A woman who murdered her parents before concealing their bodies within their home has been jailed for life thanks to the work of Essex Police’s specialist detectives.
Virginia McCullough, 36, will spend at least 36 years in prison before she can be considered for parole.
The sentence, passed down at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, 11 October, follows a lengthy and tireless investigation led by our Serious Crime Directorate.
We launched a missing persons investigation following concerns for McCullough’s parents, John, aged 70 at the time of his death, and Lois, aged 71 at the time of her death.
The couple lived at an address in Pump Hill, Great Baddow, with McCullough.
The investigation began in September 2023 after the couple’s GP raised concerns.
Officers visited the couple’s home, became suspicious and located human remains, which were confirmed to be those of John and Lois.
It was established the murders had taken place at some stage in the summer of 2019.
Post-mortem examinations revealed both had been poisoned with prescription medication.
John died as a result of the poisoning, while Lois had been struck with a hammer and fatally stabbed.
McCullough went to substantial lengths to conceal the bodies of her parents and took great effort to keep family and friends away from the property throughout the Covid pandemic and subsequent years.
She told persistent lies about their whereabouts, cancelling family arrangements and frequently telling doctors and relatives her parents were unwell, on holiday or away on lengthy trips.
The team told officers that a GP at Lois and John’s registered practice had raised a concern for their welfare, having not seen them for some time.
The GP explained John had failed to collect medication and attend scheduled appointments.
It was further revealed McCullough frequently cancelled appointments, using a range of excuses to explain her father’s absence.
A missing persons investigation was launched at that stage, and our officers began their enquiries.
McCullough lied to officers when initially contacted, claiming her parents were travelling and would be returning in October.
Due to our suspicions, a murder investigation was launched, and we used our powers to enter and search the Pump Hill property.
McCullough was the sole occupant and instantly confessed to officers that her parents’ bodies were in the house and that she had killed them.
It was later established by evidence painstakingly uncovered at the property that McCullough had long manipulated and abused her parents’ goodwill for financial gain.
Documents found at the property showed she had run up large debts on credit cards in her parents’ names.
After their deaths, she continued to spend their pensions.
The documents uncovered at the address built a picture of a woman trying desperately to keep her parents from discovering the depth of the financial black hole she continued to dig while giving them false assurances about her employment and future prospects.
At Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, 4 June, McCullough admitted two counts of murder.
