A Daughter's Deception: The Brutal 2019 Double Murder of John and Lois McCullough
For more than four years, Virginia McCullough hid a terrifying secret. Though police and neighbors were suspicious, it would be years before their fears were confirmed
Background
In September 2023, Essex police made a grim discovery after executing a search warrant at the home of John and Lois McCullough.
Though the couple’s adult daughter, Virginia, who also lived at the home, tried to explain that her parents were away on vacation, the police were suspicious.
At that point, John and Lois McCullough had not been seen by anyone in more than four years. The 2020 COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns had served to partially explain why no one had seen the McCulloghs. The couple were also known to be reclusive, so, at first, their absence did not raise too much concern.
However, as the restrictions were lifted and life began to slowly return to normal, there was still no sign of John and Lois McCullough. Finally, in late 2023, the couple’s GP asked the Essex police to check on the couple’s welfare.
What they found in the house was chilling. Perhaps even more disturbing was the confession given by their daughter, Virginia.
The McCulloughs
Virginia McCullough was born in Chelwood, UK, on October 20, 1987. The youngest of six children, Virginia and her siblings lived with their parents, Lois and John McCullough, in a three-story house in Great Baddow, Essex.
Lois and John were known to be recluses, often keeping to themselves and staying in their home, apart from work and the occasional medical appointment.
John and Lois have since been described as a bit eccentric, old-fashioned, and “functional rather than affectionate” by their daughters. John was known as a man of routine and also a heavy drinker.
For many years, he worked as a management consultant before switching careers to become a lecturer of Business Studies at Anglia Ruskin University, and would spend the better part of four hours commuting daily. As a result of this, he and Lois began sleeping in separate rooms.
A local postman who used to work with one of Virginia’s siblings at a supermarket during their teenage years claimed that the McCulloughs were “terrified” of their father - one story circulated about this particular sister who, as punishment for coming home late, was made to cut the grass in the back garden with scissors.
Lois McCullough, as described by Virgina, was a “clean freak” and a “happiness hoover” who would obsessively clean the floors, walls, and all surfaces due to her fear of germs and the potential that they could make herself and her husband ill.
Lois was known to be reclusive as she suffered from agoraphobia and OCD and was prone to panic attacks.
Virginia McCullough
The McCulloughs’ children have also been described by neighbors and others in the community as never being well-dressed and were sometimes subjected to teasing, particularly Virginia.
In the early 90s, it was speculated that Virginia suffered from bedwetting issues. This caused her to be mocked and labeled as “smelly Jenny” by her peers. Lois was said to punish her for this by sending her to school in her urine-soaked clothes.
Virginia’s school even alerted social services; however, nothing was done.
Unsurprisingly, Virginia is said to have had a difficult time at school and found it hard to make friends. To compensate for this, she would offer to buy people gifts and food, hoping they would become her friends. This behavior would continue into her adult life.
During her teenage years, Virginia also became somewhat reclusive and struggled with social interactions; her siblings recalled that she became a compulsive liar. She worked briefly as a barmaid at a local pub; her former coworkers described her as “strange” and recalled how she would bring gifts for them, like perfume, make-up, and even wigs.
One colleague, who would sometimes drive her home after a shift, claimed that she would spend a while searching for keys before leaving the car - they assumed this could be due to Virgina not wanting to go inside her own home.
Eventually, all her siblings left the family home, some say as quickly as they could, leaving an unemployed Virginia to live with her parents, rent-free, for many years.
2019
In 2019, Virginia McCullough was 31, and her father, John, was 70 and retired from his role as a lecturer. Her mother, Lois, was 71, and both of Virginia’s parents were suffering from a number of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension.
By this time, though she was unemployed, Virginia began to assume the caretaker role for her aging parents. Due to this, her parents gave her access to their finances, including credit cards, their pension, and £150,000 in life savings to oversee and manage. In return for this, her parents began giving her a weekly allowance, but little did they know that their daughter had started stealing from them.
Virginia used her parents’ credit cards to buy clothes, use on online gambling sites, and even took out loans in her parent’s name. However, John did begin to question why they were getting so many letters from the bank and why their money was disappearing.
Virginia was able to convince them that she had been the victim of fraud and even went as far as to compose official-looking letters to back up her lies. Eventually, Virginia spent over £60,000 of her parents’ money.
Fearful of the possible repercussions of her crimes, Virginia began to concoct a plan to avoid being discovered.