// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Leah Croucher: 'Not knowing was torture, knowing is as bad'
Leah Croucher was missing for three years before her remains were found
When Leah Croucher's body was found three years after she went missing her family thought their torture would end. Instead it continued with conspiracy theories, fear and heartbreak haunting their lives.
The 19-year-old was walking to work on 15 February 2019 when she disappeared. Her parents say they went through more than three years of "absolute torture" before her dismembered body was discovered in a house in Milton Keynes, less than half a mile (0.8km) from her home in 2022.
She had been killed by a repeat sex offender Neil Maxwell, a man who her parents have branded "an animal". He was on the run from police at the time.
Despite overwhelming evidence of Maxwell's guilt, her parents Claire and John say they have been subjected to "devastating" speculation online, with some pointing the finger at her brother.
Leah's parents are now calling for 'Leah's Law', a mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of a third sexual offence.
Haydon Croucher took his own life nine months after his sister went missing. Leah's parents say he struggled to cope with not knowing what had happened to her.
The Crouchers believe Leah's Law would have saved Leah and by extension Haydon.
Leah Croucher's family were subjected to online conspiracy theorists and people contacting them pretending to be Leah after she went missing
"She was a very shy, home-loving girl," says her dad but had a "brilliant sense of humour" once she opened up, adds her mum.