We are today (14/10) providing a further update in relation to the Leah Croucher murder investigation from Thames Valley Police head of crime, Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter.
I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like for Leah’s parents and family, for three years and eight months not knowing what has happened to their daughter and loved one.
All of the investigation team who are working on this case are dedicated to finding the truth for Leah’s family.
I want to recap on the developments this week since Monday 10 October, and provide a number of updates in relation to our investigation, which, as I’m sure you can appreciate is complex and fast moving.
On Monday at about 6.30pm, police were contacted with information about a property in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, Milton Keynes.
We promptly attended and a number of items were located inside the property.
These items included a rucksack and personal possessions belonging to Leah, who was reported missing on 15 February 2019.
Sadly, human remains were also found inside the property close to the rucksack.
As a result of our findings, Thames Valley Police changed its investigation from a missing person’s investigation to a murder investigation.
As I stated, this investigation is moving at pace, and as such I can share with you some further updates today.
At the very outset of our investigation into the disappearance of Leah, we assigned to this case our most experienced and capable team of detectives, led by a senior investigating officer. This attests to our determination to find Leah.
Thereafter, we immediately and thoroughly followed every reasonable line of enquiry. We committed hundreds of officers and staff to the search for Leah; reviewing 1,200 hours of CCTV, conducting more than 4,000 house-to-house inquiries, searching lakes, open land and woodland, we have had sustained and significant media appeals, and offered several public rewards for information.
But sadly, the call from the member of the public that we received on Monday was the first occasion that information was made available to enable the investigation team to provide any link between that address in Loxbeare Drive and Leah.
Prior to this, in the course of visiting those 4,000 properties, I can confirm number 2 Loxbeare Drive was visited on at least two occasions. However, there was no response at the house.
Therefore, we dropped a leaflet through the letterbox, requesting a call back if the occupants of the property had any information. In addition to the house to house enquiries, we also visited the property to scope what CCTV was available in the area.
Since we were alerted to this property on Monday evening, we have established that the property is owned by someone who lives overseas and rarely visits the UK.
It is now known that the owner was not in the UK at the time Leah was reported missing and the house was unoccupied when police attended on these enquiries.
Today, I am able to confirm that we have nominated a suspect in this case. His name is Neil Maxwell.
Neil Maxwell
However, Maxwell was found dead on 20 April 2019 having taken his own life.
It is unusual to name a suspect, but we have also learned this week that during the time when Leah went missing, and whilst the owner of the property was not in the UK, Maxwell was the only person to have keys to the property.
Maxwell had been employed by the home owner to carry out some property maintenance at the house. We now know that Maxwell had keys to this property from November 2018.
Whilst Maxwell has been nominated as a suspect, this does not mean he is guilty of any offence. We will keep an open mind, and our detailed investigation will seek to gather sufficient evidence to establish the truth. This may or may not implicate or exonerate Maxwell or any other persons from the investigation.
Maxwell has previous convictions for sexual offences against females and was wanted in connection with a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell in November 2018.
The sexual assault was reported to Bedfordshire Police on 29 November 2018 and the case was transferred to Thames Valley Police the same day.
We first attempted to arrest Maxwell in connection with the sexual assault the following day, 30 November 2018, at an address in central Milton Keynes, but Maxwell was not present.
During this time, we established that Maxwell was at an unknown location in Scotland at one stage, but further arrest attempts were continually made throughout the UK at various different addresses.
Maxwell knew he was wanted in connection with the sexual assault and was travelling across the UK and making concerted efforts to evade arrest, including using false names and changing his mobile phone and vehicles.
He is likely to have known that he would be returning to prison if he was arrested and convicted.
Thames Valley police shared Maxwell’s name with other police forces on the Police National Computer in December 2018.
We also published a public wanted appeal to find Maxwell on 4 April 2019, but Maxwell was found dead on 20 April 2019 having taken his own life.
A significant amount of enquiries were made nationally to locate Maxwell and these included 18 attempts to arrest him.
In April 2019, when we published our wanted appeal regarding Maxwell in connection with the sexual assault in Newport Pagnell, and during our entire investigation to find Leah, there has been no direct link between Maxwell and Leah until Monday this week when we were called about the property in Loxbeare Drive.
If Maxwell were alive today, we would be seeking his arrest in connection with this investigation, so he could be interviewed under caution to provide his account.
As such, today I am appealing to anyone who had contact with Maxwell between November 2018 and his death in April 2019 or anyone who has information that might help our inquiry to contact Thames Valley Police.
If you have any information please contact us by visiting our website or calling 101, quoting ‘Op Innsbruck’.
If you do not wish to speak directly with police, you can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The property in Loxbeare Drive is a complex and challenging scene, and I want to let local residents know that it could be a number of weeks before we are able to conclude our forensic examinations.
Therefore, we expect this investigation to be protracted, but we will update the public and the media when we can during our investigation.
The outpouring of emotion and support to Leah’s family from the community has been overwhelming.
Leah’s family continue to be supported by our specially trained officers, and our thoughts are and always will be with them.
The Senior Investigating Officer visited Leah’s family this morning and fully briefed them on everything I have just told you.
They have specifically asked me to pass on the following message:
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank Thames Valley Police for all their efforts over the past three years and eight months.
"We believe that they could not have done anything differently, they have always approached every conversation with dignity and compassion.
"As a family, we ask that everyone respects our privacy as well as our immediate family, at what is one of the most difficult times of our lives."
KB
Notes to editor:
Neil Maxwell's date of birth was 9 February 1970.
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