In 2007, human remains that had been dismembered and set on fire were found in Hogansville, Georgia. It wasn’t until 16 years later, in 2023, that authorities were able to identify the body as Nicole Alston’s by using public genealogy databases. The case continued to unfold when Alston’s girlfriend, Angel Marie Thompson, was indicted in February 2026 after prosecutors learned she spent nearly 17 years pretending to be Alston. On the latest episode of Us Weekly’s Uncovered, Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Director Sheryl McCollum explained to investigative reporter Kristin Thorne why Alston continued to be “victimized” in the years following her death.
“Even after Nicole Alston is dead, she’s still being victimized,” Thorne said, and McCollum said she “100 percent” agreed.
Alston was victimized “every day” by Thompson when she took on her identity, McCollum said. “You’re getting Social Security, you’re getting Section 8 housing. You got a car in her name,” McCollum listed off the ways Thompson allegedly stole Alston’s identity. “You got a job in her name and lived that way for years and years.”
Thompson and Alston first met in New York City before they relocated to Georgia together around Thanksgiving in 2007. Alston, who didn’t know anyone in Georgia, was killed in December of that year.
McCollum said she believes Thompson likely targeted Alston from the very beginning of their relationship.
“Nicole was an orphan. She did not have a mother and father. She had a woman that, by her own grace, took this child in,” McCollum explained. “The victim had a learning disability. She was legally blind. She relied on other people to get around New York City.”
McCollum said that Alston was “the perfect mark for this type of crime.” She went on to say that no one was “gonna be looking for her” in Georgia. “They didn’t even know she was there. They didn’t know she existed. So, when she goes missing, nobody’s looking for her.”
Shortly after the couple moved to Georgia, 13 pieces of Alston’s body were found in garbage bags.
“Thirteen pieces, and this is without her hands, her feet or her head. So now you think, ‘Whoever this person is that did this to this victim, they’re thinking we’re never going to be able to identify this person, because we don’t have fingerprints or effects,’” McCollum said, adding that authorities were still able to get DNA from the remains.
Years after the remains were discovered, investigators used public genealogy databases in 2023 to find a relative of the deceased – Alston’s sister. They contacted her and she was able to officially identify the body.
Police looked into Alston and learned that she was from New York. Authorities found Alston’s driver’s license and learned that someone claiming to be her was working as a school bus driver.
In light of the discovery, authorities determined “that whoever hurt her has probably assumed her identity,” McCollum said.
Thompson was eventually arrested in connection to Alston’s death and is currently facing 80 charges, including murder and identity theft. Online court records in Georgia indicate that she has not yet entered a plea.
