In 2019, while Leah Croucher was still missing, police went on the door of the home where her remains are now believed to have been discovered, but instead of trying to get inside, they just threw a flyer through the letterbox.
It was Monday when the first Thames Valley police crossed the threshold of the house, which had previously been occupied by a child molester.
Additionally, it suggested that the human remains, thought to be those of Leah, 19, may have been buried there for three and a half years without being found.
Instead, since the cleaners’ discovery, authorities have solely been scouring the Milton Keynes four-bedroom house.
The £490,000 home was once inhabited by a convicted child molester, and the girl is said to have often passed it on her way to work.
His crimes—having sex with two girls between the ages of 13 and 15—were the subject of a television documentary.
‘Monday was the first occasion we were alerted to this location by a member of the public in connection with this inquiry,’ a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said today.
As a result, we can affirm that no one ever entered the home during the first inquiry.
However, since it was a Furzton address, the residence was also visited as part of the inquiry, which included more than 4,000 house visits.
Leaflets would have been dropped through the letterbox since there was no reaction at the residence.
Leah vanished in February 2019. It is not yet known whether someone was living there, although it is believed to have been abandoned for years before to the most recent happenings.
According to the police, they had never before “been notified” to the premises as part of their inquiry. It’s unclear whether it was among the 4,000 residences that police claimed to have doorknocked during their investigation.
However, a neighbor on the same street said that after Leah vanished, the police had twice visited his home and even checked his garden.
On the morning of February 15, 2019, Leah was last seen on her way to work in Milton Keynes on foot. Her parents Claire and John filed a missing person’s report when she failed to get home after failing to show up at work because she was absent.
Officers have been searching the detached home that has been leased out in the city’s Furzton neighborhood on Loxbeare Drive since Monday.
The youngster was often seen by neighbors walking by on her way to work as an administrative assistant at the adjacent Debit Finance Collect (DFC).
The parents of the convicted paedophile yesterday night informed The Times that the family had left before Leah vanished. Also speaking to the newspaper, his mother said that they had not seen the convicted sex offender in “years.”
Human remains have been found at the location, Thames Valley Police said Friday night. The teenager’s personal belongings, including a knapsack, were also discovered. According to reports, a large portion of the forensic investigation has been concentrated on one of the home’s ceilings.
A blue forensic tent was set up in the front lawn, and wallboards were observed being removed from the home.
Leah’s anguished parents and older sister Jade have worked tirelessly to keep her in the public spotlight and intensify the search for her ever since she vanished.
Leah’s brother Hayden Croucher, 24, was tragically found hung at his apartment by his mother and sister Jade nine months after she vanished. He eventually passed away in the hospital, dealing the family a further heartache. He struggled to cope after her abduction, an inquest heard.
Leah’s mother earlier said that their family had been “devastated” by her absence and that if she had been kidnapped or murdered, they would hold the assailant accountable for Haydon’s demise as well. “He clearly couldn’t handle it, as everyone knows, and he found it extremely tough,” she stated.
In less than 15 yards from the property, a missing poster for Leah Croucher is still fastened to a tree.
In February, on the third anniversary of Leah’s disappearance, her parents John and Claire Croucher released the following statement: “It has been three long, lonely years since our lovely and amazing daughter Leah, disappeared without a trace on her way to work.” We still don’t know why, however. No indication of what occurred. I have no clue how or where she is.
“After all this time, it is hard to remain optimistic.” It was challenging at first, but now that the work is so pointless, our lives are so hopeless. Every day, it becomes more difficult for us to persuade ourselves, “Today is the day we receive answers, today we find out what occurred three years ago.”
Leah was characterized by family members as “extremely quiet” and “not really an outgoing sort of girl,” preferring to spend evenings in her room reading fantasy novels or watching DVDs. She had participated in international taekwondo competitions, but her father said she wasn’t a fighter.
Leah’s home is within a 20-minute walk from the location of the remains, and neighbors said the adolescent often walked through the neighborhood.
According to Thames Valley Police, they looked through over 4,000 addresses in their quest for Leah. If the Loxbeare Drive property was one of them is unknown.
According to records, the home was constructed as part of the estate in 1992 and has been held by a Kuwaiti family for 20 years. During that time, it has also been leased out to a variety of tenants.
According to a Thames Valley Police spokeswoman, forensic teams and specialized police went to the scene on Monday after receiving information from a member of the public.
Several things have been found as a consequence of an ongoing thorough forensic investigation of the premises.
Leah Croucher, who was reported missing on February 15, 2019, had things, including a backpack and personal belongings, discovered during the search.
The Thames Valley Police have now opened a murder inquiry as a consequence of our discoveries.
We have been at this complicated and difficult situation since just after 6.30 p.m. on Monday.
We will be on the scene for a significant amount of time.
“Over the last three and a half years, a comprehensive missing person investigation has been underway, including intensive searches and house-to-house inquiries.”
In response to a call to the police on Monday, Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter said: “We responded to an address and discovered things of concern within the home.
We are working with a very challenging scene, but we can now report that we have found many things that are connected to Leah, and as a result, we have now started a murder investigation, lead by our Major Crime Unit.
Leah’s family has been kept informed and is still receiving help from the police. As this inquiry is still in its early stages, we ask the public and the media to keep Leah’s family in mind and refrain from making any additional assumptions.
When we are able, we will provide you further updates.
While this investigation is ongoing, a scene-watch is still in place at the location. We are dedicated to making sure that our investigations at the site are comprehensive.
“Over the past three and a half years, we have dedicated hundreds of officers and personnel to the hunt for Leah. We have reviewed 1,200 hours of CCTV, made more than 4,000 house-to-house enquiries, and offered various incentives for information that will help us find Leah.
The first time we were made aware of this location was by a call from a member of the public on Monday, and we appreciate them getting in touch with us right away to let us know about their worries.
“Leah’s family and friends remain in our thoughts, and we will continue to provide them with all the assistance they need,” the statement reads.
Following the investigation’s status update, Milton Keynes North’s Conservative MP Ben Everitt expressed his hope that it will “give some answers to Leah’s loved ones.”
He remarked, “My thoughts and prayers are with Leah’s family and friends during this terribly trying time.”
Just a few yards from the suburban house where human remains were discovered, a fading Thames Valley Police missing person sign with a £5,000 reward was still affixed to a tree. This notice likely dates from the time Leah Croucher vanished.
The sign was close to the police cordon where it looked that forensic specialists were constructing a structure in the home’s backyard.
The hashtag “come home Leah” appeared on the plea placard, which also included three images of the adolescent Leah Croucher.
Leah woke up as usual after her parents went for work, and it was still nailed to a tree with rusty nails.
She “followed her regular pattern,” which included getting up at her usual time, getting ready, and walking the two miles to Knowhill, where she worked.
“Leah did not call in ill to work,” it continued. She didn’t bring any clothing or money. She kept her plans to leave her house and her destination from everyone.
She is also described as being Caucasian, 5 feet 2 inches tall, with a thin physique, and brown hair that is shoulder length.
Ms. Croucher was last saw wearing a small black knapsack, a grey sweatshirt with the Stewartby Taekwondo emblem, black high-top Converse sneakers, a black coat, black skinny trousers, and a pair of black coats.
Ms. Croucher was most recently seen on camera on Buzzacott Lane, Furzon, in February 2019. The location is slightly under half a mile away.
Leah was last seen in the Furzton neighborhood of the city just after 8:15 a.m. on Friday, February 15, 2019.
She was on her way to work in the morning when she “essentially disappeared into thin air” while going in the area of Loxbeare Drive and Chaffron Way.
No sign of Leah was ever recovered, and no one has been detained in connection with the crime, despite a thorough investigation that saw police check 4,000 residences, send divers into Furzton Lake, and study 1,200 hours of CCTV.
In the past, police have described the case as “bewildering and aggravating,” and although they still have a “open mind,” they have said that “the possibility that Leah is no longer alive has to rise.”
Since Leah vanished, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard said, “we’ve had no verifiable sightings of Leah.”
On February 15, 2019, Leah’s family reported her missing from Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes. She was 19 years old at the time of her disappearance. They last saw her on February 14—Valentine’s Day—at 10 p.m.
On the morning of February 15, she was last spotted on surveillance footage traveling along Buzzacott Lane in Furzton before she “essentially disappeared into thin air.” Just after 8:30 am that morning was the last time she had used her phone.
Leah’s family released a tearful message in February to commemorate the third anniversary of her abduction.
Leah’s family claimed in a written statement sent to Thames Valley Police that while each day “feels like an eternity of anguish and despair,” they were still optimistic that she will one day be located.
According to her parents John and Claire Croucher, “it is tougher every day to persuade ourselves that today will be the day that we receive answers, today we find out what occurred three years ago.”
It is impossible to persuade ourselves that this is not a self-delusion we tell ourselves to get ourselves out of bed every morning. Every day is agony.
It is impossible to live without worrying at least once a minute, every single day. Every night, it seems like sleep eludes us, and when we awaken each morning, we never feel rested and renewed.
“Our hearts still jump in our chests every time the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.”
“That recognizable rush of optimism rising in our throats.” the recurring surge of dread that periodically sweeps over our innermost souls.
Neither the police nor Leah are at the door or on the phone, she said.
“Once again, we need the public’s assistance. You all have been so fantastic so far, continuing to assist us in checking every street face for Leah, posting on social media, and alerting authorities to any sightings.
Leah left her Milton Keynes home between 6 and 7:15 the night before she vanished. She informed Claire Croucher, her mother, that she was seeing a friend.
Police discovered that she had never seen the buddy, and they had no idea where she went, who she was with, or if she had seen anybody that evening.
Her mother Claire earlier said that it was “the last time I got to say goodnight” when her parents last saw her before she went to bed.
In the past, Leah’s parents, Claire and John Croucher, expressed concern that she may have been stolen since they couldn’t understand why she would “simply leave.”
Officers have searched more than 4,000 properties in Milton Keynes in their hunt for Leah, and they have also used drones, helicopters, and specialized search teams.
Police claim they have searched all of the town’s lakes using marine units and dive teams, but no items connected to the missing lady have been discovered.
Since Leah vanished, her family has maintained public awareness of her disappearance by running informational campaigns.
We are still wholly dedicated to locating Leah and finding out the truth for her family, DCI Howard said in April.
The next month, digital billboards all across London displayed a plea for information on Leah’s whereabouts.
Leah’s family also endured the devastating loss of her brother Haydon, who was discovered hung in November 2019, in addition to the trauma of Leah’s abduction.
The 24-year-old hung himself after admitting to a counsellor that he was having trouble dealing with the absence of his sister.
Haydon’s therapist Chantelle Tillison brought him to Milton Keynes Hospital so that he could be evaluated for admission. However, he was sent home because there were no beds available.
Nine months after Leah vanished, his mother Tracey Furness and sister Jade discovered him hanging in his flat in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
He was taken to the hospital and eventually died on November 16, 2018, according to information presented during a Milton Keynes coroner’s court hearing in 2020.
His mother Claire said there was “still a lot to learn” from her son’s death during the inquest.
The family believes the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust still has a lot to learn from the unnecessary deaths of Haydon and others before him, Mrs. Furness said in a statement released via her attorneys in 2020.
In the meanwhile, Leah’s sister Jade Croucher made a plea for her to return home in July 2019, four months after she vanished.
It would be wonderful if she messaged me on her birthday, she remarked.
“Every day I get out of bed hoping we’ll make some progress toward learning Leah is okay.
I’m often checking my phone, but nothing has come through so far.
The family which owns the separate house where the human remains were discovered is headquartered in Kuwait and has leased it out for more than 20 years.
Leah Croucher, a missing adolescent, would pass the house every day on her way to her job as an administrative assistant, according to neighborhood neighbours.
The £490,000 residence where the 19-year-bag old’s and other belongings were discovered was less than half a mile from where she resided.
The home, which has a rusty vehicle parked in the driveway, was the site of ongoing forensic investigations.
Leah used to go by the home every day, according to Jill Davey, who lived near by. I saw her going to work on foot.
She being so near her house really sickens me. The police were supposed to search every home in the area, but it is clear that they did not carry out their duty correctly.
I simply hope they can track down the perpetrator.
The four-bedroom detached home was rented out over the years to a number of tenants, according to records.
Visit a local Samaritans branch or call the Samaritans on 116 123 for confidential support. For more information, go to www.samaritans.org.