In 1997, human remains were found in a plastic container in New York’s Hempstead Lake State Park. Investigators couldn’t identify the body and nicknamed the woman “Peaches” after the peach-shaped tattoo they could see on her chest. Over a decade later, in 2011, the remains of her daughter were found along the Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York.
Now, with the help of more advanced DNA testing, authorities have identified “Peaches” and her child.
The woman’s remains were in two different places.
“Peaches” is Tanya Denise Jackson, a 26-year-old Army veteran from Alabama. Her child was 2-year-old Tatiana Marie Dykes, the New York Daily News reports. Authorities determined that Jackson was killed several days before they found her body on June 28, 1997. Additional pieces of her body were discovered in 2011, near her daughter’s remains.
While the murders happened decades ago, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said authorities still plan to investigate. “We will never give up, not on an unsolved homicide, not on Tanya and Tatiana. We will follow every lead … pull at every thread until we can get justice for this mother and this child,” she said.
Law enforcement is still investigating.
Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for any information that may lead to an arrest and conviction in the case. There is a chance that police may have already detained Tanya and Tatiana’s killer. Police charged Rex Heuermann, an alleged serial killer, with the murders of several women. Their bodies had also been found on Gilgo Beach and the surrounding areas. Police have not charged him with the deaths of Tanya and Tatiana.
Authorities have known the identities for over a year.
Law enforcement officials have known for a year about the identities of Jackson and her daughter, but withheld the information from the public for the sake of the investigation. Now, they are releasing the names and images of Tanya and Tatiana in hopes that their images will lead to more information about their deaths.
They also wanted to alert and interview remaining family members, and ensure officials properly buried the remains, People reports.
Law enforcement officials believe she was working as a medical assistant.
Tanya was born on October 22, 1970, according to the New York Daily News. She was living in Brooklyn before her death. She served in the military from 1993 to 1995 in Texas, Georgia, and Missouri. Officials said she worked in a doctor’s office, possibly as a medical assistant.
