A woman has been jailed after murdering both her parents and living with their bodies in the family home in England for four years.

Virginia McCullough (36) poisoned her father John (70) with prescription medication before striking her mother Lois (71) with a hammer and stabbing her at their home in Essex sometime in June 2019.

Their bodies were not discovered until 2023 after their GP raised concerns about their failure to collect medication and attend scheduled appointments.

In that time McCullough had hidden their remains and continued to live there, building a "makeshift tomb" for her father - while telling friends and neighbours that they were unwell, on holiday or away on lengthy trips.

She was sentenced to life with a minimum of 36 years after pleading guilty to two counts of murder at Chelmsford Crown Court in July.

Virginia McCullough is arrested by police. Image: Essex Police

McCullough confessed "moments after" police were called to the family home following the report from the GP.

Bodycam footage of the arrest showed police forcing entry to the property before confronting McCullough in a hallway.

She told officers she would "cooperate" and calmly confessed to her crimes.

When asked by police, she said: "My Dad's body is in there." An officer then asked: "What about your Mum?"

McCullough calmly replied: "[That's] a little bit more complicated... upstairs there are about five wardrobes, it's behind the bed at the back, next to the sink. It's the second one."

In reference to the arrest, she told officers: "I did know that this would kind of come eventually. It's proper that I serve my punishment."

She added: "Cheer up, at least you caught the bad guy."

McCullough later told officers where the murder weapon was.

Police outside the McCullough family home. Image: Essex Police

Essex Police said documents found at the address "built a picture of a woman who was 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".

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby described McCullough as someone who "lied about almost every aspect of her life".

He said McCullough had been "maintaining a charade to deceive everyone close to her and clearly taking advantage of her parents' goodwill".

"She is an intelligent manipulator who chose to kill her parents callously, without a thought for them or those who continue to suffer as a result of their loss.

"The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public," he added.

Lois and John McCullough. Image: Essex Police

Prosecutor Lisa Wilding told the court that McCullough "built a makeshift tomb" for her father, which was "covered with multiple blankets, and a number of pictures and paintings over the top".

It was also described in court as a "homemade mausoleum", and was in a ground floor room which had been her father's bedroom and study, "composed with masonry blocks stacked together".

McCullough "concealed the body of her mother, wrapped in a sleeping bag, within a wardrobe in her mother's bedroom on the top floor of the property," the barrister said.

While in the dock, McCullough began to cry as the prosecution read out an account she gave to officers where she described the moments before she killed her mother.

McCullough also told police she had to "build up gumption" to kill her as "I knew I had to get it done".

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.

Reporting by: IRN

Main image: Virginia McCullough. Image: Essex Police