Today marks the third anniversary of the mystery disappearance of Leah Croucher as police release to pictures in a bid to find the missing teen

Leah, who was 19 years old at the time of her disappearance, was reported missing from Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes on February 15 2019, by her family.

READ MORE: 'Each day is torture': Heartbroken parents of Leah Croucher release statement

They last saw her at 10pm the day before, February 14, St Valentine’s Day with the last confirmed sighting at 8.16am on CCTV in Buzzacott Lane, Furzton, on the morning of February 15, and the last activity on her phone was just after 8.30am that day.

Bucks Free Press: CCTV image of Leah's last confirmed sighting in Buzzacott LaneCCTV image of Leah's last confirmed sighting in Buzzacott Lane

On this, the third anniversary since her disappearance, Thames Valley Police have relased a new image from Furzton Lake which shows a figure of a person dressed.

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It is not clear if the person is Leah but the image image also shows members of the public, who the police would like to speak to.

Bucks Free Press:

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard, said: “The image we are releasing today is not of a high quality, but I am hoping that somebody will recognise themselves as being in this picture."

“I am keen to hear from the group of people in this image; it may be that you regularly walk in this area and will recognise yourselves.

“I would also like to hear from the person in the image walking her dog.

“If you have not already got in touch with the police, I would urge you to do so, as you may have a vital piece of information that would be key to this investigation.

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“I’m am particularly keen to identify the person seen in the image who is dressed in black.

“This photograph was taken at 10.51am on the morning of February 15, 2019. It is not possible from the image to say whether or not the person dressed in black is Leah but we have witnesses in the area of the lake at around this time who describe seeing a young female in black clothing who is described as appearing distracted or upset, and possibly using her phone.

“Despite previous appeals we have so far been unable to establish the identity of this female and so if you believe this was you or you know who it is, please contact the police.

“Were you in the area of Furzton Lake between 10.45am and 11.30am on that morning?

“I know this was three years ago, but this image was taken the day after Valentine’s Day, and just prior to the school half-term break, and so it may be that you remember being in the area, or you walk in this area regularly.

Bucks Free Press: The image of a dog walker police would like to speak toThe image of a dog walker police would like to speak to

He also added that the image circulating online suggesting there was a sighting of Leah in Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire has been ruled at as being the missing teen.

DCI Howard added: “I am also aware of another image that has been circulated in the media and community groups suggesting a person being sighted in a barn at a property in Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire. We are also aware of other speculation on social media of Leah being linked to this property."

“We were passed this photograph which we investigated using specialist CCTV viewers who reviewed and analysed the image thoroughly.

“We also thoroughly investigated the location in question, and we can categorically rule out that this is Leah in the image. A detailed investigation of the property and the barn has provided no evidence of Leah being linked to or having been at that location.”

With every passing day, Leah’s disappearance remains a mystery, and the police remain determined to seek the answers for Leah’s family and friends.

DCI Howard also highlighted how Leah took a different route to work on the last day she was seen.

He continued: “However it appears that this was not the route Leah took to work on 15 February. It is for this reason we are appealing to the people who are local to these areas, and feel that there could still be someone out there with information we need.

“I genuinely believe that there are people in the area that morning who will have seen Leah and who can help the investigation.

“We also know that the evening before Leah went missing, having arrived home from work, she left her address in Emerson Valley between approximately 6pm and 7.15pm. We don’t know where Leah went during that period and would ask people to think back to that evening in case they were in that area and saw or spoke to Leah. Where was she? Was she with anybody? What was she doing?

“It is three years since Leah went missing, but the fact that we are seeking information about her movements on Valentine’s Day and 15 February, which was the last day before half-term, means that hopefully these are dates that people can more readily recall.

“The fact that images taken by Furzton Lake on 15 February have recently been provided to the investigation gives us real optimism that further information is out there that can assist in finding Leah.

“It’s never too late to come forward with information to help our investigation, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you.

“The constant anguish that Leah’s family have had to live with is never lost on me.

He added: “The response from the public since Leah went missing has been excellent and I know that Leah’s case remains very much at the forefront of the minds of the residents of Milton Keynes. Members of the local community have generously offered a £20,000 reward for information that leads to Leah being found, and that reward is still available.”

Anyone who has information that could lead to the force locating Leah Croucher, is asked to contact 101 quoting reference number 43190049929, or Operation Dawlish.

Information can be left via our dedicated website for this investigation, which is https://mipp.police.uk/operation/43H218A55-PO1/.

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