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

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Random thought: if you have footage filmed on a non-ANPR camera, that you play on a screen, and you film the screening with an ANPR camera would it flag up anything more useful than human viewing?

Could you (LE) run it against known number plates?

If the police gathered CCTV, does anyone know what they actually did with it?
 
NorthernSoul said:
I have been thinking along these lines as well. I've been trying to puzzle out in my mind a series of events that could explain the limited facts we know and the statements the police have made. Here's my idea of a possible scenario - please feel free to pick it apart - I'm just setting it out to try to think it through.

The police have said Mr. X is not currently a suspect. An officer speaking about the case (who will have seen a lot more info than we have) said that he believes Leah has run away. He described there being a situation of "unrequited love" and that Leah had anxiety about going to work and other anxieties. We know Leah could not have told him anything about this unrequited love and Leah's parents certainly did not seem to see it like that; they believed Leah was secretly having an affair with Mr. X. So I think it is likely that this is what Mr. X has told them and that they believe him. So, from this information and Leah's movements, what if something like this happened? The following is my conjecture with facts we know slotted in:

Mr. X enjoyed flirting in the office. He may have flirted with a number of people. He flirted with Leah but Leah being young and possibly naive took this very seriously and became besotted with him. Mr. X realised this and saw an opportunity. He arranged with Leah to meet in a hotel (and possibly had met previously). For him this meant nothing but Leah took this seriously and thought it meant the start of a relationship. Mr. X quickly realised he was getting into a sticky situation and so told Leah there was no relationship. Leah became upset and this is when she became anxious about going in to work. Around this time her brother Hayden began angrily messaging Mr. X as he did not like to see his sister being used. Leah continued to message Mr. X and did not accept that they were not in a relationship. Mr. X replied but only as "a friend" as he has stated, trying to cool the situation down and not wanting a situation to develop where his fiancee and family could get wind of it.
Leah decided to give Mr. X a Valentine's gift and took him something in to work. At this Mr. X told Leah firmly that there was no relationship and this upset her very much. Leah could not talk to her parents about her feelings as she knew they did not want her to associate with Mr. X. She could not face going in to work any more. She decided to run away. On the night she went out for 75 minutes she went and bought a phone to replace her current phone and at the same time turned off location on the old phone ready for the next day where she would make everyone think she was going to work as normal but then would leave. She didn't eat a meal with her family as she usually would as she was planning what she was going to do and did not want to sit with them. Although her parents said she was behaving normally this was not normal. Someone had agreed to help Leah. Not Mr. X. someone with a car, a friend, possibly someone who knew about problems at home and work and how upset Leah was. She set off, following her normal routine and had arranged to be picked up from one of the car parks at the pond. She went to wait for her pick-up and while she was there she phoned Mr. X to tell him what she planned to do and they argued on the phone or maybe the friend was late and it was them she was speaking to. She became very upset. This is when she was seen by witnesses. She was then picked up in a car and left the area.

All MOO !
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A very well thought-out post @NorthernSoul.

The issue i always have with Leah disappearing of her own accord is why didn't she take any extra clothing with her or any money from out of her account? Her family have stated that she was saving up to move into a flat with a friend so surely she would have taken some of that out if she wanted to start a new life somewhere?

Also who would have been this person who helped Leah and possibly drove her to her unknown destination? Did this person disappear as well or did they return to Milton Keynes that day? Did the police check alibi's of everyone Leah knew or was it a friend that no-one knew about?
 
I just took the DCI’s statement to mean that they didn’t think she was abducted, ie if she got into a vehicle, she did so of her own choice.

I don’t recall ever reading anything that made me think that X could be ruled out. Maybe if there had been an acknowledgement somehow that X had had some form of intimate relationship with her, but the police were satisfied with his alibi it would be different. Unrequited love is a strange phrase really. Crush maybe for someone you are infatuated with.
 
NorthernSoul said:
I have been thinking along these lines as well. I've been trying to puzzle out in my mind a series of events that could explain the limited facts we know and the statements the police have made. Here's my idea of a possible scenario - please feel free to pick it apart - I'm just setting it out to try to think it through.

The police have said Mr. X is not currently a suspect. An officer speaking about the case (who will have seen a lot more info than we have) said that he believes Leah has run away. He described there being a situation of "unrequited love" and that Leah had anxiety about going to work and other anxieties. We know Leah could not have told him anything about this unrequited love and Leah's parents certainly did not seem to see it like that; they believed Leah was secretly having an affair with Mr. X. So I think it is likely that this is what Mr. X has told them and that they believe him. So, from this information and Leah's movements, what if something like this happened? The following is my conjecture with facts we know slotted in:

Mr. X enjoyed flirting in the office. He may have flirted with a number of people. He flirted with Leah but Leah being young and possibly naive took this very seriously and became besotted with him. Mr. X realised this and saw an opportunity. He arranged with Leah to meet in a hotel (and possibly had met previously). For him this meant nothing but Leah took this seriously and thought it meant the start of a relationship. Mr. X quickly realised he was getting into a sticky situation and so told Leah there was no relationship. Leah became upset and this is when she became anxious about going in to work. Around this time her brother Hayden began angrily messaging Mr. X as he did not like to see his sister being used. Leah continued to message Mr. X and did not accept that they were not in a relationship. Mr. X replied but only as "a friend" as he has stated, trying to cool the situation down and not wanting a situation to develop where his fiancee and family could get wind of it.
Leah decided to give Mr. X a Valentine's gift and took him something in to work. At this Mr. X told Leah firmly that there was no relationship and this upset her very much. Leah could not talk to her parents about her feelings as she knew they did not want her to associate with Mr. X. She could not face going in to work any more. She decided to run away. On the night she went out for 75 minutes she went and bought a phone to replace her current phone and at the same time turned off location on the old phone ready for the next day where she would make everyone think she was going to work as normal but then would leave. She didn't eat a meal with her family as she usually would as she was planning what she was going to do and did not want to sit with them. Although her parents said she was behaving normally this was not normal. Someone had agreed to help Leah. Not Mr. X. someone with a car, a friend, possibly someone who knew about problems at home and work and how upset Leah was. She set off, following her normal routine and had arranged to be picked up from one of the car parks at the pond. She went to wait for her pick-up and while she was there she phoned Mr. X to tell him what she planned to do and they argued on the phone or maybe the friend was late and it was them she was speaking to. She became very upset. This is when she was seen by witnesses. She was then picked up in a car and left the area.

All MOO !
Click to expand...

Really well thought out post and it's interesting to think of other possible scenarios of what might have happened. Alot of what you say makes perfect sense. The parts I would respectfully question is if someone helped Leah run away would they have kept that secret after all this time, seeing her familes heartache and even after the very sad passing of her brother? And like @WiseOwl says she didn't take any clothing or money so how would she be surviving alone? Also, she doesn't drive so even if someone helped her leave initially, how would she be travelling once on her own? She could only use public transport or taxis and there's been no definite sightings of her. If she's not alone, who went with her to be driving her around keeping her location secret? Would they not be reported missing too?
 
Jenesaisquoi said:
I just took the DCI’s statement to mean that they didn’t think she was abducted, ie if she got into a vehicle, she did so of her own choice.

I don’t recall ever reading anything that made me think that X could be ruled out. Maybe if there had been an acknowledgement somehow that X had had some form of intimate relationship with her, but the police were satisfied with his alibi it would be different. Unrequited love is a strange phrase really. Crush maybe for someone you are infatuated with.
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Yes it is a strange phrase and where did the DCI get it from? Were these his own words interpreting X had told him about his relationship with Leah or were they the very words used by X himself? If so then the police only have his word for this, poor Leah isn't here to give her side of the story so it's very one-sided. And how do they know he's telling the truth? Lying is always an option.

I have often wondered but never read anywhere in MSM if any of Leah or X's colleagues at their work place were ever interviewed by police? It would be interesting to know if they were or not.
 
Jenesaisquoi said:
Not often heard in everyday speech though, in my experience. In works of fiction perhaps.
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It's certainly a familiar phrase to me and I don't find it odd that the policeman used it on this occasion. It's a commonly used phrase, a cliché really, when referring to someone whose romantic feelings towards another aren't returned. But that's probably not something that crops up in conversation every day.
 
Cherwell said:
It's certainly a familiar phrase to me and I don't find it odd that the policeman used it on this occasion. It's a commonly used phrase, a cliché really, when referring to someone whose romantic feelings towards another aren't returned. But that's probably not something that crops up in conversation every day.
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To me, it’s a phrase that would be used when you have known someone well for a while - a certain level of emotional or social intimacy eg someone in your group of friends. Not simply for a crush on someone you work with, for example. I had a crush on someone I knew through business, but I wouldn’t call it unrequited love.
 
I totally agree with the feedback on my comment; you have all raised the points which also trouble me. Why would Leah have not taken any clothing or money with her? If she did where did she go to? I can't quite reconcile this myself either. I do believe it could be possible though; many people do disappear.
When I was younger I was living with someone and we were not getting on. After an argument I went to a friends house and they told me they were going somewhere to work for the summer who were looking for staff and I went with them. I just went and didn't take anything with me. I did let people know but if I hadn't I could have just "disappeared".
I don't think anyone knows for sure where Leah was going when she was making the journeys by taxi - could this have been to see someone else or to hang out somewhere new? Her parents mentioned something about her having met people through X I believe - maybe she got in with a dodgy crowd who she would not normally associate with?
As dotr mentioned, Leah could have had a secret stash of money and known she would have to use cash to go unnoticed.

I feel as though the scenario I put forward is quite strong until the end bit and there are a number of possible alternative strands at that point. Maybe Leah didn't run away but ended her own life; if so where is her body? Or Mr. X is a far more sinister person and has been involved in Leah's disappearance; if so why are the police so blase about him?

So I've come round full circle really. It is so baffling!
 
HollyHunter9 said:
Really well thought out post and it's interesting to think of other possible scenarios of what might have happened. Alot of what you say makes perfect sense. The parts I would respectfully question is if someone helped Leah run away would they have kept that secret after all this time, seeing her familes heartache and even after the very sad passing of her brother? And like @WiseOwl says she didn't take any clothing or money so how would she be surviving alone? Also, she doesn't drive so even if someone helped her leave initially, how would she be travelling once on her own? She could only use public transport or taxis and there's been no definite sightings of her. If she's not alone, who went with her to be driving her around keeping her location secret? Would they not be reported missing too?
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All very good questions to which I have no definitive answer! It does seem unlikely but then so does Leah killing herself and her body not being found. Maybe less unlikely that she was killed but I don't know how many people are murdered as compared to how many run away?
I was thinking along the lines that if someone helped her it would not be one of her regular circle of friends who her parents knew about. We do know she was keeping secrets from them and was going somewhere regularly in a taxi. Leah would know she would have to lay low at least for a while and most likely change her appearance if she didn't want to be found. Could she have gone to a relative or friend of a friend who lived in a different city? Could there be some kind of criminality involved; the offer of free accommodation in return for cash in hand work or similar?

???????????? !!!!!!!
 
Jenesaisquoi said:
To me, it’s a phrase that would be used when you have known someone well for a while - a certain level of emotional or social intimacy eg someone in your group of friends. Not simply for a crush on someone you work with, for example. I had a crush on someone I knew through business, but I wouldn’t call it unrequited love.
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I don't think we are in a position to know the depth of Leah's feelings.
 
I really cannot see Leah running away and being able to start a new life. She was a very quiet girl who had a few close friends,she did not appear adventurous or to possess the skills to disappear for any length of time. I can see her being homesick after a few days away.
I also do not think she would let her family suffer and would have let them know she was o.k.
 
Cherwell said:
I don't think we are in a position to know the depth of Leah's feelings.
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No-one is an a position to know the depth of Leah's feelings except Leah herself, and as i said in a previous post she is not around to give her point of view.

IMO DCI Howard should not be saying things like "There is evidence there was a relationship where her feelings were not requited - perhaps an unrequited love." (Source: MK Citizen 15 Feb 2021) because he has no way of knowing if this is 100% accurate without Leah around to confirm it.

He does not say 'in my opinion' or 'my suspicions are..' he states there is evidence. What evidence has he got to prove that Leah's feelings towards X were not requited? I wish the MK Citizen's reporter would have pressed him further on this, it would be good to know.
 
Jenesaisquoi said:
Also, the £13-each-way taxi rides. How do they fit in with the latest discussions here?
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I've wondered this too but not local so do not know how far £13 would take you in a taxi? Interesting the police have now asked taxi drivers to come forward.

WiseOwl said:
No-one is an a position to know the depth of Leah's feelings except Leah herself, and as i said in a previous post she is not around to give her point of view.

IMO DCI Howard should not be saying things like "There is evidence there was a relationship where her feelings were not requited - perhaps an unrequited love." (Source: MK Citizen 15 Feb 2021) because he has no way of knowing if this is 100% accurate without Leah around to confirm it.

He does not say 'in my opinion' or 'my suspicions are..' he states there is evidence. What evidence has he got to prove that Leah's feelings towards X were not requited? I wish the MK Citizen's reporter would have pressed him further on this, it would be good to know.
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Yes, agree on this. I think DCI howards statement has actually confused things further (IMO) as it is contradictory in places.
 
WiseOwl said:
No-one is an a position to know the depth of Leah's feelings except Leah herself, and as i said in a previous post she is not around to give her point of view.

IMO DCI Howard should not be saying things like "There is evidence there was a relationship where her feelings were not requited - perhaps an unrequited love." (Source: MK Citizen 15 Feb 2021) because he has no way of knowing if this is 100% accurate without Leah around to confirm it.

He does not say 'in my opinion' or 'my suspicions are..' he states there is evidence. What evidence has he got to prove that Leah's feelings towards X were not requited? I wish the MK Citizen's reporter would have pressed him further on this, it would be good to know.
Click to expand...


I think many of us have formed the opinion that Leah was besotted with Mr X and he did not give a xxxx about her.
 
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