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Tanya Jackson

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This individual was recently confirmed to have been identified. Some details may change as more information is released publicly.

Tanya Denise Jackson (born October 22, 1970) was a woman whose torso was discovered in Hempstead Lake State Park in 1997. She was given the nickname Peaches from a distinctive tattoo she had. Her case is believed to be linked to the Long Island serial killings.

Additional remains belonging to Tanya were found in 2011, along with the remains of her daughter, Tatiana Dykes.

She and her daughter were identified by Othram in April 2025.

Case[]

On June 28, 1997, a torso was discovered in a Rubbermaid container with a red towel and a floral pillowcase. After no leads came in, police published a photo of her tattoo. After some time, a tattoo artist from Connecticut named Steve Cullen claimed he remembered giving a woman the same tattoo. He described the woman as an 18 to 19-year-old accompanied by two other women, an aunt and a cousin. During the session, he claimed that she told him she was from either the Bronx or Long Island and was having trouble with her boyfriend at the time.

In December 2016, it was confirmed that her case was connected to the Long Island Serial Killer, and Tanya was the mother of Tatiana, whose skeletal remains were found near Cedar Beach in 2011.

It has been suggested that Tanya and her daughter may have been connected to the killer in a personal nature, unlike the others, who were presumably selected based on their status as escorts or as those involved in sex work.

2022 developments[]

In 2022, the FBI publicly asked for relatives of an Alabama man named Elijah "Lige" Howell or Howard (1927-1963) to come forward as they may have recognized the victim and her mother. He lived with his wife, Carrie, in Prichard, Alabama.

Characteristics[]

  • 6-inch horizontal old surgical scar in the lower abdomen.
  • Small approx. 2x1 inch multicolored tattoo with orange-green-blue colors resembling the shape of a peach with small green leaves on the upper part and tiny droplets drawn at the lower margin of a tattoo on the left upper chest.

Gallery[]

Media[]

  • Her case appeared on America's Most Wanted.
  • The case was discussed in the miniseries The Killing Season, which focused on the Long Island Serial Killer.

Sources[]

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