Adrian
New York authorities have made a significant breakthrough in the long-standing Gilgo Beach serial killings case, identifying a woman previously known only as “Peaches” and her toddler. The victims have been identified as TANYA DENISE JACKSON and her 2-year-old daughter, TATIANA MARIE DYKES.
TANYA JACKSON, a U.S. Army veteran from Alabama, was identified through advanced forensic genetic genealogy techniques. Her torso was discovered in Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview, New York, in 1997. The remains of her daughter were found in April 2011 near Ocean Parkway in Babylon, New York. The two were linked as mother and daughter in 2015 through preliminary DNA analysis, but their identities remained unknown until now.
ANNE T. DONNELLY, Nassau County District Attorney, emphasized the importance of this development during a press conference on Wednesday. “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,” she said. “Having their identities helps us say to the public, ‘Please, if you knew Tanya, if you worked with her, if you met her at the grocery store…please, contact us and let us know.’ Everything we can find out about her leading up to her death can help us solve this horrific, horrific crime.”
The Gilgo Beach case, which began nearly 15 years ago, has led to the discovery of 10 human remains, mostly women, one man, and a child along Ocean Parkway. REX HEUERMANN, a 61-year-old Manhattan architect from Massapequa, Long Island, has been charged in connection with the murders of seven women whose remains were found in the area. Several victims have been identified as sex workers whose remains were dismembered, stuffed into bags, and strewn throughout Gilgo Beach.
CHRISTOPHER RAYA, FBI Deputy Assistant Director, highlighted the role of the FBI’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) team in solving the case. “By inviting the FBI to contribute to this case, we were able to contribute new and innovative resources to the table in the form of our immensely skilled IGG team,” he said. The IGG team combines crime scene DNA with traditional genealogy research and historical records to generate leads to identify unknown DNA, which was crucial in this case.
The DNA evidence in Jackson’s and her daughter’s cases was submitted to Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab based in Texas, in 2020. Scientists at Othram were able to build a comprehensive genetic profile using existing data for the then-unknown woman and ultimately found her identity. KRISTEN MITTELMAN, Chief Development Officer at Othram, stated, “The circumstances surrounding the loss of Tanya and Tatiana are both horrific and heartbreaking, but finding answers and the truth about who they were is the next step in getting justice for them. We can’t bring back the victims who were lost, but our hope is that we can help bring resolution.”
The Gilgo Beach serial killings investigation is ongoing. Prosecutors have suggested that REX HEUERMANN‘s alleged motive was to identify and “hunt” women for the purpose of committing murder. His familiarity with the area, gained from a summer job patrolling Jones Beach at night, may have played a role in the crimes.
For more updates on this case, follow the Fox True Crime Team on [X](https://twitter.com/FoxTrueCrime).
Sources:
[Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com)
[Othram](https://www.othram.com)
