✕CloseNicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell speaks out.
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Speculation, guesswork and “people descending upon St Michael's on Wyre” is “hampering” the search for missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, and “causing inordinate distress” to her family, a local MP has warned.
A private underwater rescue group has joined the search on its 11th day at the request of Ms Bulley’s family, with founder Paul Faulding pledging that his sonar equipment will be able to confirm or dispell the current police theory that the missing dog walker fell into the River Wyre within days.
“If Nicola is in there, we will find her. If she’s there, our sonar will pick her up straight away,” Mr Faulding said, describing her partner Paul Ansell as “extremely distraught”, adding: “It’s a horrible thing to be going through not knowing where your loved one is.”
Police searching for the 45-year-old said that a woman described as a “key witness” had also come forward, after announcing on Saturday that they were trying to trace a woman seen pushing a pram in the area close to where the dog walker vanished.
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Force is confident that Bulley did not leave field near water
After reviewing the CCTV footage, the force is confident Nicola Bulley did not leave the field near the river via Rowanwater – either through the site itself or the piece of land at the side.
They believe she did not return from the fields along Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road.
Officers are now focusing on the river path leading from the fields back to Garstang Road.
They have urged drivers and cyclists who travelled that way on 27 January, as well as anyone with CCTV or Ring Doorbell footage, to contact them.
Shweta Sharma7 February 2023 06:451675748714
Nicola Bulley’s partner reveals heartbreak after CCTV still released
Partner of Nicola Bulley Paul Ansell has said that she had to be found safe because he can’t put their daughters to bed again with no answers.
“This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola’s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support,” he said.
Lancashire Police released two new images of Ms Bulley on the day she went missing, when she dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, off at school and then went on her usual dog walk alongside the river.
“This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola‘s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support,” he said in a statement.
Shweta Sharma7 February 2023 05:451675745114
Private underwater search expert cast doubt on hypothesis that Bulley fell in river
A forensic search expert who is leading a private team of divers to conduct the underwater search for Nicola Bulley said he did not think the missing mother was in the water.
In a media interview yesterday, Peter Faulding, the head of the private diving team Specialist Group International (SGI) admitted he was “baffled” by the case.
“Police were there on day one diving where the phone was found on the bench,” he told the Daily Mail.
“Normally, if a person has drowned, they go down within a few metres if being searched for the same day.
“In another couple of days I will be confident she is not in that area at all. We have the best sonar you can buy. We have scanned a huge area today (Monday) and there is nothing there.”
He said: “A body will move after a time, but they searched that area and came up with nothing – that is what is weird here. We are baffled.”
The group, which is based in Dorking, Surrey, and has been volunteering its services free of charge, has been using specialist sonar equipment to look for Ms Bulley in the River Wyre.
After spending Monday searching “three or four miles” of the river until it grew dark alongside Lancashire Police, Mr Faulding told the PA news agency: “It’s a negative search, no signs of Nicola“.
Shweta Sharma7 February 2023 04:451675742414
Force working on hypothesis that Nicola Bulley fell into the river
Lancashire Police force said they are working hypothesis that Nicola Bulley fell into the river but they remain open-minded.
The mother of two was last seen walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire on 27 January.
Her phone, still connected to a Teams call for her job as a mortgage adviser, was found on a bench on a steep riverbank overlooking the water, along with the dog lead, with the dog harness on the ground.
“Our working hypothesis remains that Nicola sadly fell into the river for some reason, but we remain open-minded, and we are continuing to carry out a huge number of inquiries,” the force said.
Shweta Sharma7 February 2023 04:001675741005
Underwater search continues after family’s fresh appeal
An underwater search for missing Nicola Bulley continued with divers scouring the river and river banks all the way to the sear.
The underwater search ran into the second day with search teams using sonar, search dogs, drone, and helicopters.
The search for Ms Bulley, 45, is entering its 11th day after she went missing on 27 January in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
Her partner Paul Ansell made a fresh appeal, saying two daughters “desperately” miss her and “need her back”.
He thanked Peter Faulding, the founder of Specialist Group International (SGI), which is leading the underwater search.
“We are also really grateful to Peter and his team from SGI for coming up and helping support the work of Lancashire Police as they continue their investigation.”
Shweta Sharma7 February 2023 03:361675738825
Nicola Bulley: All the evidence released so far in the case of the missing dog walker
Nicola Bulley, a 45-year-old mother-of-two and mortgage adviser, is still missing a week after she disappeared while out walking her dog after dropping her young daughters off at primary school.
Ms Bulley, originally from Essex but now lives in Inskip, was heading east along the River Wyre in Lancashire with her brown springer spaniel Willow when she vanished near St Michael’s on Wyre at approximately 9.15am on 27 January.
She was seen by at least one fellow dog walker moments before disappearing.
Willow’s lead and harness and Ms Bulley’s mobile phone were subsequently discovered on a nearby bench, the device still connected to a work conference call.
The dog itself was also found shortly after being recognised by a member of the public and reportedly appeared distressed.
My colleague Joe Sommerlad reports:
All the evidence released so far in the Nicola Bulley case
Mother-of-two ‘vanished into thin air’ last week
Eleanor Noyce7 February 2023 03:001675734625
Partner of missing Nicola Bulley says her two daughters ‘need her back’
The partner of missing Nicola Bulley said her two daughters “desperately” miss her and “need her back”.
In a statement released through Lancashire Police, Paul Ansell, said: “It’s been 10 days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back.”
Ms Bulley, 45, went missing on January 27 in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
Private underwater search experts, using specialist sonar equipment to look for Ms Bulley in the river, did not find anything on Monday.
Peter Faulding, the head of private diving team Specialist Group International (SGI), said his team of experts and divers, based in Dorking, Surrey, worked with Lancashire Police and searched “three or four miles” of river until it got dark.
Read more:
Partner of missing Nicola Bulley says her two daughters ‘need her back’
Ms Bulley, 45, went missing 10 days ago in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
Eleanor Noyce7 February 2023 01:501675731025
What is the underwater technology being used in hunt for missing Nicola Bulley?
A private diving team has joined the search to help find 45-year-old Nicola Bulley.
The mother of two was last seen walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire on January 27. Police are working on the hypothesis that she fell into the river, though this claim has not been substantiated with any evidence and her family and friends have disputed it.
On Monday, a private team of divers led by forensic expert Peter Faulding were drafted in to widen the search for Ms Bulley.
Mr Faulding is a leading confined space rescue and forensic search specialist who has worked on high-profile missing persons and “no body” murder investigations, including the cases of serial killer Peter Tobin and five-year-old April Jones who was abducted and killed in 2012.
More here:
What is the underwater technology being used in hunt for missing Nicola Bulley?
A private team of divers led by forensics expert Peter Faulding has been drafted in to widen the search for missing Nicola Bulley
Eleanor Noyce7 February 2023 00:501675727439
The final email and an abandoned Teams call: Timeline of dog walker’s mysterious disappearance
The last known movements of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley have been revealed by police.
Nicola Bulley, 45, a mortgage advisor, was last seen on Friday morning at around 9.20am while walking her dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
She had just dropped off two her daughters, aged six and nine, at the local school in the village.
Ms Bulley’s phone was found, apparently still engaged on a work call, on a park bench nearby, along with the harness and lead for her dog, Willow, a springer spaniel.
Her parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, have since spoken of their “dread” at the thought of never seeing her again, and of hearing their grandchildren “sobbing” after being told “mummy is lost”.
Here we take a look at her last known movements:
Matt Mathers reports:
Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s mysterious disappearance
Police have released a timeline of Nicola Bulley’s last known movements
Eleanor Noyce6 February 2023 23:501675725639
Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she disappeared revealed
Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she “vanished into thin air” has been revealed.
The 45-year-old was last seen walking her dog by the river in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on Friday 27 January. She was still logged into a Microsoft Teams call which had ended at 9.30am when her phone was recovered.
Just half an hour earlier, the mother of two had texted a friend to book a playdate. She sent the message at 8.57am shortly before logging into the Teams call, locals at a village meeting were told.
Ms Bulley had just dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school on Friday morning.
The last known sighting of Ms Bulley was at 9.10am. Some 25 minutes later, her phone and the dog’s harness were found on a riverside bench. Her springer spaniel, Willow, appeared distressed.
Her Strava account shows that the route where she was last seen was one she frequently used, as she often shared photos of her riverside runs with Willow.
Read more:
Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she disappeared revealed
The 45-year-old mother of two arranged a playdate with a friend just minutes before she disappeared
Eleanor Noyce6 February 2023 23:20
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