lt has been more than two weeks since Nicola Bulley disappeared while walking her dog along the banks of the River Wyre, and authorities are no closer to working out what happened to the beloved mum-of-two.
Nicola, 45, was last seen walking by the river near Garstang Road at around 9.20am on Friday, January 27, shortly after dropping her daughters off at school. Her disappearance sparked a massive search, ranging from the riverside bench where her phone was found all the way to Morecambe Bay.
Here is all that has happened in the desperate search for Nicola this week.
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Police believe Nicola "fell into the river"
In a press conference on February 7, Lancashire Police said they had "looked at and discounted" the "potential criminal element" of the Nicola's disappearance.
Superintendent Sally Riley said: "It does remain our belief that Nicola sadly fell into the river, and this is a missing person enquiry. Our work around the search of the river and the river bank continues and this includes many pieces of different technical equipment.
"The river is a complex area to search, it is not a still water it is a fast flowing moving water which is tidal in parts. This makes it particularly complex. We have already discounted particular areas of the river but as they are tidal we have re-searched them to make sure nothing has been washed back into those search areas. We have six people searching the river banks every day, these are specially trained search officers, who are systematically, methodically searching the river bank and open ground."
Partner Paul Ansell issues new statement
In a statement released on February 7, Mr Ansell said: “It’s been ten days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back. 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.
"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. If anyone has any information which could help find Nicola, I urge them to get in touch with the police and help us provide the answers we all so badly need.”
The following day, he paid a visit to the riverbank where Nicola was last seen to speak to underwater search expert Peter Faulding, who Nicola's family called in to help with the search.
Specialist diving team gives up on search
Dive expert Peter Faulding and his team completed their search of the River Wyre on February 8, and pulled out of the investigation.
Mr Faulding said: "We’ve done our job and we’ve cleared the areas that we were tasked with by Lancashire Police and we are happy that there is nothing in that water." However, he said this does not mean Nicola did not go into the water, as different diving teams expanded the search to include towards the estuary and sea at Morecambe.
Paul Ansell appears on Channel 5
Mr Ansell told TV presented Dan Walker he would "never give up" on the search for Nicola when he appeared on Channel 5 on Friday, February 10.
He said: "That hope and that positivity in me is stronger than ever, and I'm never, ever going to let go. Nikki would never give up on us ever. She wouldn't give up on anybody. And we're not gonna ever give up on her like, we're going to find her."
He added: "There has to be a way to find out what happened, there has to be. You cannot, you cannot walk your dog down a river and just vanish into thin air. Something happened that day, something…"
People travel miles to take selfies at bench where Nicola's phone was found
Residents of St Michael's on Wyre slammed self-obsessed influencers and true crime enthusiasts who "travelled for miles to take selfies" at the bench where Nicola was last seen.
Chairman of St Michael’s Parish Council, Giles Phillips said: “It would be helpful if people could let the authorities do their jobs. We don’t want anyone to hinder the investigation. This is not a spectator sport.
"Most of the area is private land – the public access is very minimal and can’t absorb the numbers of people who are coming every day. They aren’t searching for somebody – they are watching someone else search for somebody. We would rather people stayed home or took a day trip to the Lake District.”
On Saturday, February 11, it was announced that a security company is patrolling the area to deter the large numbers of "TikTokers and YouTubers" swarming the village.
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