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Man arrested in Hillsborough County possibly connected to NY murders
Andrew Dyes was arrested in Ruskin this week. FOX 13's Kellie Cowan reports.
TAMPA - Andrew Dykes, 66, was arrested Wednesday in Ruskin.
What we know:
Investigators in New York believe he is responsible for the deaths of a young mother and her daughter, whose remains were discovered decades ago on Long Island.
In April, homicide detectives announced that DNA testing identified the partial remains of a woman discovered in 1997 as 26-year-old Tanya Jackson. She was a United States Army veteran and a single mother.
That same DNA testing confirmed Jackson was the mother of a two-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in 2011 near Gilgo Beach. The child was identified as Tatiana Dykes.
Nassau County detectives believe both Tanya Jackson and Tatiana Dykes were murdered around the same time in 1997.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not publicly detailed how Andrew Dykes is believed to be connected to victims, although Tatiana appears to share his last name.
It is also unclear what evidence beyond DNA has linked Dykes to the case at this point.
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Gilgo Beach Connection:
Because Tatiana Dykes’ remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach, the same area where multiple victims linked to suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann were found, investigators long suspected Tanya Jackson and her daughter might be connected to the larger Gilgo Beach homicide investigation.
Detectives say the close proximity of the two crime scenes raised concerns early on, but it took decades of advances in DNA technology to identify the victims and move the case forward.
What's next:
Andrew Dykes made his first appearance in a Hillsborough County courtroom Thursday. During that hearing, he signed a transfer agreement and is expected to be extradited to New York to face murder charges.
The Source: This article is based on information released by Nassau County homicide detectives, court records from Hillsborough County and statements from law enforcement following the April DNA identification of Tanya and Tatiana.