A cold case that baffled authorities for 18 years has taken a dramatic turn following a breakthrough in DNA technology. In December 2007, mutilated human remains were discovered in a burning bag on a roadside in Troup County, Georgia, USA. The body was unidentifiable at the time due to the absence of hands, feet, and head. With forensic tools of the early 2000s proving inadequate, the case went cold.
In 2023, investigators reopened the case and used advanced DNA testing to identify the victim as Nicole Alston, a 24-year-old woman from New York. Nicole had moved to Georgia that same year to start a new life with her partner, Angel Marie Thompson. Just days before her death, Nicole had made a distressed phone call to her mother, reporting abuse by Thompson. Ten days later, she was murdered.
What followed was a chilling deception. Authorities allege that Thompson not only killed Nicole but also assumed her identity for nearly a decade. Using Nicole’s documents, she rented properties, bought vehicles, and even received government benefits totalling nearly £110,000 (converted from $139,000). Thompson continued this charade until around 2015, when the Social Security Administration attempted to verify Nicole’s records.
Thompson was arrested in August last year and is currently being held without bail in Fulton County Jail. Initially charged with identity fraud and concealing a death, a murder charge was added after DNA evidence linked her directly to the crime. The arrest warrant was backdated to 6 December 2007, the presumed date of the murder.
District Attorney Fani Willis described the killing as one of the most brutal cases of her career, revealing that Nicole’s body had been dismembered into 13 parts. Investigators believe the crime was calculated and executed with chilling precision. Nicole’s mother, Sylvia Alston, expressed deep sorrow and regret, recalling her daughter’s vibrant spirit and persistent optimism.
Authorities suspect there may be additional victims and have urged the public to come forward with any information. Prosecutors are preparing formal charges, which may include murder, human trafficking, and domestic violence, by the end of October.
