A murder charge has been filed against a Georgia woman for the death of her friend 18 years ago — a woman whose identity she took while collecting more the $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.

Thompson reportedly came to Georgia from Manhattan with her friend, Nicole Alston, then 24, sometime prior to Alston’s disappearance in 2007, as CrimeOnline reported. Alston’s remains were identified by advanced DNA testing in late 2023, 16 years after her body was found in a burning black bag along a rural road in Troup County. Her hands, feet, and head were missing.

Alston’s family reported that they’d last heard from her around Thanksgiving 2007, just a few weeks before the burning body was found. Thompson allegedly assumed Alston’s identity at that time but reverted to using her real name in 2015, when the Social Security Administration contacted her for 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,” Clay Bryant, an investigator with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, said.

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

Officials said that news conference would take place later on Wednesday, and Alston’s daughter, who has previously not spoken about her missing mother, is expected to appear, WXIA reported. Thompson was previously charged with concealing Alston’s death.