Woman arrested 17 years after her friend’s beheaded remains were found in black bag

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. (TCN) -- Officials recently arrested a woman on suspicion of concealing her friend’s death and using her identity to steal benefits.

According to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, on the morning of Dec. 6, 2007, deputies responded to the corner of Whitfield and Stitcher roads, where they found a body in a burning black bag. The hands, feet, and head were reportedly missing.

Investigators submitted DNA to Innovative Forensic Investigations and Gene by Gene Laboratories in 2023 for analysis and genetic genealogy testing. The results were then sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for comparison. As a result, the sheriff’s office said that on Dec. 13, 2023, investigators positively identified the victim as 24-year-old Nicole Alston of Manhattan, New York.

According to deputies, family members informed officials that Alston had left New York with her friend Angel Thompson to move to Atlanta, and they last heard from the victim in late November 2007. Authorities said Thompson was wanted in New York at the time for alleged theft and identity fraud.

Deputies allege that after the discovery of Alston’s remains, Thompson "began identifying herself as Alston" and for nearly eight years collected supplemental security income benefits, food stamps, and Section 8 housing all while posing as the victim. The total estimated amount of the fraud is around $200,000.

According to the sheriff’s office, the Social Security Administration asked "Alston" to requalify for benefits in person in 2015, and that’s when Thompson reassumed her own identity.

Authorities arrested Thompson on Aug. 19 on a charge of concealing a death. Officials have not yet identified a suspect in Alston’s actual death.