Police in Georgia arrested a woman linked to the 2007 cold case murder of a New York woman whose remains were found in Troup County.
According to 11Alive News, police arrested Angel Marie Thompson on August 19 and charged her with “concealing the death of Nicole Alston.”
On December 6, 2007, deputies with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a black bag burning at the intersection of Whitfield and Stitcher roads. Inside the bag, deputies found partially burned human remains with the hands, feet, and head missing.
In 2023, DNA evidence was sent to forensic labs for advanced genetic analysis, WRBL reports. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed on December 13, 2023, that the remains belonged to 24-year-old Alston of Manhattan.
“Those results were then sent to the GBI crime lab for comparison. On December 13, 2023 our office received word that a positive DNA match was made and the identity was that of Nicole Alston whose last known residence was Manhattan, New York and she was 24 years of age at that time,” a news release said.
Investigators learned that Alston had moved to Atlanta with her friend, Thompson, who was wanted in New York for theft and identity fraud. Alston’s family said they last heard from her around Thanksgiving 2007,shortly before her remains were discovered.
After Alston’s death, Thompson allegedly took over her identity, collecting Social Security, food stamps, and Section 8 housing benefits in her name for nearly eight years. This fraud reportedly totaled $200,000.
In 2015, Thompson reverted to using her real name after being contacted by the Social Security Administration for benefit re-qualification.
The circumstances of Alston’s death remain unknown, according to the sheriff’s office.
“At this time, it has not been determined who actually killed Alston and this investigation continues,” the sheriff’s office said.
[Feature Photo: Angel Marie Thompson/Troup County Sheriff’s Office]
