA testing.
Family Cooperation
The father of Tatiana has been identified and is reportedly cooperating with the investigation.
Due to estrangement from family at the time of their disappearance in 1997, neither Tanya nor Tatiana were reported missing.
Final Resting Place
Tanya and Tatiana have been laid to rest with military honors at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, Alabama.
Remembering the Victims
During the press briefing, DA Donnelly said, “Today is a bittersweet day. Today after decades we are finally going to be able to tell you the identities of two victims back from 1997,” she said. “The mother’s name was Tanya. The baby’s name was Tatiana.”
Timeline of Discoveries
On June 28, 1997, a hiker discovered Tanya’s dismembered torso inside a black plastic bag within a Rubbermaid container in a wooded area of Hempstead Lake State Park.
The victim, estimated to have been killed three days prior, had a distinctive heart-shaped peach tattoo which lent to her moniker, “Peaches.” The container included a floral patterned pillowcase and a red towel.
Additional Remains Found
In 2011, the victim’s arms and legs were found on the north side of Ocean Parkway, in Jones Beach State Park, during the search for victims in the Gilgo Beach investigation. Her head remains unrecovered.
The skeletal remains of Tatiana, referred to as Baby Doe, were also found along Ocean Parkway in April 2011. DNA testing confirmed that the infant was Tanya’s daughter. Similar gold jewelry was found with both victims’ remains.
- Peaches was said to be black, aged 20 to 30 years old and had what appeared to be a Cesarean section scar.
- In 2022, there appeared to be a lead in the quest to identify them when authorities in Alabama sought relatives of a dead man – Elijah ‘Lige’ Howell – in connection to the victims.
- Prior to this, a tattoo artist in Connecticut came forward to say they recalled the woman with the distinctive design.
Legal Developments
The announcement coincides with ongoing legal proceedings between Rex Heuermann’s defense attorneys and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office concerning critical DNA evidence in the case.
The DA’s office is refraining from commenting on the identification of Tanya and Tatiana until the Frye hearings regarding the DNA evidence have concluded.
Remaining Unidentified Victim
With the identification of Tanya and Tatiana, only one of the eleven victims found along Gilgo Beach remains unidentified: “Asian Doe.”
Gilgo Beach history
The Gilgo Beach serial killer case has haunted Long Island for over a decade, since the first bodies were discovered along Ocean Parkway in December 2010. Massapequa Park resident Rex Heuermann was arrested in July 2023, marking a major development.
Initially charged with the murders of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman, Heuermann now faces charges for the murders of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, and Valerie Mack.
The victims, working as sex workers, disappeared after meeting clients, and their bodies were found along Ocean Parkway and other remote locations.
Heuermann, 61, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Heuermann and Costello
Heuermann’s link to the murders arose from a tip about a green Chevy Avalanche pickup truck. A witness testified that Costello vanished after meeting a client with such a vehicle. Investigators learned Heuermann drove the same vehicle at the time of the murders.
He also matched the witness’s description of the client. A chilling ‘planning document’ found on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement detailed preferences for ‘small’ women and other specifics.
Heuermann’s lifelong residence in Massapequa Park and commute to Manhattan, where some victims worked, made him familiar with Ocean Parkway from his job at Jones Beach in his 20s.
Origin of the investigation
Fears of a serial killer on Long Island emerged in May 2010, when Shannan Gilbert vanished in Oak Beach. A 911 call indicated she feared for her life.
During the search for Gilbert, Melissa Barthelemy’s body was found in marshes near Gilgo Beach. Soon after, the bodies of Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, and Megan Waterman were discovered, becoming known as the “Gilgo Four.”
The remains of seven more victims were later found. Gilbert’s body was the last one discovered, but her death is considered accidental.
Current list of the Unaccounted For
Heuermann has not been charged in connection to the deaths of Karen Vergata, Tanya and Tatiana, and Asian Doe. Charges for Sandra Costilla’s murder expand the timeline of Heuermann’s alleged activities.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.