Leah Croucher: Police confirm 2019 visit to Milton Keynes house where human remains found

Police investigating a house where human remains were found have admitted they visited the property three years ago as they searched for missing teenager Leah Croucher - but moved on when no one answered the door.

The Thames Valley force confirmed officers knocked on the door of the home in Loxbeare Drive in the early stages of the three-and-a-half year investigation into the disappearance of the 19-year-old.

Some 4,000 homes in the Furzton area were visited as police went door-to-door in their search for clues about what had happened to Leah.

Of the house where human remains were discovered this week, a spokesman said: "There was no response at the property and as such leaflets would have been dropped through the letterbox."

He reiterated that Monday was the first time detectives had been specifically directed to the house, after a member of the public alerted them in connection with the inquiry into Leah's disappearance.

Forensics officers were seen arriving on Wednesday morning and it emerged at lunchtime they had found items belonging to Leah.

The property is in the area of the city where Leah, 19, who went missing on 15 February 2019, was last seen.

Screens were put up on Thursday afternoon to shield police activity from the public.

Neighbour Olga Kopilova said the police activity was making it very hard to work from home and she was upset about what had happened next door.

"I can't sleep for the stress... about what has happened there we are shocked, we didn't expect that," she said. "Furzton is a very safe area and that's the reason we bought a house here."

A community in mourning - from ITV News Anglia's Rebecca Haworth at the scene

The quiet surroundings of Loxbeare Drive have become the focal point for a community in mourning.

As media helicopters circle overhead, people have come from all over the city to pay their respects to Leah and her family.

Slowly through the day, the collection of flowers, candles and toys outside the house has grown.

Some neighbours have told me Wednesday’s news brought a sense of closure; another described it as “bittersweet”.

The unanswered questions of Leah’s disappearance have hung over this community for so long, and there are very few who have not followed the investigation over the past three years.

The news of human remains being found has shocked people here, but also scared them.Several have told me that they considered the area safe - now, with a murder inquiry under way and no arrests made, they are not so certain.

Leah Croucher was last seen in February 2019 and since then what happened to her has been a mystery.

Police have kept up their efforts to find her with frequent appeals throughout the past three-and-a-half years, while her family have also directly appealed for anyone with information to come forward.