A woman found dismembered and burned on a rural Georgia highway in December 2007 has finally been identified as Nicole Alston, a young woman from New York who was 24 years old at the time.
Using dna tests in laboratories in Virginia and Texas, Alston was identified, the Georgia Troup County Sheriff’s Office announced. The mystery began on December 6, 2007when officers were dispatched to the corner of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road in Hogansville, 54 miles south of Atlantaregarding a suspicious black bag that appeared to be on fire, recalled ABC News.
“We don’t know how far this will go, but the first step was to identify the remains.”
Stewart Smith Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson
Alston had moved to the Atlanta area from Manhattan in the summer of 2006, about 17 months before his remains were found, police said. The young woman distanced herself from her family when she went southcommented a source.
His body was found stuffed in a black bag that had been set on fire a short distance from the Troup County Fire Department headquarters. She had been dismembered and was missing her head, hands and feet, authorities said. She had clearly been the victim of a homicide, but it would take years for her to be identified.
Without substantial leads, the sheriff’s office partnered with Innovative Forensic Investigations in Emporia, Virginia, and Gene by Gene Laboratories in Houston, Texas, last winter to conduct an investigation of genetic genealogy hoping for use DNA markers that would allow tracing possible relatives of the victim.
“Our investigators were able to speak with family members who confirmed [que] In July 2006, Nicole moved to the Atlanta area and had not been heard from since,” Sergeant Stewart Smith, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said recently.
“We don’t know how far this will go, but the first step was to identify the remains. Hopefully putting a name will lead to a conclusion in this case.”he added, quoted by Daily News.
“After 16 years, Nicole Alston now has her name back,” said Innovative Forensic Investigations. in social networks. “We are honored to have been able to help with Nicole’s case and send our deepest condolences to her family. May he rest in peace as the path to justice continues.”
Anyone with information about his death is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (706) 883-1616 or Crime Stoppers (706) 812-1000.
In a similar case, never-before-used DNA technology led to the recent arrest of a Hispanic man suspected of two rapes that occurred in 2000 and 2001 in Manhattan and the Bronx.
2023-12-27 17:47:00
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