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

[jdqm]

Just thinking out loud, it sounds like the belongings were found before the body. It doesn't sound like it was the body or a smell etc that raised the alarm. The Police have then probably came in and started tearing the house apart. If it was cleaners as reported in MSM, I wonder where they would have been? The cleaners aren't going to be pulling up the floorboards or the like, which might suggest the belongings were more out in the open? Which has potential implications.

First time poster here - first time I’ve noticed something useful to a discussion! There’s a bit in the Guardian (Forensic experts join Leah Croucher inquiry at Milton Keynes house | UK news | The Guardian) that shines some light on this, but if anything makes the whole thing even weirder:

“A tipoff from a member of the public on Monday led detectives to the property where “items of concern” were found, DCS Ian Hunter said on Wednesday.”

“Police began searching the house on Monday and launched a murder inquiry when they found a rucksack and other personal items belonging to Croucher.”

So it seems what was found initially was neither Leah’s belongings or a body, but some other ‘items of concern’ that were serious enough to warrant immediately calling the police. They then seem to have found the belongings in their search and presumably ripped the place apart after linking them to LC.

What I can’t work out is what these ‘items of concern’ might be, and why on earth they’d be left in a place/way/state that would alarm a cleaner enough to call the police, when someone appears to have gone to the extent of hiding a body in a house in a way where the smell hasn’t been an immediate giveaway.

It’s completely bizarre, although it’s hard to see how it can be someone who doesn’t have very close links to that property, so the net has just got a lot, lot tighter.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Hi everyone, thank you for all of your (as ever) really helpful and thoughtful posts; to say I was shocked when I saw the news is an understatement. My thoughts are with Leah's family and friends, who have been dealing with the unimaginable.

I imagine that the pool of people who had keys to the house at the time Leah disappeared or a means of otherwise accessing it is extremely small.

Any of the renting tennants could potentially have given a key to the neighbours, as often happens. In my experience my flat-mate gave our female neighbour a key to our house to let her cat out when she was away (before I moved in) and years down the line the male husband neighbour used that key to sneak into our flat and offend in my flat mate's bedroom. So in that case any of the neighbours could 'potentially' have had a key - but whether they own up to that is another thing. Tennant could claim 'the neighbour had a key' and the neighbour could claim 'what key? Never had a key'. Unless other neighbours knew about it that part would be difficult to prove. JMO MOO

 

[Kaykedi]

He worked at a finance company, not in lettings.

Unless he's changed jobs since 2019?

He worked at a finance company, not in lettings.

Unless he's changed jobs since 2019?

 

[Kaykedi]

Gonna put it out there: I do not think LC was at 2 Loxbeare in the immediate timeframe following her disappearance. Just my opinion.

Why not?

 

[miss-scarlett23]

I read an article he was released Sept 2019 so after leahs disappearance (still trying to find the link)

Additionally is a peadophile/man with interests in a young teenagers going to be interested in a 19 year old?

Leah looked a lot younger than 19

 

[Officer Dibble]

I mentioned on the last thread before it was confirmed that the owners were Kuwait-based that in my area of MK there is a big big population buying up summerhouses as it was being called in the press from UAE and similar areas. Some properties close to me have been purchased by owners from those regions and so far have never had anybody living in them, no furniture, never seen anyone come or go, no nothing. So I don’t find it strange that it may have no planned visits in all that time.
However I concur that whom ever did have access would surely assume it would be discovered very soon unless they had specific knowledge there was no intention of use at all.
There surely must be DNA on her possessions, so why weren’t they destroyed?
It’s all very baffling

Unless the perp (whoever they are) was incarcerated in prison or had died or stuck in hospital and couldn't go back to move evidence. JMO MOO

 

[Alyce]

First time poster here - first time I’ve noticed something useful to a discussion! There’s a bit in the Guardian (Forensic experts join Leah Croucher inquiry at Milton Keynes house | UK news | The Guardian) that shines some light on this, but if anything makes the whole thing even weirder:

“A tipoff from a member of the public on Monday led detectives to the property where “items of concern” were found, DCS Ian Hunter said on Wednesday.”

“Police began searching the house on Monday and launched a murder inquiry when they found a rucksack and other personal items belonging to Croucher.”

So it seems what was found initially was neither Leah’s belongings or a body, but some other ‘items of concern’ that were serious enough to warrant immediately calling the police. They then seem to have found the belongings in their search and presumably ripped the place apart after linking them to LC.

What I can’t work out is what these ‘items of concern’ might be, and why on earth they’d be left in a place/way/state that would alarm a cleaner enough to call the police, when someone appears to have gone to the extent of hiding a body in a house in a way where the smell hasn’t been an immediate giveaway.

It’s completely bizarre, although it’s hard to see how it can be someone who doesn’t have very close links to that property, so the net has just got a lot, lot tighter.

i think it’s just the way it has been written. It could be interpreted in the way you are reading it, or it could just mean that the rucksack and personal belongings were the items of concern.

 

[Willowy]

Any of the renting tennants could potentially have given a key to the neighbours, as often happens. In my experience my flat-mate gave our female neighbour a key to our house to let her cat out when she was away (before I moved in) and years down the line the male husband neighbour used that key to sneak into our flat and offend in my flat mate's bedroom. So in that case any of the neighbours could 'potentially' have had a key - but whether they own up to that is another thing. Tennant could claim 'the neighbour had a key' and the neighbour could claim 'what key? Never had a key'. Unless other neighbours knew about it that part would be difficult to prove. JMO MOO

Good point. Giving keys to neighbours is very common if you're away from the property a lot, or it's a holiday home.

 

[Officer Dibble]

"One neighbour said:' It has been empty for quite a few months. I never knew the people who owned the house, but like a lot of properties it was a family from Kuwait.

'We would see a gardener at the property occasionally, but no one else. We did not speak to the people.' "

Police find Leah Croucher's rucksack in house in Milton Keynes

Police have launched a murder investigation after finding human remains in their search for missing teenager Leah Croucher - who vanished in Milton Keynes over three and a half years ago.

www.dailymail.co.uk

You'd also think the heating would be put on over the winter, checks for burst pipes and leaks, gas safety (as mentioned in this thread), loose slates, integrity of double glazing...

Can the garden be accessed the the side of the house or is the garden only accessed by entering the house?

 

[truthistheresomewher]

Good point. Giving keys to neighbours is very common if you're away from the property a lot, or it's a holiday home.

100% I have 4 neighbours keys in this regard

 

[jdqm]

i think it’s just the way it has been written. It could be interpreted in the way you are reading it, or it could just mean that the rucksack and personal belongings were the items of concern.

Yep, that’s true reading it back, and it could be that the tip off was just as simple as ‘it smells really, really bad in here’. But then it’s been so long, you’d think someone must have stepped foot in that house during that time before now.

It’s very hard to reconcile what we know is true here, it doesn’t all logically fit together at all. Presumably you can discount the owners (don’t think you’d send in some cleaners if you knew there was a dead body in your house), but it has to be someone who both had access to this house at a specific time in February 2019 and knew it was going to remain empty for at least some period of time (maybe it being three and a half years was just blind luck because of Covid). You’d think that would be a very small number of people.

Just really strange.

 

[WiseOwl]

I've made the assumption that the police were called when Leah's rucksack and possessions were found in the house perhaps through renovations. Some reports suggested that police were looking into sections of the ceiling so maybe they were put under floorboards.

I was guessing that after these were found and recognised the police came and to carry out an in depth investigation and found her remains, sadly, in the garden. Which would explain the sectioning off of the garden by forensics.

This would also explain why nothing was uncovered or detected for some time.

Leah's remains and her possessions were found inside the property:

Police say forensic officers will spend several weeks examining Milton Keynes house where human remains and Leah Croucher possessions were found

The items were found inside the house, not in the garden, police confirm

www.miltonkeynes.co.uk

"Specialist teams and forensic officers remain at the scene in Loxbeare Drive where, very sadly, human remains were located. Items and personal possessions of Leah were also located inside the address, following information received to Thames Valley Police by a member of the public on Monday evening. We are dealing with a difficult and challenging scene and are conducting our investigations thoroughly and with dignity, ensuring that all of our actions are carried out in a respectful manner."

 

[Officer Dibble]

I took a look at historic satellite pics of 2 Loxbeare Drive today, some interesting food for thought.

Picture taken on 7 May 2018 shows the grass in the garden at *roughly* the same state as in March 2020, suggesting somebody was either resident or present in the property between those two dates (yes it's a fairly long timespan).

BUT the picture taken 9 June 2021 shows a very overgrown garden, allowing us to perhaps conclude that at some point between March 2020 and June 2021 the property was empty.

Perhaps it's the case - and this is purely IMO and speculation - that someone with awareness and/or access to 2 Loxbeare could have moved LC's remains to the property during that window? Noticed that it was abandoned, overgrown, and took the opportunity?

Perhaps someone who had to move out their own home and needed to move the evidence? Though surely the perp would just dispose of the bag etc if that was the case? JMO

 

[Officer Dibble]

interestingly - there was a MK property services company going from 2016 to 2020. directors were based at 6 loxbeare drive which is unofficially for sale on a website right now. the company dissolved in 2020. they did plastering, painting, other construction based activities. thoughts from googling around; references to area going downhill - trafficking. the rural property / barn photo - the owner was interviewed and mentioned people trafficking, there is an article from 2019? about facebook detectives saying police aren't doing enough and case is related to people trafficking, family worried about mr. x associates as much as mr. x himself, not hard to imagine uses to which many often empty properties could be put. thinking out loud..............................

The first part of your post here - someone posted a REPORT TO POLICE anything you know earlier with a link. I think you should post this there. JMO

 

[Officer Dibble]

My assumption was that the body was buried in the garden. No odour. But her rucksack and possessions were found in the house.

I assumed that too but MSM is confusing the issue for me.

 

[Outside the box]

The owner of the vehicle on the drive has some questions to answer..

 

[Cherwell]

The owner of the vehicle on the drive has some questions to answer..
View attachment 373073

Presumably that would be the cleaner or plumber or handyman or whoever it was who made the discovery.

 

[LucyRocket]

I can’t comprehend that Leah has been there all this time while the sun has risen and set 1332 times. The passage of time is so huge, while for her, time had stood still. And this fact (below) makes it feel all the more poignant. I’m glad that it wasn’t any more days, and that she can now be with her family again.

Someone knew this, every one of those 1332 days, one person knew. Sheesh, that’s some evil.


"There was no response at the property and as such leaflets would have been dropped through the letterbox."

Leah Croucher's parents lay flowers at house where remains were found

Claire and John Croucher lay flowers at house in Milton Keynes where human remains have been found. The site is minutes from where Leah vanished on her way to work in 2019.

news.sky.com

 

[Outside the box]

Presumably that would be the cleaner or plumber or handyman or whoever it was who made the discovery.

I think it's been there for a while, I'll check from satellite pictures of someone hasn't already.

 

[pedronz06]

when was her phone turned off? Perhaps she only planned to make a quick last minute stop

About 8.34am