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

[MrsWatson]

It's not impossible to imagine the night before LC had attempted suicide but for some reason decided not to go ahead with it but the next day goes ahead with it. She turns off her location settings so she is not visible on any apps (notably Snapmaps feature on Snapchat) and waits until the school/work run is over and the area quietens down. When people pass she pretends to be on the phone so nobody approaches and when the coast is clear she enters the lake and swims far into it (hence the reason she has not been found). She went missing beside a lake then the most likely scenario is she is probably in that lake. The lakes have been searched and she has no been found but this does not mean she is not there. MOO

SBM

Not taking the p*ss, Sundaaaay, but wouldn't someone have noticed if a person decided to go for a swim fully dressed at that hour, right there? It wasn't a completely deserted area and drowning isn't always fast or simple. Your body instinctively fights it.

I am not completely discounting suicide, but it's low on my list. I think Leah had a more complicated romantic life than we know about.

All MOO

 

[Thelastleg]

When I first read about this, I assumed this was probably linked to the "Find My" app on the iPhone (or similar), within which she was perhaps sharing her location with many people. Turning her location off doesn't necessarily mean she was trying to hide her location from the same person on both occasions.

On the prior evening, she could have been hiding her real location from her parents, to whom she had lied.

On the morning of her disappearance, she could have been hiding her location from someone else, for example, a work colleague.

I'm not very familiar with this case, but to my mind the whole "turning her location services off" could be a bit of a red herring. We all think there must be something nefarious about it, but it could just be that she was in the habit of doing this when she wanted some privacy from one or more people.

Location services were turned off on 14th Feb, around the time that Leah would have been walking home from work. I haven't seen it reported that they were turned on and off again.

 

[sundaaaay]

SBM

Not taking the p*ss, Sundaaaay, but wouldn't someone have noticed if a person decided to go for a swim fully dressed at that hour, right there? It wasn't a completely deserted area and drowning isn't always fast or simple. Your body instinctively fights it.

I am not completely discounting suicide, but it's low on my list. I think Leah had a more complicated romantic life than we know about.

All MOO

People often commit suicide in the lakes in Central Park, New York, one of the busiest places in the world.

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

Suicide shouldn't be ruled out. Even the DCI leading the case has mentioned "anxiety" several times, possibly as a hint to a psychological or psychiatric issue. She could have had a personality disorder or been clinically depressed, we wouldn't know that.

There's an awful lot we don't know. Like what was the family's response to LC supposedly having an affair with a married man. Did that response involve the possibility of her installing location tracking software on her phone? I have a friend whose family made her and her sister using location tracking until they left the family home at 21.

Too many unknowns.

 

[PoirotPink]

Location services were turned off on 14th Feb, around the time that Leah would have been walking home from work. I haven't seen it reported that they were turned on and off again.

If that's the case then it gives more cause to believe that the "location services" may not be relevant to the crime / disappearance.

 

[Thelastleg]

If that's the case then it gives more cause to believe that the "location services" may not be relevant to the crime / disappearance.

As @ApparentlyInDenial said, "too many unknowns". I would like to know if there as any CCTV captured on her walk home from work on 14th. Was anyone with her? Did she seem distressed? Did she even walk, perhaps she got a lift with someone? All my own speculation, apart from the bit about the phone locations, that was reported by BBC

 

[crazychris]

OCCAM'S RAZOR. The simplest explanation is often the correct one. So applied here she was probably abducted on her way to work by an evil man who then killed her and hid the body very well. Nothing to do with her love life at all. Am not 100% as I wasn't there but to me that's the likeliest. Wonder why the main cop thinks she disappeared herself though. Something must make them think that.

 

[truthistheresomewher]

Local press are reporting Furzton Lake car park is currently sealed off by police, of course could be completely unrelated, But I haven’t been back to this thread in a while and it immediately came to my mind.

BREAKING: Car park in Milton Keynes sealed off with heavy police presence at the scene

Praying for whoever/whatever is going on

Edited by me. Just seen an update elsewhere this is being reported as a stabbing so clearly unconnected. Apologies

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

Local press are reporting Furzton Lake car park is currently sealed off by police, of course could be completely unrelated, But I haven’t been back to this thread in a while and it immediately came to my mind.

BREAKING: Car park in Milton Keynes sealed off with heavy police presence at the scene

Praying for whoever/whatever is going on

Edited by me. Just seen an update elsewhere this is being reported as a stabbing so clearly unconnected. Apologies

I can see why you'd jump on that!

 

[bringmeacupoft]

Local press are reporting Furzton Lake car park is currently sealed off by police, of course could be completely unrelated, But I haven’t been back to this thread in a while and it immediately came to my mind.

BREAKING: Car park in Milton Keynes sealed off with heavy police presence at the scene

Praying for whoever/whatever is going on

Edited by me. Just seen an update elsewhere this is being reported as a stabbing so clearly unconnected. Apologies

I’m local and had the same thoughts as you. So frustrating the lack of movement on this case

 

[crazychris]

Just a few thoughts although I still lean towards a total stranger abduction and murder. What if she told Mr. X the evening before that she was pregnant and that she hoped he wouldn't get married and be with her instead. OMG he's in the brown stuff up to his eye-balls now! How does he get out of this? We know he was in work next morning as police proved that by CCTV and colleagues. Wonder what time he arrived? Could he have left for any reason? Wasn't he a boss? Am sure I read that he was her boss. Otherwise he may have told a relative, say brother to "take care of it" so to speak, with info about how she got to work. Was anyone following her from home I wonder, at a discreet distance? Doesn't seem anyone on the CCTV.

Feel free to discuss these points.

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

Is it too controversial to bring up the Bernadette Walker case that's going through the courts now?

Mum of teen allegedly murdered by dad admits lying to police about disappearance

 

[Kitkat28]

You could discuss Bernadette on the thread here Still Missing - UK - Bernadette Walker, 17, left parent's car, Peterborough, 21 July 2020 *Arrests* #2

I don’t understand why it would be “controversial”.

 

[WiseOwl]

Just a few thoughts although I still lean towards a total stranger abduction and murder. What if she told Mr. X the evening before that she was pregnant and that she hoped he wouldn't get married and be with her instead. OMG he's in the brown stuff up to his eye-balls now! How does he get out of this? We know he was in work next morning as police proved that by CCTV and colleagues. Wonder what time he arrived? Could he have left for any reason? Wasn't he a boss? Am sure I read that he was her boss. Otherwise he may have told a relative, say brother to "take care of it" so to speak, with info about how she got to work. Was anyone following her from home I wonder, at a discreet distance? Doesn't seem anyone on the CCTV.

Feel free to discuss these points.

Hi @ crazychris. Have you a source from where it was stated Mr X was in work on the Friday morning as proved by CCTV and colleagues? AFAIR the police stated that he had an alibi for that morning but never elaborated on what it was.

<modsnip: Please do not discuss social media rumors>

 

[Spiderplant]

Section 60 enacted – Milton Keynes

There’s been a series of violent crimes/gangs and weapons around furzton area. Resulting in more (*edited by me for typo) stabbings and now a section 60 for MK.
Just putting this here as the red ways are mentioned.

 

[Sillybilly]

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[Sillybilly]

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[Alyce]

Just a few thoughts although I still lean towards a total stranger abduction and murder. What if she told Mr. X the evening before that she was pregnant and that she hoped he wouldn't get married and be with her instead. OMG he's in the brown stuff up to his eye-balls now! How does he get out of this? We know he was in work next morning as police proved that by CCTV and colleagues. Wonder what time he arrived? Could he have left for any reason? Wasn't he a boss? Am sure I read that he was her boss. Otherwise he may have told a relative, say brother to "take care of it" so to speak, with info about how she got to work. Was anyone following her from home I wonder, at a discreet distance? Doesn't seem anyone on the CCTV.

Feel free to discuss these points.

Can you provide a link for that please. I have never seen any information to say that Mr X was at his place of work on Friday February 15 - all I have ever read is that he provided an alibi to police.

 

[LINEOFDUTY]

There are few known facts to this case. Some could be clarified by TVP unless they have reasons for not being more precise. It’s important to build scenarios around the few solid facts.IMO
But there are lots of grey areas where it is healthy to question statements or opinions.
Here’s our take so far.
The Lake has seen two previous deaths. Both discovered within two weeks. Given the passage of time with heavy rain, strong winds , strong current towards the weir or teardrop lakes,large fish such as Pike and fishing every day and the search with Sonar and Divers, it seems impossible nothing has come to light.
So I feel it’s safe to discount water as an area Leah ended up in.
My view remains she willingly entered a car in one of the car parks near her route to work. The Pavilion car park,even though the trees that screen it from nearby houses were bare at the time ,or the Watling street car park. I discounted the well screened Bird feeding station car park based on the reports of where the phone was turned off, however she may have turned her phone off and then continued around that side of the lake to meet in that park. I feel her changes to Notification services may have been to avoid questions from her family rather than a dangerous situation she expected to find herself in on Valentines night.
We all know the majority of such cases relate to people who knew the person they abducted. A confusing factor in reviewing the known facts is the time of day when any type of perpetrator would carry out such an action.
Which leads me to another scenario. Could Lea have decided to have time out to discuss or consider some options she faced. So popped into a car, without a struggle thinking it would only be an hour or so late for work, only to be driven away That seems more sensible from an abductors perspective than chancing being seen struggling during a very busy time of day.

How would you abduct Lea without being noticed?
What circumstances would result in you doing it at the busiest time of day in daylight. Given when Lea walked home each evening it was dark.

It just seems illogical to do it in broad daylight. Even the Pregnancy idea would not be time critical.
Holly, Wise Owl, anyone any thoughts?

Reward now up to £15.000
Is there any evidence that huge rewards work.
So if the reward was raised to £50,000 would it flush out some answers?

 

[WiseOwl]

Hi @LOD, your thoughts are similar to mine about what happened to Leah that morning. I do believe she got into a vehicle and if she did know who the driver was there wouldn't have been any sign of a struggle, hence why no-one noticed that there was anything amiss.

I also think that the police's asking to view just 3 hours of CCTV footage between 8 - 11 that morning was a huge mistake, they should have been viewing hours before and after these times as well. I don't believe that they were looking at any potential vehicles Leah might have been in either. All MOO of course!

As you say there are very few facts and too many grey areas in Leah's case that make it so frustrating. Unless the TVP release any more information there's nothing more to go on apart from what we know already.

As for the reward well it's a good idea but as you said is there any evidence that these ever work?

On a side note what was happening at Furzton Lake the other night? I hope it didn't happen near to where you live and that you didn't get caught up in it.