'We are considering ALL the information we've been given' say police investigating disappearance of Milton Keynes woman Leah Croucher

Police have reassured the public that "every strand" of information they've been given about Leah Croucher has been taken into consideration and is being scrutinised.

The Leah team at Thames Valley Police issued a statement today in response about the Citizen's questions about the progress of the investigation almost three years on.

We asked specifically about recent potential evidence that had been uncovered through members of the public via the 5,000-strong Facebook group called Leah Croucher Disappearance - Community Investigation.

In particular we asked about a potential link in the case to a property in Eaton Bray, 18 miles away from MK. The grounds of this house were searched by police in December 2019 as part of the Leah enquiry.

The Citizen reported this story in October, describing how the property's former owner had fled her home in February 2019 because of an alleged vendetta by an MK-based gang involved in drugs and sex trafficking of young women. She said she "feared for her life".

A second story coming to light through the community Facebook group concerned a mysterious sighting of a car driver aggressively pushing down a passenger in his shiny black car, as though her was trying to hide them. The significance was that the sighting was near Furzton Lake came on the same morning Leah went missing and in the same area her phone has inexplicably left the network.

Police have never issued a public appeal as a result of of either story.

Yesterday (Monday) the Citizen published a story about a third community generated lead - a previously-unseen photo taken at Furzton Lake of children feeding ducks on the morning Leah vanished.

When the photo was enlarged, it showed a small figure in the distance that could be Leah. The figure is dressed in black with a rucksack on their back and standing alone.

The significance is that the time on the camera is 10.51am - two and a half hours after the last recorded CCTV sighting of Leah in Buzzacott Lane on Furzton. This fact could shift the whole time scale of the police investigation, which has so far produced no clues as to how and why Leah vanished.

The photo also shows other people in the vicinity and these could be potential new witnesses. There is also another figure, seemingly of a male dressed in black, (see photograph) that is a short distance behind Leah and this has led to online speculation that somebody may have been following her or waiting for her.

The community Facebook group, together with the Citizen, has always ensured any new information emerging about Leah, no matter how small, is reported to police.

Today we sought reassurance that the recent discoveries are being investigated.

A police spokesman told us: "We can confirm that all of the information that the investigation team is in receipt of is being taken into consideration when investigating Leah’s disappearance."

He added: "It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to comment on the incidents to which you refer, other than to confirm that they are both a part of the ongoing investigation.

"Every strand of information received is investigated thoroughly in context with the investigation as a whole, and as always, we would urge the public to contact the force with information either by visiting a police station, or reporting online or call 101, quoting 43190049929 or ‘Operation Dawlish’.

"Information can also be reported via our dedicated website for this investigation."