Police release video about their frustration in not solving Leah Croucher mystery in Milton Keynes

The officer in charge of the Leah Croucher case has spoken out about his frustration and bewilderment three years on from the day she vanished while walking to work.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard said today that police are "no further forward" in finding out what happened to Leah than they were at the very beginning.

"It is incredibly unusual and it is one of the most bewildering and frustrating aspects of this investigation", he said in a video released to mark today's sad anniversary.

"The investigation is now three years old and yet we are essentially no further forward in Leah's movements beyond the sighting of her at 8.16am in Buzzacott Lane.

"As senior investigating officer, I do not think myself or the investigation team - any of us - envisaged being in the situation three years ago, that we'd be speak her now, no further forward."

DC1 Howard added: "It's been one of the largest missing persons investigations that Thames Valley has ever managed, but the particularly unusual feature of it is that there simply appears to be no trace of Leah. And in this day and age, with financial, social media footprints, etc and CCTV, that is really unusual."

But he said the lack of information and lack of knowledge about what has happened to Leah is the very aspect that gives him "some hope" that she may still be alive.

"We retain an open mind about what has happened to Leah. We have a number of theories about whether she's acted on her own account, whether she's gone off with somebody, whether somebody may be involved in her disappearance.

"I must stress however that although theories remain open to us, at this stage there is no evidence or credible information to indicate that somebody else is involved in Leah's disappearance.

"But the nature of her disappearance means we simply cannot preclude it and we retain an open mind and follow all reasonable lines of enquiry."

DCI Howard has asked members of the public to think twice about posting their speculations about Leah on social media pages and community groups.

"There's been a lot of speculation and rumour.. A lot of that has been unfounded. It's based on limited information and is factually incorrect. What I would ask people to do is just think about what they are posting. Leah's family do monitor, they are watching out on social media to see if there is information that comes to light to help find their daughter, their sister, their friend," he said.

"If you have genuine information about what has happened to Leah, whether that's friends or associates of Leah or whether that's someone who think they might have seen Leah after quarter past eight on the 15th of February, please come forward and speak to police if you haven't. But if it is just speculation and rumour, something where you've got no basis for it, then I would ask you to consider whether it needs to be something that needs to be posted on social media. Think about the impact it could have on Leah's family."

Police have also today released a photo published in a Citizen story last year, of a possible sighting at Furzton Lake - two and a half hours AFTER the CCTV sighting in Buzzacott on Furzton. They are asking other people in the photo to come forward.

If you have any information that would assist the investigation, contact Thames Valley Police on 101, quoting reference number 43220059772 or ‘Operation Dawlish’.

People can also visit the dedicated portal for the investigation here, visit their local police station or, for total anonymity call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

There is a £20,000 reward.