A man is now in custody in Florida in connection to the 1997 murder of Tanya Denise Jackson on Long Island.

Andrew Dykes, 66, was arrested near Tampa on a warrant from Nassau County. He appeared before a judge Thursday on murder charges.

Cold case victims identified as Tanya Denise Jackson, 2-year-old Tatiana Marie Dykes

In 1997, some of Jackson's dismembered body was found in Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview. At the time, investigators were unable to identify her remains and referred to her as "Peaches" because of a tattoo on her chest.

In 2011, investigators discovered new skeletal fragments, along with the body of Jackson's 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes, while combing a beachfront strip near Gilgo Beach as part of what would become an infamous investigation into women murdered in the area.

Investigators only confirmed Jackson's identity earlier this year. She was a veteran of the Gulf War originally from Mobile, Alabama, and was 26 years old when she died, 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, officials said the toddler's father was cooperating with the investigation and not considered a subject.

Dykes arrested in Tampa, awaiting extradition to Long Island

Dykes 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.

Dykes, 66, is the father of the 2-year-old, according to two people familiar with the investigation, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details of a sealed indictment.

Additional details on Dykes' arrest were not immediately available. He is expected to be extradited to New York in the coming days.  

The Gilgo Beach killings

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.

As recently as April, officials on Long Island said they were unsure if Heuermann was responsible for killing Jackson and her daughter.