Listen Now:
This episode features the case of 19-year-old Leah Croucher from Milton Keynes, England.
On February 15, 2019, Leah got up for work at the same time she always did to make the 30-to-40-minute walk to her job. After her shift ended at 5pm, her parents received a call from her employer informing them that Leah never made it to work that day. Although there are many witnesses who claim to have seen Leah the day she went missing and after, the Thames Valley Police have deemed every single sighting unconfirmed.
The investigation leaves the public and her family with more questions than it does answers. Did Leah leave on her own accord? Was she in a secret, forbidden relationship with someone who needed to her disappear? Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Leah Croucher went missing from Milton Keynes, England on February 15, 2019. As of recording this episode, Leah would be 22 years old, 23 in just a few weeks. She is 5ft 2 or approximately 160cm tall, with a slim build and sometimes wears glasses. Her hair is brown and was just below her shoulders in 2019. When she went missing, she was wearing a black coat, black skinny jeans, all black Converse high-top sneakers, and a grey hoodie with the "Stewartby Taekwondo" logo on it.
There is a reward for information leading to Leah’s recovery in the amount of 20,000 Euros.
Anyone with information is urged to visit mipp.police.uk or if you’d like to stay anonymous you can contact Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers.uk.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling, there is help.
UK Resources:
CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 58 58 58
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
If you are in the US, you can dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit https://afsp.org/suicide-prevention-resources
Resources:
5NewsYT. “Emotional Plea for Information on Missing Teen Leah Croucher | 5 News.” YouTube, 5 News, 22 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyXdZn0lPVk.
5NewsYT. “Family of Missing Teen Leah Croucher ‘Living in a Nightmare’ | 5 News.” YouTube, 5 News, 15 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQMPwd6QtJg.
“Appeal for Missing Mk Woman Leah Croucher.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Feb. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPYeA5RvkTM.
Brown, Paige. “Brother of Missing Milton Keynes Girl Leah Croucher Took the Law into His Own Hands with Her 'Ex-Boyfriend'.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 30 May 2019, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/crime/brother-missing-milton-keynes-girl-leah-croucher-took-law-his-own-hands-her-ex-boyfriend-70012.
cbstvdinsideedition. “Missing 19-Year-Old Leah Croucher 'Blinks' on 3D Poster.” YouTube, Inside Edition, 29 May 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-p8I9S5awA.
“Claire's Story.” YouTube, Missing People, 11 Dec. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pYtBxjeydU.
Corbishley, Sam. “New Image Released in Search for Leah Croucher Three Years after Disappearance.” Metro, Metro.co.uk, 15 Feb. 2022, https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/15/leah-croucher-new-image-released-in-search-for-missing-woman-16111822/.
Duggan, Joe. “Missing Leah Croucher, 20, Was Having Affair with Engaged Man before Disappearance.” The Sun, 30 Oct. 2019, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10241518/missing-leah-croucher-affair-engaged-man/.
Family of Leah Croucher Issue Statement on Three-Year Anniversary of ... 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news/thames-valley/news/2022/february/14-02-2022/family-of-leah-croucher-issue-statement-on-three-year-anniversary-of-her-disappearance--milton-keynes/.
“Festival to Celebrate Missing Leah Croucher's Birthday.” BBC News, BBC, 17 Aug. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49371939.
“Haydon Croucher: Missing Teen's Brother's Death Was 'Avoidable'.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Nov. 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-54815884.
“Haydon Croucher: Mum 'Completely Let down' by Son's Care Failings.” BBC News, BBC, 12 May 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61421069.
ITV News. “Mum's 'Renewed Hope' of Finding Missing Leah Croucher Thanks to 3D Posters.” ITV News, ITV News, 25 May 2022, https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2022-05-24/mums-renewed-hope-of-finding-missing-leah-croucher-thanks-to-3d-posters.
ITV News. “Parents' Desperate for Information a Year after Leah Croucher's Disappearance.” ITV News, ITV News, 14 Feb. 2020, https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-02-14/we-dont-know-if-shes-alive-or-dead-parents-of-leah-croucher-plead-for-information-one-year-after-disappearance.
“Leah Croucher Missing Inquiry: Milton Keynes Lake Search Finds 'No Items'.” BBC News, BBC, 25 Oct. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-50179305.
“Leah Croucher Search: Teenager 'Seen 'Crying by Lake'.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Apr. 2019, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-47935381.
“Leah Croucher: 'No Lead' in 'Bewildering' 2019 Disappearance.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Feb. 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-55998027.
“Leah Croucher: Parents Talk of Trolling Three Years after Disappearance.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-60374132.
“Leah Croucher: Police Re-Release Images after Woman Comes Forward.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Mar. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-60763475.
“Leah Croucher's Brother Haydon 'Was Begging for Help'.” BBC News, BBC, 3 Nov. 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-54794019.
MailOnlineVideo. “Family of Missing Teenager Leah Croucher Appeal for Information.” YouTube, Daily Mail, 14 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLfMoUQOwY.
Matthews, Alex. “Missing Leah Croucher's Brother Warned over Threats to Her Married Boyfriend after Blaming Him for Her Disappearance.” The Sun, 31 May 2019, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9188661/missing-leah-crouchers-brother-warned-over-threats-to-her-married-boyfriend-after-blaming-him-for-her-disappearance/.
“Missing Leah Croucher's Dad in Threat to Name Man 'Hiding Information'.” BBC News, BBC, 14 Feb. 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-51490582.
“Missing Leah Croucher's Parents Say End of Lake Search 'Relief and a Curse'.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Oct. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-50220036.
Murrer, Sally. “10 Questions the Public Want Police to Answer about Missing Milton Keynes Woman Leah Croucher.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 12 Jan. 2022, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/crime/10-questions-the-public-want-police-to-answer-about-missing-milton-keynes-woman-leah-croucher-3524899.
Murrer, Sally. “Do You Know Who Leah Croucher's Mystery Date Was in Milton Keynes This Time Last Year?” Milton Keynes Citizen, 31 Jan. 2020, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/do-you-know-who-leah-crouchers-mystery-date-was-in-milton-keynes-this-time-last-year-1381158.
Murrer, Sally. “Fourteen Minutes and a Single Square Mile of Milton Keynes - That's the Crux of the Baffling Leah Croucher Case.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 14 Feb. 2021, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/fourteen-minutes-and-a-single-square-mile-of-milton-keynes-thats-the-crux-of-the-baffling-leah-croucher-case-3134654.
Murrer, Sally. “'I Am Positive I Saw Leah Croucher at Luton Airport' Claims New Milton Keynes Witness.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 7 Apr. 2022, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/i-am-positive-i-saw-leah-croucher-at-luton-airport-claims-new-milton-keynes-witness-3644272.
Murrer, Sally. “Missing from Milton Keynes: Leah Croucher the Timeline, Everything We Know so Far.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 16 Oct. 2019, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/crime/missing-from-milton-keynes-leah-croucher-the-timeline-everything-we-know-so-far-1307616.
Murrer, Sally. “New Video from Police Shows Route Leah Croucher Took to Work in Milton Keynes before Vanishing.” Milton Keynes Citizen, 15 Feb. 2021, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/new-video-from-police-shows-route-leah-croucher-took-to-work-in-milton-keynes-before-vanishing-3135199.
Murrer, Sally. “Police Issue Update in Case of Missing Leah Croucher from Milton Keynes.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 15 Mar. 2022, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/police-issue-update-in-case-of-missing-leah-croucher-from-milton-keynes-3612894.
Murrer, Sally. “Sighting of Mysterious Man 'Hiding' Female in Car Emerges on the Day Leah Croucher Disappeared in Milton Keynes.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/sighting-of-mysterious-man-hiding-female-in-car-emerges-on-the-day-leah-croucher-disappeared-in-milton-keynes-3382123.
Murrer, Sally. “'We Find It Hard to Believe Nobody Saw Leah Croucher,' Say Police as the Missing Girl's 21st Birthday Approaches.” Milton Keynes Citizen, Milton Keynes Citizen, 11 Aug. 2020, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/we-find-it-hard-to-believe-nobody-saw-leah-croucher-say-police-as-the-missing-girls-21st-birthday-approaches-2938750.
Newsroom, The. “Family of Missing Milton Keynes Woman Leah Croucher Look Back on Second Year of Torment as No Further Clues Emerge.” Milton Keynes Citizen, 31 Dec. 2020, https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/family-missing-milton-keynes-woman-leah-croucher-look-back-second-year-torment-no-further-clues-emerge-3082441.
Nikolic, Isabella. “Police Hunting Missing 19-Year-Old Probe a Human Foot Found on a Path.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 15 May 2019, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7024753/Police-hunting-missing-19-year-old-probe-human-FOOT-path.html.
“Parents of Leah Croucher Renew Appeal for Information a Year after Her Disappearance: 5 News.” YouTube, 5 News, 14 Feb. 2020, https://youtu.be/NtgG3y85wdA.
Pietras, Emma. “Missing Leah's Brother Took Own Life Because He Was 'so Lost' without Her.” The Sun, 21 Nov. 2019, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10388571/leah-croucher-brother-lost-broken/.
Powell, Michael. “Police Make Plea to Football Fans to Help in Search for Missing Leah Croucher.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 23 Feb. 2019, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6737953/Police-make-plea-football-fans-help-search-missing-Leah-Croucher.html.
Public Portal, Thames County Police, https://mipp.police.uk/operation/43H218A55-PO1/.
Sharma, Ruchira. “Parents of Missing Woman Beg Trolls and Citizen Sleuths to Stop Speculating over What Happened.” Inews.co.uk, 15 Feb. 2022, https://inews.co.uk/news/leah-croucher-parents-missing-woman-appeal-trolls-fake-accounts-claiming-daughter-1461359.
Snapchat Support, https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/when-are-snaps-chats-deleted.
thamesvalleypoliceuk. “A Message from Leah Croucher's Parents.” YouTube, Thames Valley Police, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcR5Ov0g5kc.
thamesvalleypoliceuk. “C/I Kentish on Missing Teenager Leah Croucher.” YouTube, Thames Valley Police, 21 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzt0c3NKQNU.
thamesvalleypoliceuk. “Leah Croucher's Parents Appeal.” YouTube, Thames Valley Police, 14 Feb. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eyt6FZQBvo.
thamesvalleypoliceuk. “Parents of Leah Croucher Make Emotional Plea to Find Missing Daughter.” YouTube, Thames Valley Police, 20 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD2xISJT4rc.
thamesvalleypoliceuk. “Please Help Us Find Leah Croucher.” YouTube, Thames Valley Police, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfmdVy6nXCU.
“Timeline of Missing Leah Croucher's Disappearance.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 30 Oct. 2019, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/fb-7629885/Timeline-missing-Leah-Crouchers-disappearance.html.
Warren, Jessica. “Police Hunting for Leah Croucher Haven't given up on Finding Her Alive after She Vanished in 2019.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 29 Apr. 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10767785/Police-hunting-Leah-Croucher-havent-given-finding-ALIVE-vanished-2019.html.
Williams, Kieren. “Missing Teen Spotted with 'Controlling' Man after Vanishing, New Witness Claims.” Mirror, 7 Apr. 2022, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/leah-croucher-spotted-controlling-man-26660429.
Wills, Ella. “£5k Reward Offered in Search for Teen Who Disappeared on Way to Work.” Evening Standard, 20 Mar. 2019, https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/leah-croucher-missing-parents-speak-of-their-nightmare-in-emotional-appeal-as-they-offer-ps5-000-reward-in-search-for-daughter-a4097086.html.