FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The mother of a murder victim spoke for the first time Wednesday, following an arrest made nearly 18 years after the victim’s body was found dismembered and burned on the side of the road.
The parents of Nicole Alston were emotional during a news conference in Fulton County, Channel 2’s Michael Doudna reported. Investigators called the formerly cold case one of the most gruesome they have dealt with.
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Law enforcement officials arrested Angel Marie Thompson, and she is being held in the Fulton County Jail.
“Nicole was bubbly,” said her mother, Sylvia Alston. “She had an infectious smile.”
Alston’s mother said her daughter was the life of the party, and that she trusted Thompson. They decided to move to Georgia together from New York in 2006.
“(She) was trusting, too trusting sometimes,” said her friend, Gibran Holmes.
Investigators believe the relationship became abusive and that Thompson killed her, dumped her body in black bags in Troup County and set her on fire in December 2007.
“We believe that this victim was trafficked prior to her murder, that this involves classic domestic violence,” said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
It took years for authorities to identify Alston’s remains. Thompson’s arrest was made this week after investigator worked so long to collect evidence and find a killer.
The arrest provides a chance that the family will get justice.
“Everybody talks about closure, and there ain’t no such thing as closure,” said Troup County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Clay Bryant.
Willis said she believes Thompson may have trafficked other women. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
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