Couple accused of hiding body of OD victim

A married couple have been criminally charged after the decomposing body of a woman was found wrapped in trash bags and secured with duct tape in the basement of a Harrisburg residence where they were living.

Andrew J. Nichols, 32, and Angela M. Nichols, 37, were each charged Tuesday with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.

Deputies with the Franklin Andrew J. Nichols Angela M. Nichols

County sheriff’s office were called at 6:14 p.m. Monday, when a landlord discovered the body in the basement of a duplex in Harrisburg, a village in the southwest corner of the county near the Pickaway County line.

Initially, the landlord thought the bag contained a mannequin or a Halloween decoration, but then touched the bag and realized the body likely was real. That’s when she contacted deputies, said Maj. Steven Tucker with the Franklin County sheriff’s office.

A woman who had been leasing the property, in the 1000 block of High Street of Harrisburg, had not been living there. Instead, her son, Andrew Nichols, and his wife, Angela, were living in the residence. However, they had since left the home and were staying at a hotel, Tucker said.

The couple have a history of drug use and Tucker said that Angela Nichols was in rehab when the fatal overdose happened. When she returned to the house, her husband told her the woman had died of an overdose eight days earlier.

According to court records, Angela Nichols then helped her husband hide the body. It was wrapped in bags and the area was cleaned with bleach, according to records.

Andrew Nichols told investigators that the woman’s body was in the home for about four weeks. He said that he and the woman, who remained unidentified Tuesday, were using crack cocaine when the overdose happened. He hid her body and disposed of her vehicle and cellphone, according to court records.

Authorities said they expect a positive identification of the woman to be made Wednesday by the coroner’s office.

Mr. and Mrs. Nichols are scheduled to appear in Municipal Court Wednesday. More charges could be forthcoming, authorities said.