In the neighborhood where adolescent Leah Croucher vanished more than three and a half years ago, police are examining a home.
On Valentine’s Day evening at 10 p.m., she was last seen at the Milton Keynes residence. The following day, she was reported missing by her parents, Claire and John.
According to reports, the police have been allegedly inspecting goods discovered at a detached four-bedroom house on Loxbeare Drive in the city’s Furzton neighborhood since Monday.
‘We were called to Loxbeare Drive on Monday night and we are now investigating certain things that have been discovered at a residence,’ a Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said.
We are still very early in our inquiry, so there is no more danger to the neighborhood.
As a result, we ask the public and the media to refrain from making any assumptions. We will provide another update as soon as we are able.
Leah was reportedly seen near Buzzacott Lane in the Furzton neighborhood of the city just after 8:15am on 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.
She has not been located, and no one has been detained in connection with the crime, despite a thorough investigation that included police visiting 4,000 locations and reviewing 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.
She has not been located, and no one has been detained in connection with the crime, despite a thorough investigation that included police visiting 4,000 locations and reviewing 1,200 hours of CCTV.
Leah’s family released a tearful statement in February to commemorate the third anniversary of her disappearance.
Leah’s family said in a written statement provided to Thames Valley Police that although each day “feels like an eternity of pain and despair,” they were still optimistic that she would one day be located.
According to her parents John and Claire Croucher, “it is harder every day to tell ourselves that today will be the day that we get answers, today we find out what happened three years ago.”
It is impossible to persuade ourselves that this is not a self-delusion we tell ourselves to force 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 hope rising in our throats.” the recurring wave of despair that sweeps over our very souls
Neither the police nor Leah are at the door or on the phone, she said.
“Once more, we need the public’s assistance. You all have been so wonderful thus far, continuing to assist us in checking every street face for Leah, sharing on social media, and alerting authorities to potential 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 friend, and they have no idea where she went, who she was with, or whether she had met anyone that evening.
Her mother Claire previously remarked that it was “the last time I got to say goodnight” when her parents last saw her before she went to bed.
Last year Claire and her husband John Croucher said they feared someone may have taken Leah as they questioned why she would ‘just disappear’.
The search for Leah has seen officers visit more than 4,000 homes in Milton Keynes, while officers have deployed specialist search teams, drones and helicopters.
Marine units and dive teams have conducted searches of lakes across the town but police say they have found no items relating to the missing woman.
Since Leah went missing, her family have kept her name in the public eye with campaigns for information.
In April, DCI Howard said: ‘We remain absolutely committed to finding Leah and seeking answers for her family.’
The following month, an appeal for information about Leah’s whereabouts was featured on digital billboards across London.
Alongside the tragedy of Leah’s disappearance, Leah’s family also suffered the tragic death of her brother Haydon, who was found hanged in November 2019.
The 24-year-old hanged himself after telling a therapist he was finding it difficult to cope with his sister’s disappearance.
Haydon’s therapist Chantelle Tillison took him to Milton Keynes Hospital so that he could be evaluated for admission. However, he was sent home since there were no beds available.
Nine months after Leah vanished, his mother Tracey Furness and sister Jade discovered him hanging at his apartment 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 avoidable deaths of Haydon and others before him, Mrs. Furness stated in a statement released through her attorneys in 2020.
The family applauded the Trust’s claim that it had since changed its time-limited system to permit constant access to Crisis Support.
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 said.
“Every day I get out of bed hoping we’ll make some progress toward learning Leah is okay.
I’m always checking my phone, but nothing has come through so far.
Visit a local Samaritans branch or call the Samaritans on 116 123 for confidential support. For more information, go to www.samaritans.org.