Woman admits murdering parents after leaving their remains to rot at family home

A woman has plead guilty to murdering her parents after leaving their remains to rot inside the family home for four years.

Virginia McCullough, 36, appeared by prison video-link before Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to the murders of John and Lois McCullough, who were both aged in their 70s.

The couple's remains were found by police at a property in Pump Hill, Essex in September 2023, after concerns were raised about their welfare, reports the Mirror.

Neither John or Lois had been seen for a number of years after McCullough told persistent lies about their whereabouts, frequently telling doctors and relatives her parents were unwell, on holiday or away on lengthy trips.

The defendant, of Pump Hill, Chelmsford, Essex, admitted killing the pair between June 17, 2019 and June 20, 2019.

McCullough told Essex Police she killed her parents at their home in Pump Hill at some stage in the summer of 2019, then concealed their bodies within the property and continued to live at the address.

Her actions were uncovered after her parents’ GPs raised concerns over missed appointments in 2023 and police executed a warrant at the Pump Hill address on September 15 2023.

In the moments afterwards, she confessed to poisoning her father with prescription medication and stabbing her mother shortly afterwards, the force added.

This was reportedly not the first time that officers travelled to the home as officers previously visited at a time when, it is now believed, the elderly couple’s bodies may have been upstairs.

McCullough, who wore a grey top when she appeared via video-link, spoke to confirm her name, to enter pleas of guilty to both counts and say she understood the judge’s comments. McCullough will be sentenced on October 10 and 11.

Judge Christopher Morgan said: “You will understand that there is a single sentence that can be passed upon you in these circumstances. Consideration however has to be given to the minimum term.”

An inquest into the death of Lois McCullough, 75, previously heard she died of stab wounds to the chest.

Essex area coroner Michelle Brown said in October last year that Lois McCullough’s provisional cause of death was “stab wounds to the chest”.

She said “human remains believed to be” 74-year-old John McCullough were found at the same location.

His provisional cause of death was “pending further investigation”, Ms Brown said.

Detective Inspector Lydia George, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “At the heart of this investigation are John and Lois – and their whole family.

“Virginia’s actions have had a significant and emotional impact on the family group and our thoughts today are first and foremost with them.

“We have worked very closely with them and supported them from the outset as we established the circumstances around John and Lois’ deaths and gathered the evidence which has led to today’s guilty pleas.”

Ms George added: “Clearly this was a hugely complex investigation from the outset.

“Officers were met with an incredibly challenging scene and worked at the address over the course of several days to carry out forensic enquiries.

“This involved expertise and insight from several teams across the force and it is thanks to the work of dozens of dedicated officers and staff that we were able to bring this tragic case to court and, now, a satisfactory conviction.”

Locals living around Pump Hill in September last year described McCullough as “quite chatty” and a “little bit odd”.

She had told some that her parents had moved to the seaside.

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