"Our hope has faded" admit heartbroken parents of missing Leah Croucher from Milton Keynes

The parents of Leah Croucher have spoken out about the bleak prospect of a third Christmas without their daughter - and about how they have lost faith that those responsible for her disappearance will ever speak up.

Alost three years since Leah inexplicably vanished at the age of 19, and despite an extensive police investigation, John and Claire Croucher still have no clues about what happened to their daughter, where she is or whether she is still alive.

They are convinced she did not disappear voluntarily or alone and strongly believe she was coerced by another person or people.

Today they admit that sadly their hope of finding Leah has faded with every long day that has passed.

"The person or people who know what happened will never speak up, never come forward, never help. No matter how many people ask them to on social media platforms," they told the Citizen.

"Christmas without your children around you is a bleak prospect. A meaningless time. This is the third year now. The pain and worry is still overwhelming. The loss is still raw. The hope has faded," they added.

This will be the second Christmas without Leah's brother Haydon, who tragically took his own life November 2019, nine months after Leah was last seen. The caring 24-year-old was overwhelmed with frustration and grief at the lack of progress in finding Leah.

John and Claire said: "Another Christmas approaches, everyone is worried about a lockdown stopping their festivities for a second year. Will they be able to see their family? Eat Christmas dinner together? Exchange presents?

"All we can think as a family is where is Leah and we miss Haydon...

"People will be asking for good health for themselves, family and friends. All we want is a time machine so we can go back to 14th February 2019 and change the events of our lives.

"This seems more realistic than the hope we have clung to for the past few years of finding Leah."

The one glimmer of hope that the family still possess has comes through the incredible support of the community in MK. A Facebook group called Leah Croucher Disappearance - Community Investigation has this year grown to 6,000 members and has produced several new pieces of potential evidence. The group also fundraised and organised a massive poster campaign appealing for information about Leah.

John and Claire, who live on Emerson Valley, said: "The support of the community helps keep a small hope alive that news will come, Leah will be found."

But at the same time, they say the support feeds their despair and anger - because the person or people behind her disappearance continue to keep their selfish silence.

Nevertheless, the Croucher family's Christmas gift to Leah is a set of expensive new 'Have you seen Leah?' banners to replace those hung on bridges and grid roads in the early days of her disappearance. These have now become weathered and faded.

"We collect the road banners today from our supplier with the new reward amount on display. They are our Christmas gift to our daughter, sister, niece, grandchild, friend. They will be placed at strategic points in MK again," said John and Claire.

They added: "We would like to thank the charity Missing People for their continued support, this year Leahs posters again displayed at MK shopping centre and train station. As well as the various appeals in parts of the country over the past long 12 months.

"We would also like to thank the community group on FB for their fundraising efforts for new posters to display with the £20,000 reward amount. Its so soul destroying that some heinous person removed all these from the very location it is suspected Leah vanished from. The time will come when they need help in some form, we hope they ask nicer people than they are at this point in their lives."

In a direct message to their daughter, the couple added: "Leah, if you are out there somewhere reading this report online, and we all pray that you are, know that you are loved and missed beyond measure by all your family and friends.

"We just want to know you are okay. We want you home with us. Please come home."

If you have any information about Leah, no matter how small, please visit your local police station, or make a report online here, or call 101, quoting 43190049929 or Operation Dawlish.

If you prefer to stay anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Calls are free of charge.