A new TV documentary is set to air later this year telling the story of a Milton Keynes family whose lives were turned upside down when their daughter disappeared on the way to work and will feature long-serving MK Citizen journalist Sally Murrer.

Leah Croucher was 19 when she disappeared while walking to work in February 2019. Her body was not found until October 2022 – less than a half mile from her home.

The Citizen, and particularly senior reporter Murrer, persistently pushed the authorities for action and answers on the Leah case when it looked like all hope was lost at times.

An inquest into Leah’s death, which concluded in 2024, ruled that she had been unlawfully killed by sex offender Neil Maxwell, and determined that she was likely the victim of an unwarranted sex attack.

Leah’s disappearance sparked an extensive police search, with more than 50 officers looking at times, while banners offering increasing awards for information about Leah’s whereabouts hung from bridges across the city.

Following the conclusion of the inquest, Leah’s parents John and Claire said the family had been “severely let down by the police and the probation service.”

Nine months after Leah was last seen, her brother Haydon took his own life, with the family saying he ‘never recovered’ from Leah going missing.

‘The Search For Leah Croucher: A Parent’s Nightmare’ is set to air on the channel U&W later this year, with a date for broadcast yet to be announced.

Neil Maxwell was adjudged to have murdered Leah Croucher but had killed himself by the time her body was found. IMAGE: Police

UKTV say the programme is ‘seen through the eyes of Leah’s parents’.

“Over the last four years the filmmakers built a trusted relationship with Leah's family that began during her disappearance, securing exclusive access to tell their story for the first time,” UKTV said.

The programme’s commissioning editor Emile Nawagamuwa added: "We are privileged that John, Claire and Jade (Leah’s sister) have chosen to share their experience with us for the first time.

“This is an important and necessary film that not only honours Leah's memory but also sparks vital conversations about how we ensure tragedies like this never happen again.”

Series director Adam Luria added: “Leah’s story is one of the most shocking and heart-breaking that the UK has seen in recent years and we’re hoping this documentary will support her parents, John and Claire, and her sister, Jade, as they seek changes to British legislation to ensure something like this can’t happen to another family in the future.”