A woman from Georgia is facing charges for allegedly impersonating her friend and illicitly claiming $200,000 of her benefits, following the discovery of the friend’s dismembered remains in a burning bag by the roadside. Angel Marie Thompson is charged with concealing the death of 24-year-old Nicole Alston, according to law enforcement officials.
The case traces back to December 2007 when deputies from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office discovered the remains, missing the hands, feet, and head, in a smoldering black bag at the intersection of Whitfield and Stitcher roads. Sgt. Stewart Smith of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office suggested that the victim was likely killed elsewhere and then dumped in Troup County.
The remains remained unidentified until 2023 when investigators, revisiting cold cases, sent DNA samples from the case to forensic labs for analysis and genetic genealogy forensics. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab received the results for comparison and a match was made to Alston on December 13, 2023.
Upon contacting Alston’s family, authorities discovered that Alston and Thompson had relocated from New York to Atlanta in 2007. Alston’s family last heard from her around Thanksgiving of that year, approximately two weeks before her body was discovered. It was also revealed that Thompson was wanted in New York for theft and identity fraud at the time of their move.
Following Alston’s death, Thompson allegedly impersonated Alston for eight years, collecting her benefits from 2007 to 2015. The ruse was discovered when the Social Security Administration contacted Alston/Thompson for requalification of benefits, at which point Thompson resumed her original identity. Multiple agencies in Georgia are currently investigating the estimated $200,000 in fraud.
Meanwhile, Troup County investigators are still working to identify Alston’s killer. Sgt. Stewart Smith stated, “At this time, we can’t really say 100% if this person was the killer or not. We don’t believe the actual homicide took place in Troup County. We believe it took place somewhere else, and it was just discarded there on the side of the road.” Thompson was arrested on August 19, but details about her current status and upcoming court appearance remain undisclosed.