The inquest into the death of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found more than three years after her disappearance will start today.
Leah Croucher, who was from Milton Keynes, was last seen on the morning of February 15, 2019, when she was made her daily walk to work.
She never arrived to start her 9am shift at a direct debit collection agency in Knowlhill, with her parents reporting her as missing that evening.
Despite numerous appeals, it wouldn’t be until October 2022, well over three-and-a-half years after she disappeared, that a body matching a similar description to Croucher was located.
A CCTV image of Leah at work one day before she was reported missing (Image: Thames Valley Police)
Thames Valley Police confirmed that on October 12 that year, a rucksack and some personal possessions belonging to the 19-year-old had been found in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, roughly less than a mile from her home.
Nine days later, it was verified that the human remains that were found in the property were of Croucher.
The authorities revealed that their prime suspect was convicted sex offender, Neil Maxwell, as he was the only person with access to the property at the time.
Neil Maxwell is believed to have killed the 19-year-old (Image: Thames Valley Police)
He was found dead two months after the disappearance of the Milton Keynes resident in April 2019 from a suspected suicide.
The inquest will take place at Milton Keynes Coroner’s Court.
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