Nobody has ever been interviewed or arrested as a suspect in Leah Croucher case, reveal police in Milton Keynes

The Citizen this week asked police for an update of how many officers remained in the team searching for Leah and what leads they had been investigating.

We also asked how many people have been interviewed as suspects since the home-loving teenager vanished in February 2019.

A police spokesman answered: "No-one has been interviewed as a suspect.".

He would not say how many people remain in the 'Operation Dawlish' team, which was set up with dozens of officers when Leah first disappeared.

He said: "The investigation into Leah’s disappearance continues with dedicated resources, led by the Major Crime Unit, in order to assess and explore any new lines of enquiry."

Over the months, there have been numerous 'sightings' of Leah reported by members of the public. Police have investigated each one, but none of them turned out to be her.

"All reports of information or potential sightings are explored and investigated accordingly, however at this time we have not received any confirmed sightings of Leah, or any confirmed reports of her location," said the spokesman this week.

He added: "Thames Valley Police remain committed to locating Leah Croucher and we continue to offer support to Leah’s family throughout this very difficult time."

Leah's family are convinced she did not disappear unaided and would not have voluntarily left the Emerson Valley home and family she loved.

Her parents John and Clare say there was evidence their daughter was having a secret romance with an older man before she went missing, and in the past they have publicly criticised police for "not looking closely enough" at this possibility.

But the man, who was engaged to be married before Leah vanished, has since denied they were in a relationship. Because he cannot be named for legal reasons, the MK Citizen will refer to him as Mr X.

Police say they have thoroughly investigated all leads and evidence regarding Mr X but not found anything that could connect with Leah's disappearance. They have previously said they spoke to Mr X early in the investigation and have no reason to be suspicious.

Leah's dad John told us in an interview earlier this year: "Mr X is the only anomaly that was in Leah's life. The only thing she lied about. We feel information he may have is our only chance of finding her.

"We kept quiet because the police strongly advised us it was the right thing to do. They asked us to trust them. We have to finally and publicly admit we think they are wrong."

John says he and Clare have provided police with "evidence" early on to prove Leah and Mr X were more than just good friends.

He said: "We worry that the police did not look more closely at him, his family, his friends. They didn't search cars or homes or workplaces. They searched the area he lives in, but that was all. He will not give permission to look at messages between the both of you. He destroyed those messages.

"Police searched our house five times ...They searched Leah's brother's home. They searched our relatives' homes. They searched our cars, our workplaces, our internet history. It feels as if we were under suspicion."

John revealed he asked police to check for DNA on the clothes Mr X wore on Valentine's Day 2019, the day before Leah disappeared. This was the evening she fibbed to her parents and slipped out of the house, seemingly for a mystery assignation.

"The police will not check the clothes he wore Valentine's Day," said John. "They 'encourage' us to protect his anonymity."

On the 12-month anniversary of Leah's disappearance, John threatened to name Mr X publicly if he did not come forward to help police.

Afterwards the frustrated dad said: "He has not talked to the police...We have reached the end. The end of waiting patiently... The end of keeping quiet."The other aspect baffling the family is Leah's Valentine's Day fib to them on the evening before she went missing.

The teenager came home from work as normal and announced she was popping out to see one of her friends, who was known to the family. She returned an hour and a quarter later.

However, enquiries later revealed she did not see that friend. And earlier the same evening, at 5.45pm, the location settings were disabled on Leah;s phone, which meant nobody could know where she was.

The family feel this out-of-character action could well be connected to her disappearance 15 hours later.

Meanwhile DCI Andy Howard, the head of the police team investigating Leah's disappearance, has admitted the case is one of the most baffling he has ever dealt with.

No items of clothing that Leah was wearing on the day have ever been found. Her phone, disconnected on the morning she disappeared, has never been traced, her bank account containing her substantial savings has not been touched and there has been no activity from her on social media.

Leah's aunt Teresa Nicholls has said the whole family was still "in turmoil" daily not knowing where Leah is.

"What or who is stopping her from coming home or even letting us know she is safe? This is not Leah -she’s not the girl that would willingly put her family though this," she said

"It’s honestly devastating and we just feel numb waiting for her to come home where she belongs, where she is loved beyond words. For her parents it’s a living nightmare.... pure hell.

"All the time Leah is still missing she is always at the forefront of our minds. We look everywhere and anywhere for any signs or sightings of her...Someone, somewhere knows something. Please, please come forward and help."

Teresa's last sentence sums up the family's desperate message over the past 22 months - someone, somewhere knows something. It is highly unlikely that a young girl as unworldly wise as Leah could stage her own disappearance so expertly. Therefore is highly probable that someone helped her or perhaps took her with force.

After this length of time, Leah's parents have only two possible theories - that Leah is no longer alive or that she is being held somewhere against her will. But either way, they say, they want her home where she belongs.

Her dad said: There's been too many sad milestones. Too little information about the circumstances that day. Far too much pain, sadness and sorrow. Too much worry. Where are you Leah? How are you?

"Is the miniscule piece of hope we have left that one day you come home, safe and sound pointless? Are we silly for still hoping and dreaming?"

There is £10,000 reward for information that will help find Leah, who would now be 21. But so far nobody has come forward, even anonymously, to help put the Croucher family out of their misery.

If you have any information, however small or insignificant you think it may be, please contact Thames Valley Police on 101, or by reporting online - quoting reference 43190049929 or 'Operation Dawlish'.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or you can pass information to them online here .