A Woman Was Found Beheaded Along Georgia Road in 2007. Now Police Believe Her Friend Was Collecting Her Benefits

Authorities have accused Angel Marie Thompson of collecting her friend Nicole Alston’s government benefits — worth $200,000 — for years after Alston's death

A woman has been arrested almost 17 years after her friend’s beheaded body was found in a burning bag along a road in Georgia — though the suspect is not accused by authorities of killing the victim.

In December 2007, authorities found remains of a woman, identified later as Nicole Alston, in a burning bag on the street in Hogansville, Ga., the Troup County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The victim was not identified until December 2023, per the sheriff’s office.

The investigation eventually led to the arrest of her friend Angel Marie Thompson on Aug. 19, on a charge of concealing a body, the statement said.

The investigation goes back to December 2007 when Troup County officials responded to a scene of a “suspicious black bag” that was burning on a side of the road in Hogansville, Ga., the sheriff's office said in a Tuesday, Sep. 3, statement.

They found a “smoldering” bag with remains of a beheaded body inside; the body was also missing its hands and feet, per the statement.

The case went cold for years until a DNA analysis revealed in December 2023 that the remains were Alston’s, who was 24 at the time of her death and was last known to be living in New York, per police. She was last heard from on Thanksgiving of that year.

The ensuing investigation revealed that Alston had moved to Atlanta with Thompson, who was wanted in New York at the time on theft and identity fraud related charges, according to the statement. Last month, authorities claim that after Alston's death, Thompson had allegedly been using her identity to access the victim's social security, housing and food benefits for as long as eight years, police said in the statement.

The value of the alleged fraud and theft amounts to approximately $200,000, per authorities.

Authorities allege that in 2015, Thompson discontinued the alleged fraud after the Social Security Administration contacted the recipient — believing it was Alston — to come to an office in person to re-qualify for benefits, Troup County officials said.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Thompson is not facing any charges in connection with Alston’s death and police say the investigation into her death remains ongoing. It is not clear whether Thompson is currently charged in relation to collecting Alston’s benefits.

It wasn't immediately clear if Thompson has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.