The search for missing mother-of-two, Nicola Bulley, continues several weeks after her disappearance on 27th January. The 45-year-old went missing in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire whilst walking her dog. The case has drawn nation-wide attention and speculation due to the strange circumstances under which Bulley seemed to vanish. ‘Nothing is making sense’ said family friend Heather Gibbons, from the banks of the River Wyre where Nicola was last seen.
Doorbell footage captured Bulley getting into her car before dropping her daughters off at school. She then took her dog for a walk along the River Wyre, where she was sighted twice. Bulley joined a Microsoft Teams call at around 9am, however, when the call ended at 9.34am she stayed logged on. Around five minutes later Bulley’s phone was found at a bench by the river, along with her dog and its harness and lead.
Lancashire police launched an investigation immediately and began appealing for witnesses. Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell told police that both do the walk frequently and that their dog is very familiar with that chunk of the walk which could explain the removed harness and lead. Although there is CCTV at the back of a caravan park that may have captured Bulley’s walk, the only camera that would have seen what happened was unfortunately not working.
Initially, police began working on the theory that Bulley had fallen into the river, employing specialist divers and volunteers to search the surrounding area. After the initial search resulted in no major breakthroughs, the family called in Peter Faulding and his team, who were supplied with £55,000 worth of sonar equipment to search the riverbed – however this search also found no trace of Bulley. Faulding admitted it is ‘unlikely’ that Bulley was swept out to sea due to the river being tidal. The team’s search ended on 8th February, with Faulding concluding Bulley was not in the river and claiming he would not rule out a ‘third party involvement’.
Police have faced mounting accusations of mishandling the case. Issues surrounding the contamination of the crime scene have been raised (police did not cordon off the area and allowed footfall across the path), and the family are ‘not willing to at this stage to accept’ the theory that Bulley fell into the river, claiming she was a strong swimmer, and her dog was completely dry when found. The police have since admitted that there is no evidence to suggest Bulley had fallen in the river, however they maintain there are also no signs of foul play at the scene.
The family have most recently condemned public conduct surrounding this case, highlighting ‘grossly offensive’ online comments, and likening the trespassing in the area to a ‘tourist spot’. Police have issued a 48-hour dispersal order and several people have been warned over their behaviour. “Bulley’s family have since urged people to ‘keep an open mind’, whilst the Lancashire police issued a reminder that ‘the priority is Nicola and her family’ and committed to ‘provid[ing] answers to her family’.