Leah Croucher's family still waiting for answers after body found in Milton Keynes

Leah Croucher.
Credit: Family photo
Leah Croucher disappeared five years ago on 15 February 2019. Credit: Family photo

The parents of Leah Croucher, who was last seen five years ago, say they believe there is still "a lot of information" still to be shared about their daughter's death.

The 19-year-old from Milton Keynes vanished on the morning of 15 February 2019 on her two-mile walk to work.

Her remains were found in a house nearby in October 2022, after Thames Valley Police officers and forensic experts were called by a member of the public.

An inquest into how the missing teenager died has been set for 19 and 20 of June of this year.

In a joint statement on the fifth anniversary of her disappearance, Miss Croucher's parents, Claire and John Croucher said: "We are happy to finally have a date for Leah's inquest.

"There is a lot of information about to be shared to us and our legal representation. We are looking forward to seeing that."

Police at the property in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, Milton Keynes, in October 2022. Credit: ITV News Anglia

The last known sighting of Miss Croucher was caught on CCTV.

She was seen walking down Buzzacott Lane in Milton Keynes, just after 8am on 15 February 2019, before her parents reported her missing that evening when she did not return home.

During investigations, the police revealed Miss Croucher may have been seen "angry, upset and crying" by a lake on the day she disappeared.

Witnesses also reported seeing a woman matching the teenager's description on the day she disappeared, at Furzton Lake, close to where she was last seen.

Leah Croucher was last seen on CCTV on 15 Friday 2019 while she walked to work. Credit: Thames Valley Police

In October 2019, officers and specialist divers searched a lake at the Blue Lagoon nature reserve in Bletchley after a member of the public saw a grey hooded top in the area, but nothing was found.

Detectives launched a murder investigation after finding human remains in a property in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, in October 2022 where a rucksack and personal possessions belonging to Miss Croucher were found.

Police named Neil Maxwell, a handyman and convicted sex offender who did maintenance at the house, as the prime suspect in the murder.

Sex offender Neil Maxwell was named by police as a prime suspect in the murder investigation of Leah Croucher. He died in April 2019. Credit: Thames Valley Police

He died in April 2019 after taking his own life.

On 22 October 2022, officers confirmed the human remains belonged to Miss Croucher but a Home Office post-mortem examination proved inconclusive.

The inquest into the death was opened and adjourned in January 2023 by Milton Keynes senior coroner Tom Osborne but no cause of death was given.


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