A Woman Was Found Dismembered, Dumped in a Burning Bag in 2007. Now Her Girlfriend Has Been Charged with Murder 17 Years Later By Becca Longmire

The former girlfriend of a woman whose body was found dismembered in a bag that was then set on fire has now been charged with murder 17 years later.

On Tuesday, Aug. 12, Angel Marie Thompson was booked by the Sandy Springs Police Department in Georgia and charged with one count of murder and two counts of identity theft, per online jail records seen by PEOPLE. 

The offense date was listed as Dec. 6, 2007, which is when the body of Nicole Alston, 24, was discovered in Hogansville, Georgia. Alston’s “remains were partial as the hands, feet and head were missing,” so authorities weren’t able to identify the body until December 2023, per a Sept. 3, 2024 Troup County Sheriff’s Office news release shared on Facebook.

According to local media outlets Fox 5 Atlanta, 11Alive and ABC and NBC-affiliate WALB News, Alston was Thompson’s girlfriend.

The news release confirmed that Thompson had been arrested on Aug. 19, 2024. At the time, Thompson had just been charged with concealing the death of Alston and police said the victim’s killer was yet to be determined.

“On the morning of December 6, 2007, deputies with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the corner of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road regarding a suspicious black bag that appeared to be burning,” the release read.

“When they arrived on scene they discovered what appeared to be human remains that had been dumped at the location and a bag was smoldering,” the release added, confirming that in early 2023, the case, along with DNA, was then sent to two laboratories “for DNA analysis and genetic genealogy forensics.” 

“Those results were then sent to the GBI crime lab for comparison. On December 13, 2023 our office received word that a positive DNA match was made and the identity was that of Nicole Alston whose last known residence was Manhattan, New York and she was 24 years of age at that time,” the post stated.

The sheriff’s office previously added, “The investigation continued and through contact with her family it was learned that Nicole Alston had left New York with her friend Angel Marie Thompson to live in Atlanta. At that time Thompson was wanted in New York for theft and identity fraud. The family last heard from Nicole around Thanksgiving of 2007.”

Troup County investigator Clay Bryant then determined in August 2024 that “Thompson began identifying herself as Alston and was collecting Alston’s SSI Benefits, Food Stamp Allotment, acquiring Section 8 Housing all as Nicole Alston for a period of 8 years,” per allegations in the release.

“In 2015 Social Security Administration contacted Alston / Thompson to come in to requalify for benefits at which time Thompson reassumes her original identity. The estimated value of the fraud amount is approximately $200,000,” the September release noted.

According to Thompson’s arrest warrant, the suspect is accused of killing Alston by “homicidal violence by undetermined means,” according to Fox 5 Atlanta. The documents stated the cause of death was by “causing violence to [the victim’s] throat or head.”

The warrant also noted that investigators believe the suspect killed Alston because she wanted to return to New York, but Thompson couldn’t due to her outstanding warrants, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

“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 read, per the outlet.

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During a press conference with authorities regarding the recent news of Thompson’s murder charge, investigator Bryant said of the family, “They deserve some finality. They deserve the truth, and we were just lucky enough to be able to find some facts that led us to the truth [about] what happened to Nicole.”

The officer said it took a “true sociopath” to murder somebody in such a way.

Authorities added that the night the victim’s body was found, the suspect was back on dating websites looking for new people to communicate with, per a clip of the conference that was shared by Atlanta News First.

Thompson was then allegedly trying to rent out the apartment they shared, as well as attempting to sell their car, just a month after Alston’s death, officials added.

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The victim’s mother, Sylvia Austin, insisted during the conference that she “never stopped looking” for her daughter after she hadn’t heard from her for years.

“She didn’t deserve this, and I wish I’d never let her come to Georgia,” Sylvia told reporters, describing the victim as “bubbly” with an “infectious” smile.

“She was the life of the party. She was happy, and through all her trials and struggles, she always made everything seem okay. She was always the one people call on to talk to,” she added of her daughter.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told reporters that her office plans to also charge Thompson with human trafficking offenses, adding that an indictment can be expected at the end of October.

Thompson remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail without bond, per Fox 5 Atlanta.

The Troup County Sheriff’s Office and Sandy Springs Police did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.