Woman assumed identity of victim she dismembered and burned in 2007, GA cops say

An 18-year-old murder mystery involving a dismembered body took a surprising turn when detectives discovered a newly identified suspect spent years masquerading as her victim, according to investigators in Georgia.

Nicole Alston, 24, was a victim of sex trafficking before her “dismembered remains were discovered in multiple burning trash bags with her hands, feet, and head missing along a rural roadside in Troup County,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in an Aug. 13 news release.

Angel M. Thompson is suspected in Alston’s 2007 killing and has been charged with murder, prosecutors said.

The identity of the mutilated body was a mystery until 2023, when DNA testing identified a woman who proved to be the victim’s sister, investigators said.

“The discovery reopened the investigation, allowing law enforcement to connect the evidence to Thompson and to develop additional charges related to human trafficking, identity fraud, and theft of government benefits,” prosecutors said.

Details of a motive were not released, and investigators have not said how the suspect and victim were connected.

Investigators are asking people who knew Alston to help piece together her final weeks, including “the abuse she suffered, and the circumstances that led to her death.”

It’s believed she spent her final weeks at the former Genesis Gardens Apartments (now Palmetto Preserve) in Palmetto, Georgia, officials said. Palmetto is about a 30-mile drive southwest from Atlanta.

“Investigators believe Alston was trafficked prior to her killing and that her relationship with Thompson was marked by coercion, exploitation, and violence,” the district attorney’s office said.

“After Alston’s death, Thompson assumed Alston’s identity for eight years to obtain Social Security benefits, food stamps, and Section 8 housing in her name.”

Thompson collected about $139,000 in benefits under Alston’s name between 2007 and 2015, according to Sandy Spring Detective John Nanoff, who participated in the investigation.

“It’s astounding that she was able to do what she did for how long she did it; I’ve never seen something so calculated and so meticulous before,” Nanoff said in the release.