Arrested in connection with 2007 murder in Troup County

TROUP COUNTY, Georgia. – Authorities identified human remains discovered in Troup County in 2007, leading to the arrest of a woman accused of covering up the death.

On December 6, 2007, Troup County Sheriff’s officers responded to a report of a suspicious burning black bag at the corner of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road. When they arrived, they found partially burned human remains with hands, feet, and head missing. The case remained unsolved for years.

In early 2023, the case was reviewed and DNA evidence was sent to Innovative Forensic Investigations in Virginia and Gene by Gene Laboratories in Texas for analysis. The results were then compared by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) crime lab. On December 13, 2023, authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Nicole Alston, a 24-year-old woman whose last known residence was in Manhattan, New York.

Investigators found that Alston left New York in 2007 to live in Atlanta with her friend Angel Marie Thompson, who was wanted in New York at the time for theft and identity fraud. Alston’s family last heard from her around Thanksgiving of that year.

Further investigation revealed that after Alston’s remains were discovered, Thompson began using Alston’s identity to collect welfare, food stamps, and public housing under Alston’s name for eight years. When Thompson was contacted by the Social Security Administration in 2015 to re-qualify for benefits, she reverted to using her original identity. The estimated value of the fraud is approximately $200,000, and additional authorities in Georgia are currently investigating.

On August 19, 2023, Angel Marie Thompson was arrested and charged with covering up the death of Nicole Alston. The investigation into who killed Alston is ongoing.

Further details are not currently available.