Years after investigating the death of 24-year-old Nicole Alston, whose body was found in a smoldering bag on the side of a Troup County road, Fulton County authorities have charged a woman after making an arrest. Authorities are now accusing Angel Marie Thompson, her ex-girlfriend, of killing her in what they called a “gruesome” cold case murder.
This comes about two years after Thompson was first arrested on August 19, 2023, and accused of hiding Alston’s death. According to recent jail records, Thompson was charged with two counts of identity theft and murder after being taken into custody in Sandy Springs on August 12, 2025.
In the arrest warrant, Thompson is charged with “homicidal violence by undetermined means,” claiming that she killed Alston by “causing violence to her throat or head.”
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According to the warrant, police believe Thompson was abusive to her girlfriends and murdered Alston because Alston wanted to travel to New York, which would have been difficult considering Thompson’s pending warrants there. Alston had left New York in 2007 to live in Atlanta with Thompson, her girlfriend.
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“The victim was receiving SSI, Food stamps, and HUD housing and was wanting to return to New York. The suspect may not have wanted to lose the financial support, so the victim was murdered and the suspect assumed her identity and continued to live as the victim,” the warrant obtained by Fox5 Atlanta read. “The suspect has received all financial benefits after the death and lived as the victim for eight years.”
It all began on December 6, 2007, when deputies from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene of a suspicious black bag burning at the intersection of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road. When they arrived, they discovered partially burnt human remains missing the head, hands, and feet. The case was unsolved for years. Officials claim they have yet to locate the missing body parts.
The case was reviewed in early 2023, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) crime lab compared DNA evidence that had been given to Gene by Gene Laboratories in Texas and Innovative Forensic Investigations in Virginia for analysis. Authorities verified on December 13, 2023, that the remains belonged to Alston, a 24-year-old whose last known home was in Manhattan, New York.
“The DNA match, it just kinda got the ball rolling, and then we got a name with it, and then we were able to contact the family who gave us information about where she went at that time,” Sgt. Stewart Smith of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office told Fox 5 in 2023.
Investigators discovered that Alston had left New York in 2007 to live in Atlanta with Thompson, who was wanted in New York for theft and identity fraud. Alston’s family last spoke with her around Thanksgiving of that year.
According to Sandy Springs Police Department detectives, Thompson was looking for new people to talk to on dating sites the night the body was discovered. She allegedly tried to sell their car and rent the apartment they shared a month later.
Further research found that soon after Alston’s remains were discovered, Thompson started collecting Social Security payments, food stamps, and Section 8 housing using Alston’s name for eight years. In 2015, Thompson returned to her former identity after the Social Security Administration contacted her to requalify for benefits.
The fraud is estimated to have cost about $200,000.
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The victim’s mother, Sylvia Austin, stated that she never stopped searching for her daughter after she suddenly lost contact with her.
“She didn’t deserve this, and I wish I’d never let her come to Georgia,” she told Fox 5 Atlanta.
She described her daughter as “bubbly,” saying that her smile was “infectious.”
“She was the life of the party. She was happy, and through all of her trials and struggles, she always made everything seem OK. She was always the one people called on to talk to,” she said.
She suspected Thompson took advantage of her daughter since she was dyslexic and needed someone to drive her around.
Troup County investigator Clay Bryant told Fox 5 Atlanta, “They deserve some finality. They deserve the truth, and we’re just lucky enough to find some facts to learn what happened to Nicole.”
He referred to Austin’s death as the work of a “true sociopath.”
Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, described this case as one of the most disturbing she has ever seen in her 29 years in law enforcement. She noted that her agency intends to charge Thompson with human trafficking as well.
Thompson is still being held at Fulton County Jail without bond. Officials expect to have an indictment by the end of October.
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