Victim found decapitated, dismembered inside bag positively identified 16 years later

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. (TCD) — A cold case has come to a close almost exactly 16 years after an unidentified woman was found dismembered inside a bag that was set on fire.

According to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, on Dec. 6, 2007, deputies responded to Whitfield and Stitcher roads for a call about a “suspicious black bag that appeared to be burning.” Deputies got to the scene and found human remains along with the bag on fire. The person’s hands, feet, and head were cut off.

Investigators were only able to identity the victim as an adult Black female and concluded her death was an “obvious homicide.” The remains were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Crime Lab for assistance in identifying the woman. Detectives worked an “extensive investigation,” but the case eventually went cold from a lack of leads.

Investigators reopened the case this year and sent the woman’s DNA to Innovative Forensic Investigations and Gene by Gene Laboratories for genetic genealogy and analysis. Detectives then sent the new results to the GBI. On Dec. 13, the bureau confirmed they were able to match DNA from the testing to the victim’s remains.

The sheriff’s office identified the victim as 24-year-old Nicole Alston. She lived in New York City but moved to Atlanta in July 2006. Her family had not heard from her since the relocation.

Alston’s death will continue to be investigated as a homicide.

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