The grieving parents of Leah Croucher have today paid tribute to their daughter as they broke their silence for the first time since her body was found.
Heartbroken Claire and John Croucher said the "faint glimmer of hope" they had held that the 19-year-old was still alive had been "brutally extinguished".
The admin assistant's body was discovered in the loft of a home less than a mile from her home.
She had been missing for more than three years - with cops now saying she was murdered by convicted sex offender Neil Maxwell.
Now her parents have described Leah as a "bright, funny young woman" whose "smile lit up the room" as they broke their silence following confirmation of her death.
They said looking at pictures of Leah was too painful to even think about at the moment.
And they asked her to give half-brother Haydon - who took his own life in November 2019 - a big kiss.
Speaking for the first time since Leah's body was discovered, her parents said they "knew" the news Leah had been taken from them would come.
They said: "Leah had so much to achieve in her life, milestones that will now never be met.
"The void left in our lives after Leah’s disappearance was immense, a pain almost too big to bear.
"However, there is little that compares to the deep chasm Leah’s death has brought to us."
They added: "We have missed Leah for so long already, and now have the rest of our lives to mourn her as well as the memories we will never be able to make.
"We were able to love you for 19 wonderful years Leah and make amazing memories together as a family, memories that we hope will be sufficient to carry us through the dark and lonely years we have to come.
"Give Haydon a big kiss and a big hug from us baby, we miss and love you both so much, but hope that you are together now, looking out for each other as always."
Leah was last seen on February 15, 2019, in Milton Keynes as she walked to work in a finance firm.
The teen told her family the day before she was meeting a friend but that never happened.
CCTV showed her walking down Buzzacott Lane in Furzton, believed to be in the direction of her work, at about 8.15am the next day.
The house where Leah's body was found earlier this month is just 0.4miles from where her last movements were captured.
It is also near Furzton Lake, where the teen's phone left the network - consistent with it being destroyed - at 8.34am.
In an emotional statement released by police, Leah's distraught parents added: "Leah was a bright, funny young woman who was a kind, loyal, helpful and caring soul.
"Her smile lit up the room and her laugh cheered all who heard it. Leah had a wonderful sense of humour, who found joy in everything she did.
"Leah’s presence and warmth impacted on all who knew her, her disappearance has impacted on an entire city and beyond.
"The world and our lives are darker for losing her in the prime of life."
After the discovery, cops named convicted rapist Maxwell as the prime suspect in Leah's murder.
He was wanted by police at the time of Leah's disappearance in February 2019 in connection with the sex assault.
But Maxwell managed to evade arrest 18 times by travelling across the UK and using false alibis.
Convicted sex attacker Maxwell then killed himself in April 2019 - two months after tragic Leah was snatched.
Maxwell had carried out maintenance work at the property from November 2018.
He was the only person to have keys to the property while the owners, who are not involved in the case, were away.
