Leah Croucher: Body found in loft of Milton Keynes house identified as missing teenager

Police say they owe it to Leah’s family ‘to ensure we find the truth’

Police have formally identified a body found in the loft of a Milton Keynes house as Leah Croucher, a teenage girl who went missing three and a half years ago.

A Home Office post-mortem has been inconclusive as to the cause of Leah’s death and Thames Valley Police said investigations are ongoing.

A murder investigation was launched last week following the discovery of Leah in the loft space of 2 Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, Milton Keynes.

Leah Croucher was 19 when she was reported missing in February 2019 (PA)

Police also found items belonging to Leah – who was last seen in February 2019, aged 19 – at the property earlier this week.

Senior investigating officer detective superintendent Kevin Brown, head of the Major Crime Unit, said: “The thoughts of all of us at Thames Valley Police remain and will always be with Leah’s family and friends.

“The entirety of our investigation keeps them uppermost in our minds, and they continue to be supported by specially trained officers and updated on every development.

“After a difficult process, we are now in a position to formally confirm that the body found in Loxbeare Drive last week is that of Leah.”

Last Friday, police named a dead sex offender as the prime suspect in Leah’s murder.

Leah’s sister Jade Croucher, father John Croucher and mother Claire Croucher arrive at a property in Loxbeare Drive (PA)

Neil Maxwell would have been arrested in connection with the murder probe into Leah if he were alive, the force said. He died by suicide in April 2019 at 49-years-old.

The suspect had previous convictions for sexual offences against females, officers said. He was wanted in connection with a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell, a town in the Milton Keynes area, in November 2018.

Leah’s family visited the house where the discoveries were made last Thursday, leaving a note nearby that said: “Our darkest fears have come true.”

Flowers and a message left at the scene after police identified human remains (PA)

“The grief and shock of Leah’s family and friends is unimaginable, and they have shown enormous courage, patience and dignity over the last three years and eight months while our search for Leah continued,” Mr Brown said.

“They have always been supportive of Thames Valley Police, both during our extensive missing person investigation and this subsequent investigation into Leah’s murder.

“We ask again, on their behalf, to please respect their privacy at what is such a traumatic and upsetting time for them all.

“Our investigations into Leah’s murder will leave no stone unturned, and we owe it to Leah’s family to ensure we find the truth.

“We are absolutely committed to doing so, to allow them to gain an understanding of what happened to Leah.”

Not one for socialising, Leah has been described as a quiet teenager who enjoyed reading fantasy fiction or watching DVDs.

She was last seen in Milton Keynes on 15 February 2019 as she walked along Buzzacott Lane. It was thought she was heading to work but never arrived.