The family of Leah Croucher, who was missing for three years before her body was found in a loft in Milton Keynes, have said her funeral procession will be public to give people an opportunity to pay their respects.
Police confirmed in October that human remains found in the loft space at a house in Furzton belonged to the 19-year-old.
Her funeral service will take place on 3 March at the Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes, Thames Valley police said.
The service at the crematorium will be private, for family and friends only, but the cortege will be public, departing from White Horse Drive, Emerson Valley, at about 10.50am. It will then travel through Furzton, Shenley Brook End, Shenley Church End and Grange Farm.
In a statement released on Friday, Croucher’s parents, John and Claire, thanked the people of Milton Keynes for their support through the three years and eight months their daughter was missing, and since her body was found.
“The community outpouring displayed at the address in Furzton, as well as the countless messages of support displayed on a tree nearby, which have been compiled into a book by the local church on the estate, has taken our breath away,” they said.
“As a family, this has brought us a large amount of comfort. The time has come to finally lay our beautiful Leah to rest. We would like to offer the opportunity to those of you who wish to pay your respects and say your very own private ‘goodbye’ to Leah as she goes on her final journey to the crematorium,” they added.
Leah was reported missing on 15 February 2019, and was found by police after a tipoff from a member of the public in October last year.
A murder investigation was opened after Croucher’s rucksack and other belongings were found at the property, with sex offender Neil Maxwell named as the prime suspect. Maxwell, who killed himself while on the run from police, died in April 2019, two months after Croucher vanished.
Thames Valley police released a new efit of him in January, calling for anyone who may have seen him near the address where Croucher was found, on Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, to come forward. Officers believe he murdered the teenager but have been unable to find anyone who can place him near the house where her body was found.
