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

[Kinners_D]

Was the document addressed to him? Did he register the vehicle in his name at that address or was it registered under a false name at that address?

Addresses to real name of Neil Maxwell, not sure about address but if it's a vehicle related document it would have to come from a DVLA lookup, so he would have to have registered his car either at the crime scene house or at a nearby address, either way there's some cognitive dissonance needed to get close to a sensible explanation.

 

[Kinners_D]

Wild! Could it be a family car which was left at the address which they gave him access to as an employee? The truck in the GE pics?
Hence the connection to the address of him as the driver of the vehicle (not necessarily the owner) but then why delivered to a neighbour?? Sooo many questions?

If this were the case any letter would be addressed to the registered keeper, i.e. the owner. It wouldn't be associated with NM.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

I wonder if the unpaid fine letter was posted after the news of the search was announced? Or if it predates this?

 

[truthistheresomewher]

If this were the case any letter would be addressed to the registered keeper, i.e. the owner. It wouldn't be associated with NM.

Inexplainable isn’t it. Unless it’s a mocked up letter for somebody wanting to deliver a name to the investigation anonymously incase the police weren’t on to it?

 

[RosalindaA]

I'll keep saying it. They had no reason to believe she was in any house. Thinking about it logically her route is surrounded by roads, it is far more likely, even with foul play that she was taken in a vehicle, or got into a vehicle of her own free will at any point.

As people including me have said, hindsight clouds everything.

Also if humans were in the house circa 6 months after the murder and didn't smell/see anything it would suggest the body was well sealed in.

In terms of time and resources, when do you suggest cadaver dogs be involved, weeks, months, a year after she went missing... keep going back hoping to find something?

It's upsetting, sad and tragic but focus your anger where it belongs.... tye perpetrator(s) not the people who go through hell, see things you can't even imagine and risk their lives to keep everyone else safe. There will be noone beating themselves up harder this week than those police in cgarge/investigating, rerunning every decision, thought, idea they had over the years. Maybe we should be thanking them rather than *advertiser censored* on their efforts with no real knowledge or understanding of the lengths they go to daily in cases like this.

Please forgive any errors, on mobile and ranting aren't a good mix

With respect, I did say that I am sure individual police officers worked hard. I am a former nurse with some experience with working with offenders (have also seen a lot!) and I regard police as colleagues. But there clearly were failures here across the board regarding picking Maxwell up and with the judiciary's sentencing errors, who when police (credit to them) charged him when many rape cases never get to court. As a nurse, we also beat ourselves up when we miss something because it can have dire consequences. I hope the detectives here work through here what they did and could they have got to a conclusion sooner. We have the right and the responsibility as the public to question when things are not solved.
When a woman vanishes from a walking route/outside location, the possibility of a violent attack is something that should be considered - in these cases the body is often near to the route. To me and many here at the beginning, Leah's case always looked like foul play.
As I understand it police spend a lot of time investigating vehicles that are in the area when someone goes missing. Again nothing led anywhere, so you go back to the route. As regards cadaver dogs I would have used them on Leah's route within the first week or so which maybe they did. I think it's unlikely that Leah was kept alive very long (I hope not) and that during that window of time they might have picked something up before she was more effectively concealed. Me, being me, I would just happen to have one with me when I was doing door-to-door enquiries. Worth a shot to break a case.

 

[truthistheresomewher]

If this were the case any letter would be addressed to the registered keeper, i.e. the owner. It wouldn't be associated with NM.

Sure. I was thinking about the technicalities of when you insure a car. You declare whether you are the registered keeper or not, and then if not you are just the insured driver. So I wondered whether that affected who would be contacted in that scenario. But I think you’re right registered keeper would be first call I think, so no explanation here

 

[LINEOFDUTY]

So this "man" was a career rapist who was mentored by the judges who chose to let him create more victims again and again. I want to see these idiots put through a PUBLIC enquiry as to why they sentenced so lightly. I want to see Leah's family be able to ask them why his life mattered more than Leah's. Why not just go ahead and de-criminalise rape in this country and have done with it?
I am sure that many of the police who worked on Leah's case feel terribly about what has happened. Ultimately the person in charge should take responsibility for the failure to check addresses. They were never able to place Leah out of her route to work that day. So logic and systematic, targeted thinking suggests that that relatively small area held the answers. And properties empty at the time in a built-up area are logically somewhere where her body might have been. This happens all the time in US cases. Why not run through the area with a human remains dog, you could have got right up to this house, I imagine it would have been quite likely that a good cadaver dog would have detected something even outside the house. This wouldn't have taken a lot of time or resources surely.

Dogs were used around both lakes from Mountain rescue teams not sure if they were Trial dogs or cadaver dogs but they were here for several days.

 

[bringmeacupoft]

Inexplainable isn’t it. Unless it’s a mocked up letter for somebody wanting to deliver a name to the investigation anonymously incase the police weren’t on to it?

Well it was time stamped today apparently which add another layer of bizarreness

 

[LINEOFDUTY]

Time stamped today? So was hand delivered?

No post office stamped

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

Just had a look on the screwfix website. Doesn’t appear, from a quick scroll, that you can even buy a lock with just a single key. Although I guess the owner could have a set abroad.

 

[LINEOFDUTY]

You don't have to be happy with it.

There is nothing in anything you've said about the events that I find believable, especially the offer of giving the letter back, not addressed to the person, addressed to a murder suspect, potentially mis-delivered to him, at the crime scene, just no.

OK Check it out with TVP if you dont believe a fellow member who has been deeply involved in helping on this case! Mods maybe time to step in?

 

[LammyTheRobot]

I'm certainly not doubting you Lineofduty, but I'm still baffled by this.

A debt collection/parking ticket letter sent to a neighbouring house suggests that he registered the car to either number 2 LD or the address where it was sent. The information to issue the letters is taken from the DVLA database iirc. If this is what happened, TVP have a lot of explaining as to how they overlooked a known and wanted sex offender, with 2 LD as a registered keeper address and didn't think to join the dots.

Agreed in full.

 

[truthistheresomewher]

There is absolutely no way there was only 1 set of keys in the UK for that property, no way at all. As I’ve said previously ive first hand knowledge of same situation with a good amount of neighbours in MK from the same area as this property’s owners, using their property in the same way.
I’m not sure dragging that point out is massively relevant or changes the direction of investigation really, but the significance TVP have placed on it makes me uncomfortable.

 

[Angel_nix]

The more I think about this letter, the weirder it is.

Any enforcement letter goes to a registered keeper, be that speeding, parking fine, debt collection. That information is gained via the DVLA, which has to be updated with the registered keeper details.

If a debt collection agency can find Maxwell, how did the Police not find him from the DVLA website. My understanding is that they have full access to all DVLA records.

A letter that arrived today, to a person who has been dead for three years.

A letter that arrived today as Maxwell is declared a suspect in this case.

A parking fine relating to 2018 linked to an address within the mile square where Leah disappeared, near one of her known routes to work, that had not had anyone answer the door when knocked twice would surely warrant a little more digging by TVP, especially as he was so wanted that he was circulated nationally, had 18 failed apprehension attempts and then was found dead.

Something isn't adding up here, but I don't know where.

Edited to add in the postmark of today....which is weird, because usually items are postmarked as they come through the "sending" sorting office, not the receiving one. Even with the recent postal strikes, that doesn't make any sense.

 

[Kinners_D]

With respect, I did say that I am sure individual police officers worked hard. I am a former nurse with some experience with working with offenders (have also seen a lot!) and I regard police as colleagues. But there clearly were failures here across the board regarding picking Maxwell up and with the judiciary's sentencing errors, who when police (credit to them) charged him when many rape cases never get to court. As a nurse, we also beat ourselves up when we miss something because it can have dire consequences. I hope the detectives here work through here what they did and could they have got to a conclusion sooner. We have the right and the responsibility as the public to question when things are not solved.
When a woman vanishes from a walking route/outside location, the possibility of a violent attack is something that should be considered - in these cases the body is often near to the route. To me and many here at the beginning, Leah's case always looked like foul play.
As I understand it police spend a lot of time investigating vehicles that are in the area when someone goes missing. Again nothing led anywhere, so you go back to the route. As regards cadaver dogs I would have used them on Leah's route within the first week or so which maybe they did. I think it's unlikely that Leah was kept alive very long (I hope not) and that during that window of time they might have picked something up before she was more effectively concealed. Me, being me, I would just happen to have one with me when I was doing door-to-door enquiries. Worth a shot to break a case.

Firstly apologies I think you got the brunt of my annoyance at police blaming that's been going on for a long time, unfair blaming in my opinion.

I would expect that a violent attack was considered, but that doesn't change the way it has to be approached. She went missing walking to work, so walk the route, knock doors, speak to anyone to see if there is footage or anything seen that is suspect. They did that and found nothing, they then canvassed 4k houses, twice. There's a limit to what you are likely to find out from going back time and again.

In terms of cadaver dogs, I agree if they immediately focused on the theory of murder then this may have been a route to take. But that's not the logical first step. There are so many lines of enquiry to get through, first stop close friends and family (not getting into mr. x again here). I could go on for a while but the reality is that a stranger abducting her out of the blue one day and murdering here is so low probability that I don't imagine it would be a good use of resources for some time.
Also as i said before we don't know how many houses exactly were on her route, and which route did she walk that day, let alone how many of them were unoccupied. It turns into ever increasing circles and time flows while people are trying to work things out.

Initially I think personal leads were very promising at first, Mr. x, secret outings, gps/location off, the hotel trip when she lied to parents, that's a lot, a lot of data to go through to. It presented like a left on her own type scenario. Then the leads run dry, what next, improbable events, but cadaver dogs are very specialised animals, more than likely they miss the scent unless they can get in, but there's no one home and you can't break into houses to search on the outside chance.

Doing door to door wasn't just one dude and his dog there were many officers, many days and weeks... there's just not that many cadaver dogs.

I understand your points and frustration, but looking like foul play and being foul play are different things, the police will always have more information than we do which will give them better perspectives. There is also a process to rule out/in the possible/probable.

Not everything can be solved, this has been, or at least is heading in that direction. There's some solace in that, the family can put to rest their daughter and they can take stock of things knowing where things stand for the first time in 3 years.

 

[Kinners_D]

OK Check it out with TVP if you dont believe a fellow member who has been deeply involved in helping on this case! Mods maybe time to step in?

I don't have to believe you, I am stating that it doesn't add up for me. Why would the mods need to step in, I am disagreeing with you in a polite manner.

ETA - Pretty sure TVP are not going to confirm/deny this to someone calling in randomly, that's not how it works or has ever worked.

 

[LammyTheRobot]

Just got back to MK after being in London for the day, and obviously having followed events. Definitely avoided all underpasses, not from a particularly “intellectual” level but gut feeling. MK feels generally like quite a safe place, but I can tell you as a local - even at supposedly busy hours - some places are absolutely desolate.

Also re the walking route LC may have taken from home to work, a 2-mile route, she would have gone through at least one underpass IMO. We don’t really cross main roads here, we go under them, it’s just the way the city is designed.

I haven’t done the walk yet myself but I intend to and will report here any photos or thoughts that I feel relevant.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

We reported a dangerous driver recently (not in the same police district). His numberplate was on gov.uk but not on the police system, which baffled the call handler.

 

[LammyTheRobot]

In a democracy it’s perfectly legitimate to question public authorities, especially the police who hold such huge powers and responsibilities. We have to do it with some intelligence and respect for the hard work they do, but we are absolutely well within our rights to ask difficult questions of any police force in the land.

 

[truthistheresomewher]

So now police potentially have a car reg I was interested as MK is covered in ANPR. It seems it’s only stored for a year unfortunately

https://www.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rs/road-safety/automatic-number-plate-recognition-anpr/

Edited to add potentially