Found Deceased UK - Leah Croucher, 19, Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes, 14 Feb 2019 #5

[HollyHunter9]

When I first heard of Leah's disappearance I immediately thought she would sadly be found in the lake, then when she wasn't I started to think she had perhaps met with foul play (from what I have read about her and her character I do not think she would put her family through this anguish voluntarily especially after her brother sadly passing away). Now that we have heard via her missing Facebook page that the lake was not searched by specialist equipment I do think it needs re-looking again. Maybe not for Leah but for evidence.

 

[lilmystery]

The point about the North Furzton lake really is that to move on with a think tank even, you need to be 100% something was cleared, and now my opinion is that we can't be certain it was.

Can you rephrase this, or is it just me?

I agree about the carpark, as I said. All GPS tracking and timings lead you there. It is quite close to homes too.

 

[lilmystery]

When I first heard of Leah's disappearance I immediately thought she would sadly be found in the lake, then when she wasn't I started to think she had perhaps met with foul play (from what I have read about her and her character I do not think she would put her family through this anguish voluntarily especially after her brother sadly passing away). Now that we have heard via her missing Facebook page that the lake was not searched by specialist equipment I do think it needs re-looking again. Maybe not for Leah but for evidence.

There is no doubt that Poldive would never have found anything let alone a phone or smaller. If she went willingly, then we can only hope that she deposited something enroute to where ever she went. My guess is the police sent the real search team to the less friendly lakes and the police took the photos at the big lake. MOO

 

[CGMK]

I didn't mention car park. What I am trying to say is that it isn't about likelihood or not likelihood its about the search of North Furzton lake, and being sure that Leah is no way in there undiscovered. Since I brought it up it has also confirmed that no tech was even used to search North Furzton lake at all.

This is what I said that prompted this new discusson on the lake...

"Here is something that bothers me quite a bit. My first thoughts on Leah's disappearance was that she slipped into the lake by accident since it was such a slippery frosty morning, but then they searched the Lake, right and made no find. I would never have considered that Leah could remain undiscovered in the Lake, until I got involved viewing the work of 'Adventures with purpose' over the last year or so. They are' dive/sonar team that constantly make finds that the official teams on the case did not, usually in cold cases. Just very recently they were requested to search for a freshly missing 16 year old Kiely Rodni in a man made lake, although the lake had been searched already by officially trained sonar dive teams, AWP found her when they did not. The Lake really weren't that big, and this teenager was with her car. I Don't know.. I just feel like maybe the skill set of sonar searches here in the UK could be over estimated also."

 

[lilmystery]

I think it is universally agreed that the police did not use any serious sonar on Furzton Lake. Even though they used big time operators in dozens of other lakes within their jurisdiction. I never thought she fell in the lake. People have in the past but only when they were munted.

 

[CGMK]

It was a first thought upon hearing on the radio because of the type of day it wa in regards to slipping in the lake. Before knowing absolutely anything else about Leah. But still, that don't matter now. I don't think it should be 'cleared' I did live on North Furzton for 13 years so I know the lake well. Ah thats the whole point, that big time operators are not as skilled as we think.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I think she got to the car park and either willingly or unwillingly entered a vehicle and was taken away from the area.

I don't discount the lake, but I find it more likely she left the scene, unseen, because she was in a vehicle.

This is what I think too.

 

[WiseOwl]

I too believe that Leah was taken away in a vehicle.

I also believe that this was something the TVP overlooked when they viewed video footage around the time she disappeared. I think they were looking for Leah being in the area on foot instead of checking potential vehicles she might have been in that morning.

By the time they realised what potentially might have happened to Leah, all footage from that morning had probably been wiped.

All MOO.

 

[Cherwell]

I think she got to the car park and either willingly or unwillingly entered a vehicle and was taken away from the area.
I don't discount the lake, but I find it more likely she left the scene, unseen, because she was in a vehicle.

It's far and away the most likely, and I think she went willingly, trusting the driver. Any kind of force or coercion would have attracted attention.

 

[Atoz]

It's far and away the most likely, and I think she went willingly, trusting the driver. Any kind of force or coercion would have attracted attention.

Yeah I concur. I think it all revolves around her illicit lover who perhaps was arranged to be married or already was? I'm perfectly happy to believe that the lover didn't kill her or even have any say in the matter. But I suspect there were some people related to that lover that did not like the boat being rocked and took matters into their own hands.

I think she willingly got into a car, perhaps a taxi, thinking that it was destined to a meeting with her lover to sort out their differences. But it turned out that the driver of the vehicle had very different plans.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

Yes, I agree with you, Atoz.

 

[HollyHunter9]

Yeah I concur. I think it all revolves around her illicit lover who perhaps was arranged to be married or already was? I'm perfectly happy to believe that the lover didn't kill her or even have any say in the matter. But I suspect there were some people related to that lover that did not like the boat being rocked and took matters into their own hands.

I think she willingly got into a car, perhaps a taxi, thinking that it was destined to a meeting with her lover to sort out their differences. But it turned out that the driver of the vehicle had very different plans.

I agree with this too

 

[Officer Dibble]

Yeah I concur. I think it all revolves around her illicit lover who perhaps was arranged to be married or already was? I'm perfectly happy to believe that the lover didn't kill her or even have any say in the matter. But I suspect there were some people related to that lover that did not like the boat being rocked and took matters into their own hands.

I think she willingly got into a car, perhaps a taxi, thinking that it was destined to a meeting with her lover to sort out their differences. But it turned out that the driver of the vehicle had very different plans.

This is how I see it too. Thanks for sharing. JMO MOO

 

[WiseOwl]

I agree with what posters on this thread have been saying recently.

I think that whatever happened at the Travelodge a couple of weeks earlier was the crux of the matter, I think that Mr X told Leah it was over between the two of them.

The TVP said that Leah had seemed stressed at work just before she went missing, and I think this break-up was the cause of her stress.

We know she went out the evening before she went missing between 6.00 - 7.15 pm, I reckon this was to either meet up with Mr X somewhere (car park at Premier Inn maybe), or found somewhere quiet out of the house where she could phone him (so her parents couldn't hear the conversation at home).

Two likely scenarios are that either Leah had learnt about Mr X's upcoming arranged marriage and had threatened to blow the gaff on him, to his future wife, his family, work colleagues, etc. Or that possibly she was pregnant, and again had said she would tell everybody - possibly the following day.

This would of left very little time for Mr X to do anything about it, so he had to resort to drastic action.

The following morning Leah was, to all intents and purposes, on her way to work as usual. She recieved a message on her phone to say 'meet in Premier Inn car park' or something like that. When she got there not Mr X but someone she knew, a friend of his, maybe even a taxi driver she knew, told her to get in. Trusting them she did, then was spirited away.

Leah left her home around 8.00 that morning, was seen on CCTV at Buzzacott Lane at 8.15, witness sighting at TeleTubby Hill at 8.20. From there it takes 14 minutes to walk to the car park at the Premier Inn, which would place the time at 8.34.

8.34 was exactly the time her phone was switched off.

All MOO.

 

[Onetruesaxon]

I agree with what posters on this thread have been saying recently.

I think that whatever happened at the Travelodge a couple of weeks earlier was the crux of the matter, I think that Mr X told Leah it was over between the two of them.

The TVP said that Leah had seemed stressed at work just before she went missing, and I think this break-up was the cause of her stress.

We know she went out the evening before she went missing between 6.00 - 7.15 pm, I reckon this was to either meet up with Mr X somewhere (car park at Premier Inn maybe), or found somewhere quiet out of the house where she could phone him (so her parents couldn't hear the conversation at home).

Two likely scenarios are that either Leah had learnt about Mr X's upcoming arranged marriage and had threatened to blow the gaff on him, to his future wife, his family, work colleagues, etc. Or that possibly she was pregnant, and again had said she would tell everybody - possibly the following day.

This would of left very little time for Mr X to do anything about it, so he had to resort to drastic action.

The following morning Leah was, to all intents and purposes, on her way to work as usual. She recieved a message on her phone to say 'meet in Premier Inn car park' or something like that. When she got there not Mr X but someone she knew, a friend of his, maybe even a taxi driver she knew, told her to get in. Trusting them she did, then was spirited away.

Leah left her home around 8.00 that morning, was seen on CCTV at Buzzacott Lane at 8.15, witness sighting at TeleTubby Hill at 8.20. From there it takes 14 minutes to walk to the car park at the Premier Inn, which would place the time at 8.34.

8.34 was exactly the time her phone was switched off.

All MOO.

Good theory.

I think because the phone goes off so sudden it kind of makes me think it was planned? She got in a car then turned of her phone straight away. Unless the person makes her turn it off ? Or the person grabs her phone and turns it off themselves

I think another good theory is she was talking /meeting someone online and they planned to meet and either run away together or someone takes her and either kills her and hides her body or is keeping her. Gave her a new life ?

 

[WiseOwl]

Good theory.

I think because the phone goes off so sudden it kind of makes me think it was planned? She got in a car then turned of her phone straight away. Unless the person makes her turn it off ? Or the person grabs her phone and turns it off themselves

I think another good theory is she was talking /meeting someone online and they planned to meet and either run away together or someone takes her and either kills her and hides her body or is keeping her. Gave her a new life ?

I think the person probably took the phone off Leah.

If Leah did take off for a new life then why not take clothes or withdraw money from her bank account? It hasn't been touched since she disappeared, which usually means only one thing.

Also why would Leah appear to be on her way to work that morning? Her parents left home around 7.30 am and didn't get back home until around 5.00 pm so she would have had plenty of time to take off that day, to pack a bigger bag for clothing and to make a trip to the bank to withdraw some funds - she could have left at anytime that day so walking to work as normal with her usual rucksack on her back doesn't make sense if she was planning to leave.

All MOO of course!

 

[JuicyLucy]

I agree with what posters on this thread have been saying recently.

I think that whatever happened at the Travelodge a couple of weeks earlier was the crux of the matter, I think that Mr X told Leah it was over between the two of them.

The TVP said that Leah had seemed stressed at work just before she went missing, and I think this break-up was the cause of her stress.

We know she went out the evening before she went missing between 6.00 - 7.15 pm, I reckon this was to either meet up with Mr X somewhere (car park at Premier Inn maybe), or found somewhere quiet out of the house where she could phone him (so her parents couldn't hear the conversation at home).

Two likely scenarios are that either Leah had learnt about Mr X's upcoming arranged marriage and had threatened to blow the gaff on him, to his future wife, his family, work colleagues, etc. Or that possibly she was pregnant, and again had said she would tell everybody - possibly the following day.

This would of left very little time for Mr X to do anything about it, so he had to resort to drastic action.

The following morning Leah was, to all intents and purposes, on her way to work as usual. She recieved a message on her phone to say 'meet in Premier Inn car park' or something like that. When she got there not Mr X but someone she knew, a friend of his, maybe even a taxi driver she knew, told her to get in. Trusting them she did, then was spirited away.

Leah left her home around 8.00 that morning, was seen on CCTV at Buzzacott Lane at 8.15, witness sighting at TeleTubby Hill at 8.20. From there it takes 14 minutes to walk to the car park at the Premier Inn, which would place the time at 8.34.

8.34 was exactly the time her phone was switched off.

All MOO.

I'm not a fan of the Mr X theory as you all know, but I think this is a well thought out scenario and I could go along with a lot of it, except that if she had received a message on her regular phone before it was switched off, would it not have been accessible to the police? It's been a while since I've thought about this case, so perhaps I've forgotten some of the detail, but iirc TVP analysed her phone use and messages via the provider and found nothing of any significance.

I definitely agree that if we could get a handle on what the hotel stay a couple of weeks earlier was all about, we would be closer to understanding what happened to Leah. It's a great shame her parents didn't think it was significant enough to mention to the police until the bank statements showed she had lied, as being able to access the cctv from that night and the following morning could have made all the difference imo.

I don't agree that the appearance of going to work as normal rules out her disappearance as voluntary though. If you wanted to disappear and really didn't want to be traced, you would obviously think in terms of witnesses, cctv and bank/phone tracing. Leah was young and supposedly naive, but I don't think any of that's rocket science, particularly if there was any third party at all who knew of her plans or helped her.

JMO

 

[WiseOwl]

I'm not a fan of the Mr X theory as you all know, but I think this is a well thought out scenario and I could go along with a lot of it, except that if she had received a message on her regular phone before it was switched off, would it not have been accessible to the police? It's been a while since I've thought about this case, so perhaps I've forgotten some of the detail, but iirc TVP analysed her phone use and messages via the provider and found nothing of any significance.

I definitely agree that if we could get a handle on what the hotel stay a couple of weeks earlier was all about, we would be closer to understanding what happened to Leah. It's a great shame her parents didn't think it was significant enough to mention to the police until the bank statements showed she had lied, as being able to access the cctv from that night and the following morning could have made all the difference imo.

I don't agree that the appearance of going to work as normal rules out her disappearance as voluntary though. If you wanted to disappear and really didn't want to be traced, you would obviously think in terms of witnesses, cctv and bank/phone tracing. Leah was young and supposedly naive, but I don't think any of that's rocket science, particularly if there was any third party at all who knew of her plans or helped her.

JMO

I take your point about the police analysing Leah's phone, although could it have been WhattsApp she was using? I have read that police can see who is messaging and at what time but they can't read the actual message - do you know if this is true? I will have to research it!

Agree about the Travelodge, such a missed opportunity. The footage from that night would have been extremely interesting.

I also think the police missed a trick when asking for CCTV footage from the day Leah went missing between 8.00 - 11.00 am. She could have been anywhere in Milton Keynes that day, potentially picked up on footage somewhere in a vehicle at a petrol station. a car park, at traffic lights, etc. Limiting footage to just three hours was a mistake.

MOO

 

[JuicyLucy]

I take your point about the police analysing Leah's phone, although could it have been WhattsApp she was using? I have read that police can see who is messaging and at what time but they can't read the actual message - do you know if this is true? I will have to research it!

Agree about the Travelodge, such a missed opportunity. The footage from that night would have been extremely interesting.

I also think the police missed a trick when asking for CCTV footage from the day Leah went missing between 8.00 - 11.00 am. She could have been anywhere in Milton Keynes that day, potentially picked up on footage somewhere in a vehicle at a petrol station. a car park, at traffic lights, etc. Limiting footage to just three hours was a mistake.

MOO

I didn't know either!

Looks like Whatsapp message content isn't retrievable even by Whatsapp, because of the end-to-end encryption they use, but account information may be available for up to 90 days, though whether that would include data about when messages were sent/received by particular identified accounts isn't entirely clear from this: https://faq.whatsapp.com/800085810452992/?locale=en_US (or perhaps it is and I just fell asleep trying to wade through it all) and also whether police requested anything like that within that 90 days isn't known. (If I had to guess, I might guess not.)

So fair do's - she might have been messaged untraceably, given that her actual phone was never retrieved.

Personally, what with the hotel stay and the mystery errand the evening before, I can't shake off a sense that she was planning something and at least had a hand in her disappearance even if she didn't completely control what happened next, so a surprise call on the way to work as normal just doesn't sit right with me - but logically speaking, you may be completely right with your scenario. It certainly ticks a lot of boxes.

JMO

 

[Onetruesaxon]

I think the person probably took the phone off Leah.

If Leah did take off for a new life then why not take clothes or withdraw money from her bank account? It hasn't been touched since she disappeared, which usually means only one thing.

Also why would Leah appear to be on her way to work that morning? Her parents left home around 7.30 am and didn't get back home until around 5.00 pm so she would have had plenty of time to take off that day, to pack a bigger bag for clothing and to make a trip to the bank to withdraw some funds - she could have left at anytime that day so walking to work as normal with her usual rucksack on her back doesn't make sense if she was planning to leave.

All MOO of course!

Well there could be a couple reasons for this .

1. She wanted to make it look like it was all normal, go on her normal walk to put of police. She planned it and knew where all the CCTV was . If she went to train station or bus stop or anywhere else she would be all over CCTV.

2. They both planned it together or the person told her what to do. The person who took her planned it all and she just followed orders. Whoever done it seems like they know what they are doing. It's worked. They ovs done a good job .

Perhaps they told her to leave all her money clothes there on purpose to make it look like a missing person case or perhaps the person has promised her loads of things , ie money, a place to live, a new life. One thing I noticed is she can look much older in pics when she's done up with make up on and much more attractive. She seemed to talk or atleast have alot of older male friends on FB from all over the world.

I think it's most likely she met someone who either killed her and dumped/buried her body somewhere far as she was willing to get into a car or they run away together or he/she/they are keeping her. I feel this was very planned. Was she taken advantage of? Or did they do it together?