Human remains found in Milton Keynes in search of teenager missing since 2019

Police searching for a missing teenager found human remains in a home less than a half-mile from where she was last seen.

Leah Croucher was 19 when she disappeared on February 15, 2019 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, sparking a massive three-and-a-half-year search.

Thames Valley Police said his backpack and other personal belongings were also found at the property after a tip-off from a member of the public on Monday.

Officers are still at the home on Loxbeare Drive in the Furzton area of ​​Milton Keynes.

Ms Croucher disappeared while walking to work – she was last seen at around 8.15am on Buzzacott Lane.

The two sites are only two minutes apart by car.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter described the search as a “very difficult scene” and said a murder investigation had begun.

“The forensic examination is continuing and will continue for some time. It will probably take some time to formally identify the deceased,” added a police statement.

Ms Croucher's family is being kept informed and supported.

Hundreds of officers have worked on the searches since 2019, combing through 1,200 hours of CCTV and carrying out 4,000 door-to-door inquiries.

Specialist search teams, mounted police, dogs, the marine unit and the National Police Air Service were all involved.

Mr Hunter said it was the first time they had been alerted to the Loxbeare Drive property.

“Our hearts go out to Leah’s family and friends, and we will continue to offer them all the support they need,” he said.

In a call a year after his disappearanceher parents Claire and John Croucher described the family's grief and said they feared someone had kidnapped her.

Ms Croucher was described as “a very quiet person” and “not really outgoing”, who preferred reading fantasy fiction or watching DVDs in her bedroom to socializing.

She competed in international taekwondo competitions, but her father said she was “not a fighter.”

There was even more tragedy when Miss Croucher's brother Haydon died 24 years old in November 2019 – nine months after Leah disappeared.

His mother said he found his sister's disappearance “very difficult”.