Leah Croucher: Murder probe launched after items belonging to missing teen and ‘human remains’ found at house

A murder investigation has been launched after personal items belonging to a teenager who went missing three years ago, along with “human remains”, were found at a house less than a mile away from her home.

Leah Croucher, from Milton Keynes, disappeared in February 2019 while walking to work  and despite a massive police investigation featuring numerous searches and appeals over the last three and a half years the 19-year-old has never been found.

But today (Wednesday, October 12) Thames Valley Police announced a major update in the case. According to the Milton Keynes Citizen, specialist officers and forensics teams swooped on a property in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton on Monday (October 10) after being given information by a member of the public.

At the property they found a rucksack along with a number of other personal possessions belonging to Leah who was reported missing on February 15, 2019. According to the BBC, “human remains” were also found. The discovery has led to police, who have remained at the “complex and challenging” scene since Monday at around 6.30pm, launching a murder probe.

Head of Crime for Thames Valley Police, Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter said: “Following a call to police on Monday, we attended an address and located items of concern within the property. We are dealing with a very difficult scene but we can now confirm that we have discovered a number of items that are linked to Leah, and as such, we have now launched a murder investigation, led by our Major Crime Unit.”

Det Chf Supt Hunter said that Leah’s family have been made aware and continue to be supported by specialist officers. “There remains a scene-watch in place at the address while this investigation continues, and we are committed to ensuring that our enquiries at the scene are thorough,” he added.

“During our search for Leah, we have committed hundreds of officers and staff to the search for Leah over the last three and a half years, reviewing 1,200 hours of CCTV and conducted more than 4,000 house-to-house inquiries and offered several rewards for information to lead us to Leah.

“The call from the member of the public that we received on Monday was the first occasion that we were alerted to this address, and we thank them for contacting us immediately to report their concerns.

“Our thoughts remain with Leah’s family and friends, and we will continue to offer them all the support that they need.”