The grim discovery was made less than half a mile from where Leah Croucher was last seen (Picture: PA/Reuters/Splashnews)
Human remains and personal items belonging to missing teenager Leah Croucher were found in the former home of a convicted paedophile, it has been reported.
The grim discovery was made at a house in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, Milton Keynes, less than half a mile from where she was last seen walking to work in February 2019.
Neighbours told The Times the rented property had been vacant for months.
One of the previous occupants was jailed in 2017 for sex offences against two teenagers, it reports.
His father told the newspaper the family moved out years before Ms Croucher vanished but said they knew of the case because they still lived in the area.
Thames Valley Police said they had found human remains at the property on Wednesday, and that investigators would be there ‘for some time’.
They began searching the house after a tip-off from a member of the public on Monday.
A murder inquiry was then launched when they found a rucksack and other personal belongings of the teenager.
Detectives have launched a murder inquiry after discovering personal possessions belonging to Leah Croucher (Picture: PA)
Police officers and a forensic tent outside a property in Loxbeare Drive (Picture: PA)
Officers began searching the house after a tip-off from a member of the public on Monday (Picture: PA)
An aerial view of forensic and police officers outside the property (Picture: PA)
A fading poster appealing for information into the disappearance (Picture: PA)
Ms Croucher, 19, was last seen on CCTV in Buzzacott Lane, Furzton, just after 8.15am on February 15 2019 walking in the direction of Loxbeare Drive and Chaffron Way.
A faded Thames Valley Police missing person sign with a £5,000 reward, probably from the time that Leah Croucher disappeared, was still tacked to a tree just yards from the suburban property where human remains were found.
The sign was a short distance from the police cordon where forensic experts appeared to be at work building a structure in the back garden of the house.
Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter said the scene there is ‘difficult and challenging’ and ‘thorough and respectful’ searches may take some time.
He added: ‘The call from the member of the public that we received on Monday was the first occasion that we were alerted to this address, and we thank them for contacting us immediately to report their concerns.
‘Our thoughts remain with Leah’s family and friends, and we will continue to offer them all the support that they need.’
Detectives have appealed to neighbours in the area on the day the teenager disappeared to come forward with any relevant information (Picture: PA)
Mr Hunter urged members of the public in the Loxbeare Drive area on the day Ms Croucher disappeared and those with relevant information to come forward.
‘I appreciate the passage of time that has passed but we remain hopeful that somebody may have a crucial piece of information, particularly given this significant development today,’ he said.
Ms Croucher was described by loved ones as ‘very quiet’ and ‘not really an outgoing type of person’, preferring to read fantasy fiction or watch DVDs in her room to nights out at the pub.
She had competed internationally in taekwondo but her father said she was ‘not a fighter’.
Her family was struck by further tragedy when Ms Croucher’s brother, Haydon Croucher, died at the age of 24 in November 2019.
His mother said he had found the disappearance of his sister ‘very difficult’.
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Detectives investigating the disappearance of Leah Croucher have launched a murder inquiry.