The family of Leah Croucher have said her funeral procession will be public to give people an opportunity to pay their respects.
Ms Croucher was a missing person for more than three years before police confirmed in October 2022 that human remains found in the loft space at a house in Furzton, Milton Keynes, belonged to the 19-year-old. Her funeral service will be taking place on March 3 at the Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes, Thames Valley Police said.
The service at the crematorium will be private but the cortege will be public, departing from White Horse Drive, Emerson Valley, at approximately 10.50am, arriving at Crownhill Crematorium at noon for a 12.15pm service. The cortege will proceed through Furzton, Shenley Brook End, Shenley Church End and Grange Farm.
Ms Croucher’s parents, John and Claire, thanked the people of Milton Keynes for their support through the three years and eight months that their daughter was missing, as well as the four-and-a-half months since she was found.
They said in a statement released by Thames Valley Police: “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. As a family, this has brought us a large amount of comfort. The time has come to finally lay our beautiful Leah to rest.”
The parents asked that the public and the media respect their wishes for a private service at the crematorium, which will be for their daughter’s family and friends.
“However, 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.
A Just Giving page has been created in Ms Croucher’s memory to raise funds for charity Missing People, who have supported the family.
Ms Croucher’s parents added: “We close this message by once again thanking everybody, not only in Milton Keynes, but across the UK, for all your loving support, messages and sympathy. It truly has helped us through this enormously difficult time, and we are extremely grateful.”
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Ms Croucher was reported missing on February 15, 2019. Officers began searching the home where she was eventually found after a tip-off from a member of the public in October last year.
A murder investigation was opened after Ms 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 Ms Croucher vanished.
Thames Valley Police released a new e-fit of him in January. 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 last year.
