PRIME SUSPECT
Leah Croucher murder suspect is sex offender Neil Maxwell who had key to home where body found but he is dead, cops say
A WANTED sex offender has today been named as the main suspect for the murder of Leah Croucher by police - but he is already dead.
Officers swooped on a home in Furzton in Milton Keynes on Monday after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public.
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They later confirmed human remains and Leah's belongings had been found in a loft - sparking a murder investigation.
It has not been confirmed if the human remains belong to the teen and forensic tests are ongoing.
In a shocking update from Thames Valley Police today, they named a suspect as Neil Maxwell.
The 49-year-old was found dead in April 2019 after taking his own life - two months after Leah disappeared in February 2019 aged 19.
Read more on the case
Officers confirmed Maxwell, who has previous convictions for sex assault offences, carried out maintenance work at the home in Furzton from November 2018.
He was the only person to have keys to the property while the owners, who are not involved in the case, were away.
There are now fears Leah may have been kept alive at the address for weeks after she vanished on her way to work in February 2019.
When asked if it was a possibility she was held captive, a senior police officer said it was an "active part of our investigation".
Until Monday when the tip came in, there was no link between Maxwell and Leah.
The fiend was wanted by police at the time of Leah's disappearance in connection with a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell in November 2018.
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Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter said this was reported to Bedfordshire Police on November 29, 2018, but was then transferred to Thames Valley Police that day.
Officers attempted to arrest him the following day at a home in Milton Keynes but he was not there.
Officers say he knew he was wanted for the sex assault but attempted to evade arrest by travelling across the UK and using false names.
His name was placed on the police database the following month and a public appeal was shared on April 4, 2019.
The fugitive took his own life on April 20, 2019, after officers made 18 attempts to arrest him.
Police said they could not rule out whether Leah was targeted by the sex offender as she walked to work on the morning of her disappearance.
DC Supt Hunter said: "Whilst Maxwell has been nominated as a suspect, this does not mean he is guilty of any offence.
"We will keep an open mind, and our detailed investigation will seek to gather sufficient evidence to establish the truth. This may or may not implicate or exonerate Maxwell or any other persons from the investigation.
"If Maxwell were alive today, we would be seeking his arrest in connection with this investigation, so he could be interviewed under caution to provide his account.
"As such, today I am appealing to anyone who had contact with Maxwell between November 2018 and his death in April 2019 or anyone who has information that might help our inquiry to contact Thames Valley Police."
How Maxwell evaded arrest 18 times
The convicted sex offender was wanted for a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell in November 2018.
At around 4.30pm, a woman aged in her 20s was sexually assaulted in the high street before the attacker fled.
This was reported to Bedfordshire Police on November 29, 2018, and then passed to Thames Valley Police.
Officers attempted to contact Maxwell at a home in Milton Keynes the next day but he was not present at the time.
Police made 18 arrest attempts in total but the sex offender evaded officers by travelling across the UK - including to an unknown location in Scotland at one stage.
He also changed mobile phones and vehicles having known he would be returned to prison if convicted.
Maxwell's name was shared on the Police National Computer in December 2018 and a wanted appeal was shared on April 4, 2019.
He was found dead on April 20, 2019, after taking his own life.
There has been no direct link between Maxwell and Leah until this week when officers received the tip-off about the house.
The force said Leah's family are being kept in the loop over the latest development.
They released a statement following the breakthrough today, saying: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank Thames Valley Police for all their efforts over the past three years and eight months.
"We believe that they could not have done anything differently, they have always approached every conversation with dignity and compassion.
"As a family, we ask that everyone respects our privacy as well as our immediate family, at what is one of the most difficult times of our lives."
Leah was last seen on February 15 in Milton Keynes as she walked to work in a finance firm.
She told her family the day before she was meeting a friend but that never happened.
CCTV showed her walking down Buzzacott Lane in Furzton, believed to be in the direction of her work, at about 8.15am the next day.
A huge search was launched with extensive social media appeals and posters pinned up in the area but there have been no confirmed sightings and no leads.
Tragically, Leah's brother Haydon Croucher, 24, in 2019 after being "tortured" by not knowing what happened to his sister.
Forensic officers have been seen coming in and out of the four-bedroom home on Loxbeare Drive.
It is understood the items Leah was last seen carrying - including her phone and backpack - were found in an upstairs room or loft.
A neighbour said the £500,000 property had been unoccupied for a long period of time after it was rented out.
It is owned by a Kuwaiti woman, who returned to the home on with pals in the summer Leah vanished.
This means she potentially would have been in the home unaware the remains or Leah's possessions were there.
There is no suggestion the owners have any involvement in her disappearance.
The house is just 0.4miles from Buzzacott Lane where Leah's last movements were captured on CCTV.
MYSTERY DISAPPEARANCE
It is also near Furzton Lake, where the teen's phone left the network - consistent with it being destroyed - at 8.34am.
Three people said they saw a woman "crying" at the side of the water - although it was never confirmed if this was Leah.
Police revealed they stuck a leaflet through the door of the house at the time but left without getting an answer.
The development comes after Leah’s parents John and Claire Croucher attended the scene and left flowers last night.
A heart-rending note attached to the bouquet said: “To our darling Leah, our darkest fears have come true.
“We only need to be apart a little longer now.
“We have so missed you for so long already.
“The future looks so bleak now we know we will never see you smile or hear your laughter again.
“We will cherish your memories forever. We love you, mum and dad.”
Anyone with information has been asked to call police on 101 quoting Op Innsbruck or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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