Could this be a sighting of missing Milton Keynes girl Leah Croucher?

A television show could bring long-awaited hope to the heartbreaking search for missing Milton Keynes girl Leah Croucher.
CCTV of Leah before she went missingCCTV of Leah before she went missing
CCTV of Leah before she went missing

Leah has been missing since vanishing on February 15th this year.

Her case has received national attention on both Crimewatch and This Morning in recent weeks.

Now viewers watching ITV's Tonight programme have spotted a girl with a striking resemblance to the missing 20-year-old in the background of the footage.

Has Leah been spotted in background of ITV's Tonight showHas Leah been spotted in background of ITV's Tonight show
Has Leah been spotted in background of ITV's Tonight show

The fresh hope came just days after Leah's Emerson Valley parents voiced their worst fears that their daughter may no longer be alive, read full story here.Tonight presenter Julie Etchingham was being filmed in a busy street market as she talked about car insurance scammers.

An auburn-haired girl wearing a black and white sweatshirt walked into the shot, oblivious of the cameras. She walks past Julie then, as she spots the camera, a look of surprise crosses her face and she hurries on.

“I saw her and immediately thought it could be Leah,” said one viewer.

“Like most people, I've seen so many missing posters and photographs of Leah in the Citizen that she is familiar to me now. And this girl on Tonight has exactly the same face shape and the same features.

A close-up of the girl many believed to be LeahA close-up of the girl many believed to be Leah
A close-up of the girl many believed to be Leah

“Her hair is different but she could have dyed it if she doesn't want to be recognised.”

The Citizen has asked the Tonight team for the exact location of the market and a higher resolution image of the shot.

It is understood the sighting will be investigated by police, along with any other leads generated by the recent Crimewatch programme and flurry of national media appeals about Leah.

There has been no confirmed sighting since Leah was captured on CCTV in Furzton, minutes before she disappeared while walking to work on the morning of February 15.

Anybody with any information, however small, must contact police quoting reference 43190049929, or call Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555 111.