Years after the bodies of a woman and her 2-year-old daughter were found on Long Island — once linked to the Gilgo Beach serial murders — the woman’s suspected killer appeared before a Florida judge on Thursday facing murder charges.
Andrew Dykes, 66, was arrested near Tampa and charged with two counts of murder Wednesday on an arrest warrant from Nassau County, New York, in connection with the 1997 deaths of Tanya Jackson and her daughter, Tatiana Dykes, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Andrew Dykes is believed to be Tatiana Dykes’ father, and his last name is one of the reasons investigators are tracking him, sources said.
Dykes has not entered a plea but is scheduled to return to a Florida court next week as Nassau County seeks his extradition to New York.
The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
Nassau County police and prosecutors show photos of Tanya Jackson and Tatiana Dykes, whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach on Long Island, during a news conference, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Mineola, New York.
Philip Marcelo/AP
Jackson was 26 when she was found dismembered in Lakeview in June 1997. The body of her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana, was found 14 years later near Gilgo Beach.
For years, Jackson, a U.S. Army veteran, was known only as “Peach” because of her distinctive tattoo, and her daughter was known as “Baby Doe.”
Andrew Dykes is shown in this booking photo.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
In April, authorities in New York They announced that they had finally done it She identified Jackson and her daughter and offered a $25,000 reward for information in the cold case.
The girl’s remains were found in 2011 near where the remains of other women were found along Long Island’s south shore, leading to speculation that the deaths were the work of the Gilgo Beach serial killer.
Long Island architect and father Rex Heuerman was arrested in 2023 in connection with several murders in Gilgo Beach and was later charged with the murders of seven women.
Heuerman, who has pleaded not guilty, has not been charged with the murder of Jackson or her daughter.