The “primary working hypothesis” of the police looking into the disappearance of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley is that she fell into the River Wyre.
Officers stated that “this is not suspicious but a terrible instance of a missing person,” as they believe she went inside a 10-minute interval.
Bulley vanished on January 27 and was last seen walking her dog at 9.10 a.m., according to Superintendent Sally Riley, who spoke at a press conference in the village of St. Michael’s on Wyre where she was last seen.
Her phone, according to authorities, was linked to a work Teams meeting at 9.20am that concluded 10 minutes later while it was on a bench. We only have a 10-minute window in which we cannot account for Nicola’s movements, according to Supt. Riley.
The family would “never lose hope,” her partner Paul Ansell previously told broadcasters.
A timeline of Nicola Bulley’s disappearance is shown below:
Bulley vanished on Friday, January 27, while walking her dog. She was last spotted in St. Michael’s on Wyre at 9:10 a.m. on a towpath near the River Wyre.
On a nearby bench, her mobile phone was discovered. When it was discovered, according to police, it was still logged into a conference call.
About an hour after she vanished, her dog Willow, a springer spaniel, was discovered wandering about between the river and a bench.
According to the police, Bulley had taken Willow for a stroll along the river after dropping her two girls off at school.
28 and 29 January, on Saturday and Sunday
Over the weekend, Lancashire Police conducted searches using a helicopter, drones, and police dogs. Fire departments, mountain rescue teams, and underwater search teams all provided assistance.
Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen on the morning of Friday, January 27, when she was sighted walking her dog on a trail by the River Wyre off Garstang Road in St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. Lancashire Police are currently investigating the area for Bulley. Date of illustration: January 30, 2023, Monday. (Image through Getty Images of Peter Byrne/PA Images)
Overlooking the area where Lancashire Police are looking for missing person Nicola Bulley is a police helicopter. (Getty Images/PA Images) )
Nicola Bulley, 45, of Inskip, Lancashire, who was last seen on the morning of has a missing person notice posted to a gate in St. Michael’s on Wyre, where Lancashire Police are searching for her.
Police are looking for Nicola Bulley in St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, and there is a missing person sign posted on a gate there. (Getty Images/PA Images) )
While Bulley’s partner claimed he spent the whole Sunday looking for her, neighbors also organized search operations throughout the St. Michael’s region.
January 30th, Monday
Police stated that while they are “keeping an open mind” regarding what occurred, they do not think Bulley was attacked.
This is not a criminal investigation, Supt. Sally Riley stated during a press conference.
People do go missing, but it’s obvious that as time passes, our concerns for Nicola grow.
Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen on the morning of Friday, January 27, when she was spotted walking her dog on a footpath by the nearby River Wyre. Superintendent Sally Riley of the Lancashire Police speaks to the media outside the village hall in St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, about the search for Bulley. Date of illustration: January 30, 2023, Monday.
Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley addresses the media regarding the search for missing Nicola Bulley. It is simply everlasting suffering, according to (Alamy) Ansell, an engineer who has been in a relationship with Bulley for 12 years. It is pure and simple unbelief.
It does not feel authentic. All we can say is that she needs to be found. She has two tiny daughters that require their mother to return home. Now, we need to hear some good news.
31 January and 1 February, on Tuesday and Wednesday
On Tuesday, police said that they had found a potential critical witness.
Earlier, according to police, the man had spoken to the woman who had discovered Bulley’s dog in the vicinity before heading toward Rowanwater while carrying a small white fluffy dog on a lead.
A huge abandoned house’s grounds as well as a four-mile river and forested area were being explored, according to Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue’s Kev Camplin on Wednesday.
According to Heather Gibbons, a close friend of Bulley’s, “We simply know that if she could be at home with her daughters, we very genuinely believe that’s where she would be,” she said in a statement to Sky News on Wednesday. Family is everything to her.
February 2nd, Thursday
The family of Bulley requested anyone with information regarding her disappearance to come forward.
Louise Cunningham, her sister, told Sky News: “There has to be someone who knows something. All we are asking is that if there is anything you recall, no matter how minor or large, that doesn’t seem right, please contact out to the authorities. Please contact me so I can retrieve my sister.
In St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, a diver searches the River Wyre as police continue their search for missing lady Nicola Bulley. Bulley was last seen on the morning of Friday, January 27, when she was observed walking her dog along a trail along the river. Date of image: February 2, 2023, on a Thursday.
on February 3, Friday
Near the location of her last sighting, Bulley’s companion Paul Ansell told reporters: “Every single scenario hits a brick block. Each and every one of them. We are only sitting there and repeatedly running through each scenario.
He noted that his primary concern was raising their two girls.
She fell into the River Wyre while out walking the dog, and police later stated in a news conference that this is their “primary working hypothesis” and “that there is no third party or criminal involvement and that this is not suspicious, but a terrible instance of a missing person.”
Investigators, according to Supt. Sally Riley, have “eliminated so far any indication of Nicola having left the riverbed.”
