Leah Croucher's family say hope is extinguished after body found

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

Leah Croucher's family said their hopes were "brutally extinguished in the cruellest and harshest of ways" after her body was found earlier this month.

Ms Croucher's remains were discovered in an empty house in Milton Keynes after she went missing aged 19 in 2019.

Police have named sex offender Neil Maxwell as the main suspect in their murder inquiry, but he was found dead weeks after the teenager disappeared.

Her family said up until the discovery they held a "faint glimmer of hope".

In a tribute released via Thames Valley Police, they said they knew the "heartbreaking news would come one day" that "Leah had been taken from us".

"The faint glimmer of hope that we all held allowed us to fool ourselves into believing that our assumption could have been wrong," they said.

Ms Croucher's family described her as a "bright, funny young woman"

Ms Croucher was last seen on CCTV walking down Buzzacott Lane in Furzton, Milton Keynes, on her way to work on 15 February 2019.

Her body was found, along with her rucksack and other belongings, at a house on Loxbeare Drive - which is less than half-a-mile (0.8km) from where she was last seen.

Police received a call about the property on 10 October.

On 14 October, Neil Maxwell was named by officers as the prime suspect in the murder investigation.

The 49-year-old worked as a maintenance man for the homeowner, who lives abroad, and was the only person to have keys to the house when Ms Croucher vanished, police said.

He was being hunted by police in connection with a sexual assault that happened in November 2018 and had evaded arrest on 18 occasions prior to his death in April 2019.

Police suspect convicted sex offender Neil Maxwell killed teenager Leah Croucher

Ms Croucher's family said she had "so much to achieve in her life, milestones that will now never be met".

They described her as "a kind, loyal, helpful and caring soul".

"Her smile lit up the room and her laugh cheered all who heard it," the family said.

"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."

Jade Croucher (left) described her sister Leah (right) as "a beautiful girl inside and out"

The family said they would "soon be able to lay Leah to rest, as she deserves".

"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," they said.

In November 2019, Ms Croucher's half-brother, Haydon Croucher, took his own life.

The 24-year-old felt "broken" by the disappearance of his sibling, his mother previously said.

The family said in their tribute: "We miss and love you both so much, but hope that you are together now, looking out for each other as always."