Found Deceased UK - Leah Croucher - Emerson Valley - Milton Keynes - #6

[Nikynoo]

No sure whether Leah was killed in the house. Need to wait for results of forensic examination.

Owners - police need clarification as to whether the owners had occupied the property after Leah's disappearance. It is possible that they had, but police need to firm up.

 

[jdqm]

Still doesn’t link everything up though in the weeks/days prior, the hotel stay, the location turned off the night before. And then the very next day grabbed by a stranger. Massive coincidence IMO

I imagine most of us do and say stuff that would look very suspicious and weird if we then disappeared into thin air.

 

[SpursGyal]

I don't think him taking his own life, soon after she went missing, meaning they have lived through almost 4 years of hell while she has been missing, and losing Hayden, is justice. He took the cowards way out.

how so? He's dead.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

So either Maxwell did this and killed himself a few weeks later. Or she was moved there at a later date. I really, really hope the post mortem sheds some light on how Leah was killed, and perhaps more importantly, where.

 

[infinit]

It might be controversial, but I feel some of the criticism of the Police on the Facebook live stream was somewhat unfair. Particularly pre-Covid, a great number of properties will be unoccupied during working hours. When the owners weren't even in the UK and there was nothing else pointing to the house I don't know on what basis they could have even argued for a search warrant.

 

[jdqm]

It might be controversial, but I feel some of the criticism of the Police on the Facebook live stream was somewhat unfair. Particularly pre-Covid, a great number of properties will be unoccupied during working hours. When the owners weren't even in the UK and there was nothing else pointing to the house I don't know on what basis they could have even argued for a search warrant.

With the timings, particularly his suicide a couple of months later, I’m a bit surprised that known local sex offender wasn’t investigated enough to know he’d been working as a cleaner in a large, empty house a stone’s throw from where she was last seen, to be honest.

 

[WiseOwl]

Police issue update on Leah Croucher murder probe - live updates

Follow our live blog for the latest updates from the conference

www.buckinghamshirelive.com

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I think people are more aggrieved that police never made this a murder investigation, they let it coast along as a missing persons case forever.

Her brother knew she hadn’t simply run away, her parents knew, we knew…

 

[BananaDetective]

I wonder if he somehow had links to the previous tenant of that house (who was also jailed for sex offenses).

 

[NancyDrew123]

I don’t know, something doesn’t feel totally right about this. Are we assuming now that if someone is a sex offender they are also a murderer? Equally as evil crimes, but it is a different crime and I feel like this whole case felt personal, not a random attack. ALSO doesn’t sit right with me that the property owners hired a convicted sex offender to conduct maintenance on their house.

 

[Angel_nix]

Investigation continues as to whether she was held captive.

I wasn't expecting a suspect to be named, but there is still a lot to be unpicked here. Still no answers as to where she was the night before, the hotel stay etc. I believe they said no current known link between Leah and Maxwell. Hopefully they find her phone and are able to retrieve some data from it to help.

The saddest part of that was the parents statement, basically, please leave us alone. I really hope that in all this week, they've not been being harassed or pushed for comments.

 

[infinit]

With the timings, particularly his suicide a couple of months later, I’m a bit surprised that known local sex offender wasn’t investigated enough to know he’d been working as a cleaner in a large, empty house a stone’s throw from where she was last seen, to be honest.

I wonder if it was a simple cash-in-hand job with very little to tie back to it. I wonder how the owner and him came to know each other. Perhaps in time as the investigation advances they'll find out more and explore if there are learnings to be taken.

 

[Moirasrosegarden]

Reading the article, IMO, this is the chain of events.

2 estate agents enter the property, at some point look up and see damage to a ceiling. Call a third who brings a ladder so that the 'damage' to the ceiling can be investigated.

It could be that the ceiling ( or a small part of it) had actually collapsed, whereby the backpack and other items fall to the floor beneath, but that is just speculation on my part.

Still doesn’t link everything up though in the weeks/days prior, the hotel stay, the location turned off the night before. And then the very next day grabbed by a stranger. Massive coincidence IMO

I think it is just that sadly; a coincidence.

The press conference was so shocking, not what I was expecting at all.

Did they say where the suspect was found dead as I missed that bit?

 

[daisydew124]

I wonder if he somehow had links to the previous tenant of that house (who was also jailed for sex offenses).

Wait sorry is Maxwell a different person to the ‘paedophile’ that was being referred to in the press yday?

 

[Kinners_D]

With the timings, particularly his suicide a couple of months later, I’m a bit surprised that known local sex offender wasn’t investigated enough to know he’d been working as a cleaner in a large, empty house a stone’s throw from where she was last seen, to be honest.

I'm not sure how they could know he worked there, an odd job man wouldn't leave any kind of paper trail so there is no way to trace him to having been there, also if the owners had no idea of his previous convictions then there would be no need to let the police know because there would be nothing to tell.

 

[GML1981]

Wait sorry is Maxwell a different person to the ‘paedophile’ that was being referred to in the press yday?

Yes 2 different people

 

[Moirasrosegarden]

Wait sorry is Maxwell a different person to the ‘paedophile’ that was being referred to in the press yday?

Yes

 

[Angel_nix]

I don’t know, something doesn’t feel totally right about this. Are we assuming now that if someone is a sex offender they are also a murderer? Equally as evil crimes, but it is a different crime and I feel like this whole case felt personal, not a random attack. ALSO doesn’t sit right with me that the property owners hired a convicted sex offender to conduct maintenance on their house.

I feel similar to you, there's just something unopportunistic about it.

I'm not sure that the owners would've necessarily done background checks, anyone can claim to be in property maintenance with a Facebook page or fancy website. If they live overseas, they may have been totally unaware and am sure are feeling dreadful about everything. I feel for the owners of the property.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Recap of developments from 10th October. Complex investigation.
Monday 6.30 police contacted. Police attended items located inside. Rucksack and personal possessions of Leah. Human remains found inside property close to rucksack. This made it a murder investigation.

Lots of back side covering.

Confirmed address was visited on 2 occassions but no response.

They have established that property owned by someone overseas. Owner not in UK when Leah went missing.

They have nominated a suspect Neil Maxwell. Found dead 20 April 2019 having taken his own life. Maxwell was the only person to have keys to that property. Engaged by owner to do work on the house and had keys from November 2018. 29 November 2018 accussed of sexual assault. Made concerted effort to avoid arrest.

DBM. Double post

 

[daisydew124]

Yes 2 different people

Gosh not sure what to say in that case then. Will have a proper watch of the press conference after work