Woman vanished weeks ago, NC cops say. Her body was just found 200 miles away
_fitted.png "Alison Thomas was last seen on Feb. 13, North Carolina deputies said.")
UPDATE: Three people were arrested in connection to the disappearance and death of Alison Thomas, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said they arrested Michael Kasminoff, Brandon Kisiah and Amanda Griffin on March 19 after discovering human remains belonging to Thomas on March 5.
Kasminoff, 51, will be charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, deputies said. He is currently in custody in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, awaiting extradition.
Kisiah, 27, and Griffin, 42, were both charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to deputies.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing and more criminal charges are expected.
The original story is below.
A woman has been found dead in a national forest weeks after she vanished, North Carolina deputies say.
The body — which was found in Jackson County — was identified as belonging to Alison Thomas, a 37-year-old who vanished in February, a Facebook post from the Union County sheriff’s office said.
Jackson County deputies were alerted to a body “found on national forest land” on March 5, according to a Facebook post.
Thomas was reported missing on Feb. 17 by her family, deputies said. She was last seen on Feb. 13 in Union County — about 200 miles east of where her body was found.
Investigators did not release details on her cause of death.
However, deputies said they are investigating Thomas’ death as a homicide and are offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau are helping in the investigation.
Friends shared tributes for Thomas on social media.
“This is absolutely horrible!!!! Such a beautiful soul,” one person posted on Facebook.
“I have no words,” a friend wrote in a Facebook post. “My heart is absolutely broken for my childhood friend and all of her family.”
“Ali had a good heart, she was a good friend! She did not deserve this,” another loved one said in a Facebook post.
Union County is about 30 miles southwest of Charlotte.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 10:06 AM with the headline "Woman vanished weeks ago, NC cops say. Her body was just found 200 miles away."
