A Georgia woman has been charged with murder following the death of her friend 18 years ago. During this time, she allegedly assumed the friend’s identity and fraudulently obtained over $200,000 in benefits and services.

Jail records show that Angel M. Thompson has been charged with murder and two counts of identity fraud by police in Sandy Springs.

The woman, identified as Thompson, reportedly moved from Manhattan to Georgia with her friend, Nicole Alston, who was 24 years old at the time. This relocation occurred shortly before Alston went missing in 2007, according to CrimeOnline. In late 2023, advanced DNA testing led to the identification of Alston’s remains, 16 years after her dismembered body was discovered in a burning black bag on a rural road in Troup County, missing hands, feet, and head.

Alston’s family last communicated with her during Thanksgiving 2007, mere weeks before the discovery of the burned body. Around this time, Thompson purportedly claimed Alston’s identity but started using her actual name in 2015 when the Social Security Administration requested recertification.

Officials told WSB that law enforcement from Fulton County, Troup County, and Sandy Springs coordinated to bring the latest charges against Thompson.

“It’s very gratifying, I mean, you know, to know that somebody’s finally held accountable,” stated Clay Bryant, an investigator from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office.

Thompson was ordered held without bond at her first court appearance on Tuesday.

Authorities announced a news conference scheduled for Wednesday, where Alston’s daughter, who has previously remained silent about her mother’s disappearance, is expected to speak, reported WXIA. Thompson had already faced charges related to concealing Alston’s death.