On June 28, 1997, a dismembered female torso was discovered inside a Rubbermaid container in a wooded area of Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview, New York. The woman became known as “Peaches” because of a distinctive peach-shaped tattoo on her body. In 2011, the remains of a toddler were found near Gilgo Beach, and DNA later confirmed the child was Peaches’ daughter. 

October 22, 1970

Tonya Denise Jackson was born in Alabama.

March 17, 1995

• Tonya gave birth to her daughter, Tetiana Marie Dykes.

1993 to 1995

• Tonya served in the United States Army.

1997

• Tonya was living in Brooklyn, New York, and was raising her two-year-old daughter, Tetiana.
• She was believed to have worked at a doctor’s office and drove a black 1991 Geo Storm.

June 28, 1997

• A dismembered female torso was discovered inside a dark green Rubbermaid container in Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview, Nassau County, New York.
• The torso was wrapped in black plastic garbage bags and found with a red towel and floral pillowcase.
• The woman’s arms, head, and legs below the knees were missing.
• Investigators noted a distinctive peach-shaped tattoo on her left breast.
• The unidentified woman became known as “Peaches.”

April 4, 2011

• Skeletal remains of a toddler were discovered near Gilgo Beach.
• DNA testing later confirmed the child was the biological daughter of Peaches.

April 11, 2011

• Additional human remains were discovered in a plastic bag near Jones Beach State Park.
• DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to Peaches.
• Jewelry was recovered with the remains.

2016

• DNA analysis confirmed that the torso found in 1997 and the remains found in 2011 were from the same woman.
• DNA also confirmed that the toddler found in 2011 was her daughter.

October 7, 2022

• The Mobile Police Department announced over Facebook that they were looking for relatives of Elijah “Lige” Howell/Howard (1927–1963). He lived in Mobile, Alabama, with his wife, Carrie, and died in 1963. It’s believed that friends and relatives of him could help in identifying “Peaches” and her child. Link
• Who is Elijah?
• Elijah, who was also known by the surnames “Howell” and “Howard,” was born on June 13, 1927, in Frankville, Alabama. He spent the majority of his adult life in Prichard, Alabama.
• By 1950, Elijah was living with his wife, Carrie, in the Whistler neighborhood of Prichard. During the 1960s, his residence was listed as 616 Garrison Avenue. At the time of his death in 1963, Elijah was employed as a construction worker with Sullivan Concrete Company.
• On October 31, 1963, Elijah and a neighbor, Lillie Mae Packer (née Wiggins), who lived nearby at 624 Garrison Avenue, were found deceased in a car off Highway 45 near Atmore Street in Mobile, Alabama. The cause of death was determined to be the combined effects of ethanol (alcohol) and carbon monoxide poisoning.
• According to records, Elijah’s mother, Lueanna, and his brother, Sid Howell, resided in Millry, Alabama.
• Anyone with information about Elijah, also known as “Lige,” is urged to contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or by submitting a tip online at the FBI’s official website.

July 13, 2023

• A suspect was arrested in connection to the Gilgo Beach serial killings. While not directly charged in Peaches’ case, the investigation into her murder remains active.

April 23, 2025

• 11:00 AM – An official press conference is scheduled to provide updates in the Peaches investigation.Peaches and her daughter identified as Tonya Denise Jackson and two-year-old Tetiana Marie Dykes.
• 1970: Tonya Born October 22, 1970 in Alabama.
• 1993 -1995: US Army Veteran.
• 1997: Tanya Jackson was living in Brooklyn.
• Tetiana’s father, identified though birth records as Andrew Dykes, 66, of Ruskin, Florida, Dykes moved from Brooklyn in May 2000, he has been questioned by detectives and is cooperating with the investigation
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