Leah Croucher: Human remains found in missing teen murder probe

Police investigating the murder of 19-year-old Leah Croucher have found human remains at a property where some of her possessions were discovered.

Thames Valley Police earlier found her rucksack and personal items at a house on Loxbeare Drive in Furzton, Milton Keynes.

The teenager was last seen on CCTV in the city on 15 February 2019.

Formal identification has not taken place but Miss Croucher's family were being kept informed, the force said.

"It is likely to take some time to formally identify the deceased," a spokesperson said.

Officers have been at the property since 18:30 BST on Monday, after they received information from a member of the public, and said on Wednesday that a murder investigation had begun after her possessions were found.

Later, human remains were discovered during "forensic examinations".

Police described the scene as "challenging and complex" and said the "forensic examination continues and will do for some time".

Since Miss Croucher's disappearance on her way to work at a finance company three years ago, police have carried out more than 4,000 house-to-house inquiries and reviewed 1,200 hours of CCTV footage.

Forensics experts have been seen getting specialist equipment from a white van parked on the drive of the neighbouring property, and also from a marked police truck on the street.

Miss Croucher was described by loved ones as "very quiet" and "not really an outgoing type of person", preferring to read fantasy fiction or watch DVDs in her room to nights out at the pub.

She had competed internationally in taekwondo but her father said she was "not a fighter".

At the scene: Jo Black, BBC News

Officers are coming and going, many in forensics suits.

Beyond the police tape, the atmosphere is one of confusion. People linger around the cordon wondering what is happening in this usually quiet area.

For neighbours it's a sense of shock and heartbreak. Many helped look for Leah after she went missing - a reward poster is pinned to a tree just yards from the hive of police activity.

Miss Croucher's family was struck by further tragedy when her half-brother, Haydon Croucher, took his own life, aged 24, in November 2019.

His mother said he had found the disappearance "very difficult".

Following the update on the investigation, Ben Everitt, Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North, said he hoped it could "provide some answers to Leah's loved ones".

"My thoughts continue to be with Leah's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time," he said.

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