Human remains long associated with the extensive Gilgo Beach homicide investigation have finally been identified as Tanya Denise Jackson, a 26-year-old Army veteran from Mobile, Alabama, and her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes. This significant breakthrough comes with the recent arrest and indictment of Andrew Dykes, 66, of Tampa, Florida, the biological father of Tatiana, for the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson, previously known as Gilgo Beach homicide victim Jane Doe No. 3, or 'Peaches'.

Andrew Dykes was indicted on a murder charge in Nassau County and is currently held in Hillsborough County jail in Florida, awaiting extradition to New York. The arrest follows months after officials suggested for the first time that this particular case might not be directly connected to the broader Gilgo Beach killings, despite the long association. Nassau Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the homicide squad, previously stated, "We are not discounting that her killing may have been unrelated to [the Gilgo Beach] investigation." The Nassau County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the indictment, and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney also abstained from comment, citing ongoing hearings related to Rex A. Heuermann, who faces charges in several other Gilgo Beach killings.

Tanya Denise Jackson's mutilated torso was discovered in a wooded area at Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview on June 28, 1997. She was identifiable only by an abdominal scar, believed to be from a Caesarean birth, and a distinctive tattoo of a bitten peach on her chest. Her daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes, was found dumped along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County, though her skeletal remains would not be discovered until April 2011. Later, additional skeletal remains of Jackson were found near Jones Beach in Nassau County.

The identification of the mother and daughter was a result of cutting-edge investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) techniques employed by the FBI. A rough identification was made in 2022, with additional DNA information obtained in 2023, leading to the notification of the family last year. FBI Assistant Director in Charge for New York Christopher Raia explained that the IGG team combines crime scene DNA with traditional genealogy research and historical records to generate leads. Previously, DNA testing conducted by Nassau police in 2015-2016 had established the mother-daughter relationship between the two victims.

Jackson, a Persian Gulf War veteran, was described as a single mother who drove a black 1991 Geo Storm and was believed to have worked as a medical assistant. She and Tatiana were living in Brooklyn at the time of their deaths. Due to Jackson's transient background in the Army and the fact that they lived alone, a long period passed before she was reported missing. Andrew Dykes, the father of Tatiana, had been questioned by detectives previously and was cooperating with the investigation, though officials had declined to say if he was a suspect at the time. Property records indicate Dykes moved from Brooklyn in May 2000.

The initial discovery of Jackson's remains was made by Shel Basch in 1997, who found a green Rubbermaid container with the dismembered and decapitated remains in a bag. Basch, now 72, described the event as still fresh in his mind, expressing profound sadness over the brutality. The remains of Tanya Denise Jackson and Tatiana Marie Dykes were recently buried at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, near Mobile, Alabama, where Jackson was raised.

Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder has announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly urged the public for more information, stating, "Knowing the identities of the mom and the little baby is just a first step. We will pull at every thread until we can get justice for this mother and this child." Investigators are keen to learn more about the victims' lives and movements prior to their deaths.