In one of the most haunting cases to ever come out of the UK, Virginia McCullough killed her parents and then lived in the same house with their mummified remains for four years. Now, her sister, Louise Hopkins, is opening up publicly for the first time since the chilling truth came to light.
“I have forgiven her for what she’s done. I am not drinking other people’s poison,” Louise told The Sun. Still, the pain runs deep, and she says she’s never going to visit her sister in prison.
Virginia, now 36, was sentenced on October 11, 2024, for the 2019 murders of their parents, John and Lois McCullough, who were in their early 70s. Essex police say she’ll spend at least 36 years behind bars before she can even be considered for parole.
The investigation didn’t begin until years later, in September 2023, when the couple’s doctor raised concerns after not hearing from them. When police showed up to check in, they discovered something no one could’ve imagined—both parents were dead, and their remains were still inside the home.
According to police reports, John had been poisoned with prescription medication, and Lois had been attacked with a hammer and fatally stabbed. What came next shocked even seasoned investigators.
Prosecutors said Virginia had created what they described as a “makeshift tomb” for her father in one of the bedrooms, surrounding his remains with blankets and family photos. Her mother’s body was reportedly wrapped in a sleeping bag and stored in a wardrobe upstairs.
Through the pandemic and well beyond it, Virginia worked to keep everyone away from home. She told lies to friends, doctors, and even other family members, often claiming her parents were traveling, sick, or just didn’t want visitors. Prosecutors said she spent their money, racked up debt in their names, and lived a completely fabricated reality.
“She spent the next four years manipulating and lying to family members, medical staff, financial institutions, and the police,” said Nicola Rice of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Louise, who had become estranged from their parents a year before the murders, told The Sun that she had her complicated relationship with the family and had walked away from them in 2018. But she never imagined something like this.
“The worst thing is that my parents were left to rot. The grief has haunted me,” she shared. Louise admits she struggles with guilt, wondering if things could’ve been different had she stayed connected.
“I have bouts of thinking I must be to blame because I walked away from all that,” she said. “If I don’t talk about it, it chews me up and I feel physically ill.”
Although she was invited to attend Virginia’s trial, she chose not to go. “I’d made my peace that I’d left the family and didn’t want anything more to do with them,” she said. “I forgive my sister, but I would not visit her. I have created a life of peace and tranquility for me and my children.”
Don’t Miss These:
- Mel B Opens Up About Co-Parenting With Eddie Murphy After Years of Tension
- Sharon Osbourne’s Dramatic Weight Loss Sparks Fresh Concern After Ozempic Use
- Mum-of-Four Given Less Than 10 Years to Live After Doctors Dismissed Her Symptoms as Stress
- Starmer Dodges Election Commitment as Reform UK Surges Ahead in Shocking Poll Twist
- Starmer Faces Full-Blown Labour Revolt as Over 100 MPs Turn on Welfare Cuts
