Florida man charged in 1997 killing of woman once linked to Gilgo Beach
murders
[December 06, 2025]
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ
NEW YORK (AP) — For years, the 1997 killing of a young woman found in a
Long Island state park — her body dismembered, left unidentifiable
beyond a tattoo of a peach — seemed destined to remain unsolved.
That all changed in 2011, when investigators discovered new skeletal
fragments, along with the body of her 2-year-old daughter, while combing
a beachfront strip near Gilgo Beach as part of what would become an
infamous investigation into women murdered in the area.
This week, police arrested and charged a man with murdering the woman,
since identified as Tanya Denise Jackson, according to two people
familiar with the investigation.
Andrew Dykes, 66, is the father of the 2-year-old, Tatiana Marie
Jackson, according to those people, who requested anonymity because they
were not authorized to discuss the details of a sealed indictment.
He was arrested in Tampa and is being held in Hillsborough County jail
in Florida as he awaits extradition to Long Island, records show. The
name of his attorney was not immediately available. A spokesperson for
the Nassau County District Attorney declined to comment.
Another man, Rex Heuermann, has been charged in seven of the Gilgo Beach
killings. Heuermann, a Long Island architect, has maintained his
innocence. There is no apparent link between Dykes, a Florida resident,
and Heuermann.
A total of 10 sets of human remains were found in the sand along a beach
parkway. Many of the victims were women whose disappearances had never
been thoroughly investigated. Police, almost from the start, said that
it was possible some were victims of a serial killer, but said there was
also evidence that the remote area might have been a dumping ground for
more than one murderer.
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Nassau County police and prosecutors display photos of Tanya Jackson
and Tatiana Dykes, whose remains were found near Long Island's Gilgo
Beach, during a news conference, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in
Mineola, N.Y. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)
As recently as April, officials on Long Island said they were unsure
if Heuermann was responsible for killing the mother and daughter.
Those comments came as police in Nassau County announced they had
confirmed the identity of Jackson, who was previously known as
“Peaches,” for the tattoo on her torso, or Jane Doe #3.
She was 26 when she died, a veteran of the Gulf War originally from
Mobile, Alabama, officials said.
Jackson had been living in Brooklyn with her daughter at the time of
her disappearance and largely estranged from her family, according
to police. They said they had identified her and her daughter
through advanced DNA and genealogy research.
At the time, Fitzpatrick said the toddler’s father was cooperating
and not considered a subject.
Additional details on Dykes' arrest were not immediately available.
He is expected to be extradited to New York in the coming days.
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