Found Deceased UK - Leah Croucher, 19, Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes, 14 Feb 2019 #4

[Skigh]

Has 'County Lines' ever been mentioned on this thread?
Was the lake a 'drop off and pick up point'?

MOO

All sorts have been mentioned over the last 2 years.

 

[Stewlb]

I am fully aware of the timeline and did not think she turned the phone location settings off when she went back out. I knew it was 15mins prior to getting home I just find it a rather big coincidence that both times the phones location was interfered with was near the lake. I'm not local to the area so unaware what other businesses are in the area, perhaps if you are local you could kindly share this information with us? (But hypotheticaly if I was having a secret affair with a colleague and we arranged to meet up I would pick somewhere such as a hotel rather than meeting in macdonalds or somewhere more public for example. IMO)

"I would like to be fairly confident in saying that as they searched the lake with divers, then they would have certainly walked into the hotel and asked if Leah had been seen & possibly viewed the CCTV."

I would like to be fairly confident of this too, however, no where has it been mentioned whether or not the police checked the cctv of the PIH. They have only said they checked hours of footage. I attach the DM article which states the facts around cctv but no mention of PIH

"Despite a wide-scale investigation in which police visited 4,000 properties and reviewed 1,200 hours of CCTV, no trace of her has been found and no one has been arrested in connection with the case."

Leah Croucher: Fears missing teenager 'no longer alive' two years on | Daily Mail Online

"So if she had lied to her parents about where she was going this is why she turned her location service off on her way home and its just a coincidence that it was as Leah passed the lake."

Like @tedtink suggests, it is possible she turned off her location settings to hide it from someone else NOT her parents because if that were the case why did she not turn off her location settings 2 weeks prior when she lied about staying at the Jury Inn hotel on 3rd February? The phone company confirmed the first time her location settings were ever switched off was on her way home on the 14th feb. See articles below.

"On the evening of Saturday February 3, her dad dropped her off outside The Hub's Jury's Inn, where she told him she'd booked a room to spend a 'girlie' night with friends, drinking alcohol and gossiping.
But later it was proved Leah was not with her friends at all. And she didn't go to the Jury's Inn.
Instead she walked to the nearby Travelodge, where she had booked and paid for a room with her bank card."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/do-you-know-who-leah-crouchers-mystery-date-was-milton-keynes-time-last-year-1381158?amp

"But the mobile phone company has confirmed Leah had never turned off her location settings before."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/crime/missing-milton-keynes-leah-croucher-timeline-everything-we-know-so-far-1307616?amp

We may well be barking up the wrong tree with regards to the Premier Inn, but just seems odd to me that phone was interfered with both times around by the lake.
IMO.

Furzton Lake
01908 520200
Google Maps

 

[tedtink]

Brother of missing Leah Croucher is accused of threatening a man the 23-year-old was dating | Daily Mail Online
I'm not sure if I have attached the link correctly. In this article, Leah's brother is quoted as a saying. "groomed and mistreated her. he had MK's finest in his name. He cked with the wrong people" This is all my own opinion. Haydon was not meaning his family with the last sentence. He was referring to a rival drug gang of Mr X and associates who had taken Leah in retaliation for something that had happened. Sort of like a turf war. Maybe Milton Keynes residents would know if that was likely or not.

Grooming, as in being an 'asset' I assume?
It's possible she has been trafficked to another part of the UK.
It does happen and is possibly why Police have released recent photo's.

MOO.

 

[HollyHunter9]

Do think it seems to be turning into a bit of a witch hunt on Mr X, when there could be numerous reasons why Leah disappeared.

Interesting point.

Yes i do think it can come across that way too which is why in most of my posts I have tried to use wording as she met "someone" as I am open to the possibility it may have been a possible stranger abduction/someone else.

* edited to include @Stewlb original quote

 

[Stewlb]

I am fully aware of the timeline and did not think she turned the phone location settings off when she went back out. I knew it was 15mins prior to getting home I just find it a rather big coincidence that both times the phones location was interfered with was near the lake. I'm not local to the area so unaware what other businesses are in the area, perhaps if you are local you could kindly share this information with us? (But hypotheticaly if I was having a secret affair with a colleague and we arranged to meet up I would pick somewhere such as a hotel rather than meeting in macdonalds or somewhere more public for example. IMO)

"I would like to be fairly confident in saying that as they searched the lake with divers, then they would have certainly walked into the hotel and asked if Leah had been seen & possibly viewed the CCTV."

I would like to be fairly confident of this too, however, no where has it been mentioned whether or not the police checked the cctv of the PIH. They have only said they checked hours of footage. I attach the DM article which states the facts around cctv but no mention of PIH

"Despite a wide-scale investigation in which police visited 4,000 properties and reviewed 1,200 hours of CCTV, no trace of her has been found and no one has been arrested in connection with the case."

Leah Croucher: Fears missing teenager 'no longer alive' two years on | Daily Mail Online

"So if she had lied to her parents about where she was going this is why she turned her location service off on her way home and its just a coincidence that it was as Leah passed the lake."

Like @tedtink suggests, it is possible she turned off her location settings to hide it from someone else NOT her parents because if that were the case why did she not turn off her location settings 2 weeks prior when she lied about staying at the Jury Inn hotel on 3rd February? The phone company confirmed the first time her location settings were ever switched off was on her way home on the 14th feb. See articles below.

"On the evening of Saturday February 3, her dad dropped her off outside The Hub's Jury's Inn, where she told him she'd booked a room to spend a 'girlie' night with friends, drinking alcohol and gossiping.
But later it was proved Leah was not with her friends at all. And she didn't go to the Jury's Inn.
Instead she walked to the nearby Travelodge, where she had booked and paid for a room with her bank card."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/do-you-know-who-leah-crouchers-mystery-date-was-milton-keynes-time-last-year-1381158?amp

"But the mobile phone company has confirmed Leah had never turned off her location settings before."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/crime/missing-milton-keynes-leah-croucher-timeline-everything-we-know-so-far-1307616?amp

We may well be barking up the wrong tree with regards to the Premier Inn, but just seems odd to me that phone was interfered with both times around by the lake.
IMO.

Furzton Lake
01908 520200
Google Maps

 

[Skigh]

Grooming, as in being an 'asset' I assume?
It's possible she has been trafficked to another part of the UK.
It does happen and is possibly why Police have released recent photo's.

MOO.

I really do not think we are dealing with a major criminal gang here.

White ,British 19 year olds are not your typical sex trafficking victims.

 

[tedtink]

I really do not think we are dealing with a major criminal gang here.

White ,British 19 year olds are not your typical sex trafficking victims.

I didn't mean 'sex trafficking' though.

It doesn't have to be a major criminal gang, there are many layers involved in 'turf wars' IF that's the case.

MOO

 

[HollyHunter9]

Furzton Lake
01908 520200
Google Maps

Thankyou for this

 

[WiseOwl]

IMO
There is too much emphasis being placed on the Premier Inn on the day of Leah's disappearance and the evening before, The search by the police was all over this area in the very beginning on foot & the helicopter.
I would like to be fairly confident in saying that as they searched the lake with divers, then they would have certainly walked into the hotel and asked if Leah had been seen & possibly viewed the CCTV.
There is also a couple of business premises just south of the hotel that would also likely have CCTV.
They have stated viewing hours & hours of CCTV.
I have attached a copy of the stated times of Leah's disappearance,

I believe from this that Leah's phone location was turned off on her walk home from work as she passed Furzton lake, not when she went back out and for the hour and 15 minutes.
so do find it highly unlikely that she walked back to there after going home and getting changed; it is quite a walk from her home to the hotel...
so if she had lied to her parents about where she was going this is why she turned her location service off on her way home and its just a coincidence that it was as Leah passed the lake.

I do also think from the time off her being seen at Tellytubby Hill and her phone being turned off, yes that is a 14 minute walk to the hotel but that isn't leaving even a minute for a conversation with anyone let alone anything untoward... so again that makes me believe if Leah did meet anyone this was willingly and turned her phone off herself....

Interesting post @Stewlb, good to hear a different perspective on the case!

On the subject of the CCTV, as you say as well as footage from the PI there are other business premises nearby with CCTV too. I think what you're trying to say is that the footage hasn't picked up Leah that morning so the PI car park theory is incorrect. However, if they had indeed viewed footage from that morning then why didn't they spot the unidentified woman who was walking around the lake upset between 9.30 - 11.15? There has never been any footage of this woman shown so presumably they do not have any.

Also you don't believe that Leah went to the Premier Inn on the evening before she disappeared as it is quite a walk (30 minutes). What about if she got a lift there or back? Or a taxi? And if she didn't go there what's your theory on where she possibly could have gone?

 

[Skigh]

I didn't mean 'sex trafficking' though.

It doesn't have to be a major criminal gang, there are many layers involved in 'turf wars' IF that's the case.

MOO

I honesty do not think drugs or turf wars feature in Leah being missing.
When Haydon said she had been groomed by Mr X I think he meant he was emotionally grooming her into having sex with him.
I can even see him doing for a bet to see if he could get her into bed with him.

 

[Stewlb]

Interesting post @Stewlb, good to hear a different perspective on the case!

On the subject of the CCTV, as you say as well as footage from the PI there are other business premises nearby with CCTV too. I think what you're trying to say is that the footage hasn't picked up Leah that morning so the PI car park theory is incorrect. However, if they had indeed viewed footage from that morning then why didn't they spot the unidentified woman who was walking around the lake upset between 9.30 - 11.15? There has never been any footage of this woman shown so presumably they do not have any.

Also you don't believe that Leah went to the Premier Inn on the evening before she disappeared as it is quite a walk (30 minutes). What about if she got a lift there or back? Or a taxi? And if she didn't go there what's your theory on where she possibly could have gone?

I believe that the information regarding the woman upset at the lake was some months later, so perhaps the footage had been given back to the owners, not sure if they would keep all the footage indefinitely.. also was it actually confirmed it was Leah? or was the appeal for the person to come forward so they could be sure?

I'm only disputing if Leah walked past the hotel on her way home; why would she continue home to change (jogging bottoms & T shirt) just to go back to the same spot? surely if she was meeting someone there she would of taken a change of clothes to work and changed at the hotel.
There is also a pub 5 minutes from her home.. I don't believe if she was meeting up with a love interest she would of changed into jogging bottoms etc.
I have no theory as to where she went the evening before or why she had turned off her location service or felt the need to lie as to her whereabouts.
I do think a lot of information has come through later down the line not due to lack of investigation but to the fact that Leah was 19 and an adult when she went missing and the laws do protect your privacy, it is not illegal to go missing and start again elsewhere, just find it very sad that in this case it all feels as if information has come to light too far down the line for any to be sure what day, or where they saw Leah.

 

[WiseOwl]

I believe that the information regarding the woman upset at the lake was some months later, so perhaps the footage had been given back to the owners, not sure if they would keep all the footage indefinitely.. also was it actually confirmed it was Leah? or was the appeal for the person to come forward so they could be sure?

I'm only disputing if Leah walked past the hotel on her way home; why would she continue home to change (jogging bottoms & T shirt) just to go back to the same spot? surely if she was meeting someone there she would of taken a change of clothes to work and changed at the hotel.
There is also a pub 5 minutes from her home.. I don't believe if she was meeting up with a love interest she would of changed into jogging bottoms etc.
I have no theory as to where she went the evening before or why she had turned off her location service or felt the need to lie as to her whereabouts.
I do think a lot of information has come through later down the line not due to lack of investigation but to the fact that Leah was 19 and an adult when she went missing and the laws do protect your privacy, it is not illegal to go missing and start again elsewhere, just find it very sad that in this case it all feels as if information has come to light too far down the line for any to be sure what day, or where they saw Leah.

You're quite right, at Leah's age it is not illegal to go missing. However, do you not think it strange that Leah left without touching any money in her bank account or taking extra clothing? Surely if you wanted to start a new life these are the two things you would do? And where did she go, she didn't drive and the police said they checked footage from any possible bus routes and the train station that day and no sign of Leah. And it seems unlikely that Leah would just walk for miles and miles without being picked up on any CCTV.

The lack of footage after 8.13 suggests that the most logical solution is that she got into a vehicle and was driven off. But by whom?

 

[Kiranerys]

I think it was stated that her brothers girlfriend at the time also worked at the same place, and also we know there is CCTV on entry in their workplace.. maybe Mr X alibi checked out?
I think there was a lot more going on at the time which is maybe why the police didn't investigate Mr X any further, that we know of anyway....
Do think it seems to be turning into a bit of a witch hunt on Mr X, when there could be numerous reasons why Leah disappeared.

Personally I think that's because Mr X refused to co-operate with the police. He refused to give them access to the messages between him and Leah and allegedly he deleted them all. If he has nothing to hide why wouldn't he co-operate?. I mean its surely obvious to his wife, family and co workers that he was having an affair with Leah so what does he have to lose by helping the police instead of refusing?

 

[Scorpiette]

To me, it looks like Leah has her white headphones in her ears at 8.13 am on the 15th. To me that suggests she's perhaps listening to music possibly. So for her phone to be "switched off' at 8.34 am suggests to me this was due to someone else's action, rather than her switching it off. I would have thought she would have continued with her headphones in until she reached work. Unless she met someone along the way...

 

[Spiderplant]

Grooming, as in being an 'asset' I assume?
It's possible she has been trafficked to another part of the UK.
It does happen and is possibly why Police have released recent photo's.

MOO.

I believe the recent ‘what Leah may look like now’ photos were from local media not the police. Link up thread.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

(DCI Andy Howard) adds: "She was anxious about going to work that week. Her grandad was ill in hospital... She was disclosing some of these worries to her friends...”

Leah Croucher might still be alive on the second anniversary of her disappearance from Milton Keynes 15 Feb 2021 Home | Milton Keynes Citizen.

Is there any way Leah could have found out past 15 Feb 2019 how her grandad was without directly contacting family or friends, or the hospital? Eg would it have been on a public part of facebook? I don’t particularly recall this but I wasn’t following so closely the first couple of weeks, partly because I thought she would be found. You don’t go from worrying about grandad to voluntarily disappearing without some means of checking on him, surely, even at that early stage.

 

[HollyHunter9]

(DCI Andy Howard) adds: "She was anxious about going to work that week. Her grandad was ill in hospital... She was disclosing some of these worries to her friends...”

Leah Croucher might still be alive on the second anniversary of her disappearance from Milton Keynes 15 Feb 2021 Home | Milton Keynes Citizen.

Is there any way Leah could have found out past 15 Feb 2019 how her grandad was without directly contacting family or friends, or the hospital? Eg would it have been on a public part of facebook? I don’t particularly recall this but I wasn’t following so closely the first couple of weeks, partly because I thought she would be found. You don’t go from worrying about grandad to voluntarily disappearing without some means of checking on him, surely, even at that early stage.

That's a really good point actually! I have no idea. But another thought regarding that, is when her brother sadly passed away would that not have been equally upsetting? Enough to entice you home to attend his funeral? It was in MSM about her brother but no where has the health of her grandfather (until now) been mentioned as a way of reaching out to her.

This article on the 1 year anniversary in 2020 mentions her brothers passing but no where does it mention her grandfather.

'John Croucher said: “Two lives seem to have disappeared. My son has died, my daughter is still missing, we don’t know if she’s alive or dead. My family is destroyed. Stop being selfish, please tell the police what you know.”
The family’s appeal came as Thames Valley police revealed that a reward for any information about Leah’s whereabouts had been doubled to £10,000.
Officers searching for her have visited more than 4,000 homes in Milton Keynes and deployed specialist teams, drones and helicopters.
Marine units and dive teams have conducted searches of lakes across the town but police say they have found no items relating to the missing woman.
DCI Andy Howard, the senior investigating officer, said he “cannot preclude” the theory that Croucher was physically taken or influenced into going missing.'

Leah Croucher's parents renew appeal a year after she vanished

 

[HollyHunter9]

To me, it looks like Leah has her white headphones in her ears at 8.13 am on the 15th. To me that suggests she's perhaps listening to music possibly. So for her phone to be "switched off' at 8.34 am suggests to me this was due to someone else's action, rather than her switching it off. I would have thought she would have continued with her headphones in until she reached work. Unless she met someone along the way...

Also if she was wearing ear buds she might not of heard someone sneak up behind her. IMO.

 

[WiseOwl]

(DCI Andy Howard) adds: "She was anxious about going to work that week. Her grandad was ill in hospital... She was disclosing some of these worries to her friends...”

Leah Croucher might still be alive on the second anniversary of her disappearance from Milton Keynes 15 Feb 2021 Home | Milton Keynes Citizen.

Is there any way Leah could have found out past 15 Feb 2019 how her grandad was without directly contacting family or friends, or the hospital? Eg would it have been on a public part of facebook? I don’t particularly recall this but I wasn’t following so closely the first couple of weeks, partly because I thought she would be found. You don’t go from worrying about grandad to voluntarily disappearing without some means of checking on him, surely, even at that early stage.

Very good point, from what we know of Leah she was a kind, caring girl so why would she just disappear of her own accord when her grandad was ill in hospital? Again it just doesn't make sense.

Also the sentence before the "She was anxious about going to work that week" one was "There is evidence there was a relationship where her feelings were not requited - perhaps an unrequited love."

Put those two sentences together and you have Leah not wanting to go into work because of relationship issues with 'X' - IMO of course!

 

[Miss_French]

I'm just clutching at straws really. I'm sure it's been looked into and phone being switched off was deliberate. I wonder if there is away to check other numbers that were connected to the same mast and then location switched off around the same times.

The police can ask mobile phone service providers solely for information on specific numbers, those of victim, suspect or witness. For privacy reasons they can't request a complete data dump of every number connected to a mast at a certain time.