Leah Croucher: Who was murder suspect Neil Maxwell?

Leah Croucher, 19, was last seen on CCTV on 15 February 2019 in Milton Keynes

Convicted sex offender Neil Maxwell was named as the prime suspect in the murder of Leah Croucher. The 49-year-old took his own life two months after the 19-year-old went missing in February 2019. Police say he is their only named suspect at this time.

Police confirmed a body found in the loft of a house in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, Milton Keynes, in October belonged to Ms Croucher.

The force had also found a rucksack containing her possessions, prompting a murder investigation.

Detectives said Maxwell worked as a handyman for the owner, who lived abroad, and was the only one with keys to the house at the time.

Who was Neil Maxwell?

Police suspect convicted sex offender Neil Maxwell killed teenager Leah Croucher

Maxwell, 49, was found dead on 20 April 2019 in Milton Keynes, just two months after Ms Croucher disappeared on her way to work.

The force said he had been convicted of a number of sexual offences in the past and - at the time he died - was on the run in connection with another alleged sexual assault in November 2018.

Officers first attempted to arrest him on 30 November 2018, at an address in central Milton Keynes, but he was not there.

His name was shared with other forces in December 2018.

Thames Valley Police revealed that attempts were made to arrest him at addresses across the UK on 18 occasions.

Maxwell's previous convictions

Thames Valley Police officers were called to an address in Loxbeare Drive in Furzton on 10 October

The BBC understands Maxwell's offending began in 1998 when he raped a child.

He was jailed and his name added to the sex offenders' register.

In 2002, he was jailed for four years after being convicted of three sex offences against a girl under the age of 16 and for failing to notify police of a change of name or address.

In 2009, Maxwell admitted raping a woman in Datchet, Berkshire, and was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison.

A year later, Maxwell pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child and was handed a six-month jail sentence, to be served concurrently with the previous sentence.

In February 2018, he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in Milton Keynes and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service after serving time on remand.

Why is he the prime suspect?

Human remains were discovered at the house on Loxbeare Drive, Milton Keynes, along with some of Leah Croucher's possessions

Police began searching the house on Loxbeare Drive, Furzton on the evening of 10 October, following a tip-off call from a member of the public.

The property is less than half a mile (0.8km) from where Ms Croucher was last seen on 15 February 2019, on Buzzacott Lane.

She had been walking in the direction of Loxbeare Drive and Chaffron Way.

• The quiet teenager who vanished on her way to work

• Forensics in teen murder case could take weeks

Police said Maxwell was the only one with keys to the house, where Ms Croucher's possessions and body were found, at the time she went missing.

The suspect, who had previous convictions for sexual offences against women, was wanted in connection with a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell the same month, the force said.

Officers first attempted to arrest him in connection with the offence on 30 November 2018, at an address in central Milton Keynes, but he was not there, the force said.

On Friday, Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter said: "If Maxwell were alive today, we would be seeking his arrest in connection with this investigation, so he could be interviewed under caution to provide his account."

Maxwell is currently the only suspect, the force added.

Officers said that until they were alerted to the house in Milton Keynes on Monday there had been no evidence connecting Ms Croucher's disappearance with the house - or Maxwell.

What happens next?

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter named Neil Maxwell as the main suspect at a press conference on Friday

Forensic examinations at the house may take "several weeks" to complete meaning a continued police presence at the scene and wider area, the force said.

Police said a post-mortem examination was unable to establish a cause of death and investigations would continue.

The force said it was keeping "an open mind" as the investigation continued and would gather more evidence to establish what happened.

"This may or may not implicate or exonerate Maxwell or any other persons from the investigation," police said.

Thames Valley Police also confirmed they were in the process of reaching out to previous victims and alleged victims of Maxwell to offer support.

Leah Croucher: A timeline

CCTV footage showed the last confirmed sighting of Leah Croucher walking to work on the day she disappeared

• 14 February 2019: Leah Croucher is last seen by her parents at the family home in Quantock Crescent, Milton Keynes at 22:00 GMT

• 15 February 2019: CCTV footage shows her walking down Buzzacott Lane in Furzton at 08:16. She was thought to be going to her job at a finance company, but she never arrived

• April 2019: Thames Valley Police says three people had reported possible sightings of Ms Croucher near Furzton Lake between 09:30 and 11:15, on the day she went missing

• October 2019: A two-week search by Thames Valley Police of a lake and surrounding area at the Blue Lagoon nature reserve in Bletchley finds nothing

• 15 February 2021: On the second anniversary of her disappearance, police say there are "no significant leads" and the case is "bewildering and frustrating"

• 12 October 2022: Police open a murder investigation after unidentified human remains and a rucksack containing personal possessions belonging to Leah are found in the loft of a home on Loxbeare Drive in Furzton

• 14 October 2022: Neil Maxwell, a deceased sex offender, is named main suspect in the case by police

• 21 October 2022: Police confirm that a body found in a the house on Loxbeare Drive belongs to Leah Croucher, but cannot confirm the cause of death yet