Death of Leah Croucher

Last updated

Leah Croucher
Born14 August 1999 [1]
Disappeared15 February 2019 (aged 19)
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England
StatusDeceased
Body discovered Furzton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)

On 15 February 2019, British teenager Leah Croucher disappeared on her morning walk to work from Emerson Valley to Knowlhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. In October 2022, human remains were found in a property in Furzton; they were later confirmed to be those of Croucher.

Contents

The prime suspect in Croucher's death, a convicted sex offender, hanged himself two months after the disappearance. [2]

Disappearance

At approximately 08:00 GMT on 15 February 2019, 19-year-old Leah Croucher left her home on Quantock Crescent in the Emerson Valley area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire to begin her two-mile (3 km) walk to her work at a direct debit collection agency in Knowlhill. [3] [4] She did not arrive for her 09:00 shift and was reported missing by her parents later that evening, after not returning home from work.

Croucher was last seen on CCTV at 08:16 on Buzzacott Lane in Furzton, walking in the direction of her work. [3] Someone matching her description was seen nearby at about 08:20. Croucher's phone left the mobile network at about 08:34 and did not rejoin a network. [5]

Three separate witnesses reported seeing someone matching her description, between 09:30 and 11:15, walking near Furzton Lake. The witnesses said that she looked visibly upset and crying while talking on the phone. Police have not confirmed if these sightings were that of Croucher. [6]

Thames Valley Police (TVP) described Croucher as white, 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) tall, of slim build, with below-shoulder-length brown hair and sometimes wearing glasses. She was last seen dressed in a black coat, skinny black jeans and black Converse high top shoes and was carrying a small black rucksack. [7] [8]

Police investigation

In a public appeal for information to help find the missing girl, TVP released CCTV footage of Croucher. On 18 February, the police began searching Furzton Lake for evidence and continued the search for a number of days. [9] They also searched Blue Lagoon Local Nature Reserve in Water Eaton, after a report of clothing matching Croucher's. [10]

TVP said that its officers visited more than 4,000 homes and that it deployed specialist search teams, drones and helicopters. They also used marine units and dive teams during searches of lakes across Milton Keynes. [11] Nothing was recovered during any search. [12]

On the anniversary of her disappearance, an initial reward was doubled to £10,000. Appeals for information were made in Yorkshire and Lancashire.[ why? ] [13] [14]

Murder inquiry

On 12 October 2022, TVP said they had found Croucher's rucksack and personal possessions at a property on Loxbeare Drive in Furzton, less than 1 mile (2 km) from her home, and that they had found human remains at the same property. They announced that they were conducting a murder inquiry, although formal identification of the remains had yet to be completed. [15] On 14 October, a police spokesperson named a convicted sex offender, Neil Maxwell, as their prime suspect as he was the only person with access to the Loxbeare Drive house at the time. [16] In April 2019, two months after Croucher's disappearance, Maxwell had hanged himself at a block of flats near Campbell Park. [17]

On 21 October, the remains found at Loxbeare Drive were formally confirmed to be those of Croucher. [18]

Media

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thames Valley Police</span> English territorial police force

Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in South East England. It is the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales, covering 2,218 square miles (5,740 km2) and a population of 2.42 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Milton Keynes</span> Unitary authority area in England

The City of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority area with both borough and city status, in Buckinghamshire. It is the northernmost district of the South East England Region. The borough abuts Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and the remainder of Buckinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woburn Sands</span> Human settlement in England

Woburn Sands is a town that straddles the border between Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire in England, and also is part of the Milton Keynes urban area. The larger part of the town is in Woburn Sands civil parish, which is in the City of Milton Keynes, Smaller parts of the town are in the neighbouring parishes of Aspley Guise and Aspley Heath. The meandering boundary between Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire means the Lower and Middle Schools that serve all of the town are both in Aspley Guise CP. Bedfordshire Police and Thames Valley Police both deal with law enforcement issues in the town. At the 2011 Census, the population of the civil parish (only) was 2,916, that of the built-up area was 5,959. Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise and Aspley Heath each has its own centre but together the three settlements are a contiguous built-up area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh</span> 1986 disappearance of woman in London

Susannah Jane Lamplugh was a British estate agent reported missing on 28 July 1986 in Fulham, London, England, United Kingdom. She was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1993. The last clue to Lamplugh's whereabouts was an appointment to show a house in Shorrolds Road to someone she called Mr Kipper. The case remains unsolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Natalee Holloway</span> Case of an American woman who disappeared in Aruba

Natalee Ann Holloway was an 18-year-old American high school senior whose disappearance made international news after she vanished on May 30, 2005, in Aruba. Holloway lived in Mountain Brook, Alabama, and graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, days before the trip. Her disappearance resulted in a media sensation in the United States. The prime suspect, Joran van der Sloot, has made conflicting statements over the years about his involvement, including a confession to killing her. Her remains have not been found.

Levi Bellfield is an English serial killer, sex offender, rapist, kidnapper, and burglar. He was found guilty on 25 February 2008 of the murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 23 June 2011, Bellfield was further found guilty of the murder of Milly Dowler. On both occasions, the judge imposed a whole life order, meaning that Bellfield will serve the sentence without the possibility of parole. Bellfield was the first prisoner in history to have received two whole life orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Genette Tate</span> Unsolved 1978 missing person case

The disappearance of Genette Tate is a missing person case in which a 13-year-old girl disappeared while delivering newspapers in Aylesbeare, Devon, England, on 19 August 1978. Despite extensive searches, Tate's body has not been found and the cause of her disappearance remains unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Claudia Lawrence</span> Unsolved 2009 disappearance of 35-year-old woman from York, England

Claudia Elizabeth Lawrence is an English woman who was last seen and heard from on 18 March 2009. She was employed as a chef at the University of York's Goodricke College at the time of her disappearance. Although the police have treated Lawrence's case as that of murder, with various people arrested but later released, her fate is unclear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Tobin</span> Scottish serial killer (1946–2022)

Peter Britton Tobin was a Scottish convicted serial killer and sex offender who served a whole life order at HM Prison Edinburgh for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006. Police also investigated Tobin over the deaths and disappearances of other young women and girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Sian O'Callaghan</span> 2011 murder in the United Kingdom

Sian Emma O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old British woman who disappeared from Swindon, Wiltshire, England, having last been seen at a nightclub in the town in the early hours of 19 March 2011. Her body was found on 24 March near Uffington in Oxfordshire. On 19 October 2012, at Bristol Crown Court, Christopher Halliwell, 48, of Nythe, Swindon pleaded guilty to O'Callaghan's murder.

Trudie Jeanette Adams disappeared in the early hours of 25 June 1978 after attending a dance at the Newport Surf Life Saving Club, New South Wales, Australia. She left the event early before hitchhiking home, at which point she entered a vehicle on Barrenjoey Road and has not been seen since. Her disappearance sparked New South Wales' biggest missing person search at the time, attracted extensive and ongoing national media attention, and eventually a $250,000 reward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Lee Boxell</span> Unsolved 1988 disappearance of 15-year-old

Lee Darren Boxell was a British schoolboy who disappeared from the London Borough of Sutton in England on 10 September 1988, aged 15. He was last seen in Sutton High Street before saying he might go to watch a football match at Selhurst Park in Croydon. At the time of his disappearance, Boxell was described as 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), of slim build with light brown hair; he was wearing black jeans, a white Flintstones T-shirt and brown suede shoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Alice Gross</span> English girl murdered in London

Alice Gross was an English girl who was murdered in West London. Her body was found hidden on the bed of the River Brent on September 30, five weeks after she disappeared.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Becky Watts</span> 2015 murder of British student

Rebecca Marie Watts was a British student from Bristol who was murdered in 2015 at the age of 16. In November 2015, her step-brother, Nathan Matthews, was found guilty of her murder and was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 33 years. His girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison, although Hoare had insisted to police that she had nothing to do with the killing, or dismembering Watts' body and hiding the parts. Both Matthews and Hoare were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, preventing the lawful burial of a body, perverting the course of justice and possession of two stun guns.

Corrie McKeague went missing in the early hours of 24 September 2016 in the Bury St Edmunds area of Suffolk, England. Before disappearing, he worked as a Royal Air Force Regiment gunner.

Patrick Warren and David Spencer were two English schoolboys who disappeared on 27 December 1996 in the town of Solihull, near Birmingham. Although initially treated by the police as runaways, they are now presumed deceased. Despite a BBC Crimewatch special report on the boys, along with numerous appeals from both their families, the case remains unsolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Andrew Gosden</span> 2007 disappearance of 14-year-old in London

Andrew Paul Gosden disappeared from Central London on 14 September 2007 when he was aged 14. On that day, Gosden left his home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, withdrew £200 from his bank account and bought a one-way ticket to London from Doncaster station. He was last seen on CCTV leaving King's Cross station. Despite numerous national appeals for information in the years following his disappearance, Gosden's reason for travelling to London that day, and his subsequent fate, have not been established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Owen Harding</span> 2020 missing person

Owen Harding disappeared at the age of 16 from Saltdean, England, where he lived. Nothing has been heard from him since his disappearance on 26 March 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Missing Leah Croucher's 22nd birthday: police encourage anyone with information to come forward". 14 August 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Shepka, Phil (14 June 2023). "Neil Maxwell: Leah Croucher murder suspect's inquest record released". BBC News.
  3. 1 2 "Leah Croucher: Parents plea for missing Milton Keynes teen". BBC News . 22 February 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Leah Croucher: The quiet teenager who vanished on her way to work". BBC News . 12 October 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Leah Croucher: 'Potential sightings' after one-year anniversary appeal". BBC News. 9 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Missing teen Leah Croucher may have been seen upset on day she vanished". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Thames Valley Police - Search for Leah Croucher". mipp.police.uk. Thames Valley Police. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Detectives searching for missing Leah Croucher renew their appeal for help". ITV News. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Leah Croucher: Lake searched in missing teen case". BBC News. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Police investigating disappearance of Leah Croucher search Bletchley lake". ITV News. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "Leah Croucher: Parents of teen who went missing a year ago plead for information". Sky News. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "Leah Croucher's parents renew appeal a year after she vanished". The Guardian. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Parents of Leah Croucher issue appeal one year after she went missing". Asian Image. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Bowden, Emma; Jones, Victoria (14 February 2020). "Family is missing Leah Croucher 'destroyed' after she 'vanished into thin air'". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Leah Croucher: Human remains found in missing teen murder probe". BBC News. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Leah Croucher: Suspect in teen murder case is dead". BBC News. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Leah murder suspect Neil Maxwell wrote polite note warning people before he hanged himself in Milton Keynes bin cupboard". Milton Keynes Citizen . 19 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "Leah Croucher: Body identified as missing Milton Keynes teenager". BBC News. 21 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "BBC One - Crimewatch Live, Series 11, Episode 13". BBC. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Missing in Milton Keynes: 20-year-old Leah Croucher". ITV. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.