Missing woman

[MyOldCaravan]

BBC News - Nicola Bulley: Partner describes perpetual hell over missing mum
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-64450243

Just been reading about this. How awful for her partner and children. Really hope she is found soon

update from the police

Searches are today continuing for missing mum of two Nicola Bulley.

And as part of our efforts to find her we are appealing for a potentially key witness to come forward.

Nicola was last seen on Friday morning (January 27th) at around 9.20 am on the footpath by the river off Garstang Road in St Michael’s on Wyre. However, she has not been seen or heard from since then.

We are especially keen to find a witness we believe was in the area at the time Nicola went missing. He is described as a man aged around 70, white, six ft tall, well-built who was walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead. He spoke to a woman in the area before walking in the direction of Rowanwater. If this is you, or if you know who this could be, please get in touch.

A search of the area involving police specialist resources, working alongside colleagues from the Coastguard and Bowland Mountain Rescue, is continuing.

In a statement Nicola’s family said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support from our community and would like to thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to help us find Nicola.

“The girls are desperate to have their mummy back home safe with them and your ongoing efforts have provided comfort to them whilst we await news on Nicola.

“We ask for anyone who thinks they may have any Information that may help the police find Nicola to please come forward and help them with their enquiries.”

Nicola is white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair. She speaks with an Essex accent. She was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive-green ankle wellies. Her hair was tied into a ponytail.

Immediately before going missing Nicola was walking her brown Spaniel dog Willow. Willow was found close to where Nicola was last seen, along with Nicola’s mobile phone.

Supt Sally Riley said: “We remain extremely concerned for Nicola and we continue to do everything we can to try and find her and to provide some answers for her family who are obviously beside themselves with worry. I must stress at this time that this remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.

“We appreciate there is also a great deal of concern in the local community, and we appreciate people want to help. However, parts of the riverbank are treacherous, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.

“If anybody has any questions or concerns, they are welcome to speak to officers in the area.”

Anybody who has seen Nicola, or has information about where she might be, is asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30th. For immediate sightings please call 999.

update from the police

I read this story this morning, horrendous for her family, and thought it odd the police are saying they don't think it's crime related, i.e an abduction etc.

There's one of those revolving gate things that looks like it's a an exit from a forested area directly behind the bench they said she was sitting on. Someone could easily have come up behind her and put their hands over her mouth, especially if she was wearing headphones while listening to her conference call?

Wonder how long afterwards the dog was found if it was dry re: the theory that the dog got into trouble in the river so she went in after it. How long do dogs take to dry after being wet? The sun has been quite warm when it's come out recently. Would the police have been able to tell if the dog had been in the river recently from smelling it or checking it's fur?

The dog remaining in the area could mean she hadn't gone far. Although conversely if someone had taken her and driven off, the dog wouldn't have been able to follow so would it have gone back to where it had last been with her or home? Was her home nearby? Could she have been taken while the dog had run off to a nearby area to investigate something so she wasn't there when it came back? Was there anywhere to park a car nearby?

So many questions. I just think that someone planning to commit suicide would be unlikely to take their well loved dog with them if planning to jump into a river. Dog could have gone in after her and drowned in the process too? Also in the middle of a work call? Doesn't make sense.

It is more likely the dog ran off towards the river, as it had slipped out of the collar. She saw it go over the bank and tried to get /grab it and slipped as she was wearing crocks and the dog didn’t actually go into the water.

Tragic for everyone involved. A terribly situation.

Police report says she was wearing wellies. It was also reported dog lead found on the bench she was sitting on, so it looks like she'd let it off lead while she sat listening to her work meeting,

If the dog had gone to the edge of the river and she'd gone to call it back and slipped down the bank, there would have been evidence of someone slipping down there assuming it would be muddy and she was wearing wellies.

Maybe why police are saying no third party involved?

New update

A "key witness" in the search for a woman who went missing while walking her dog has been found, police said.
Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen walking next to the River Wyre off Garstang Road, in St Michael's on Wyre, at about 09:15 GMT on Friday.
Her phone was found on a bench still connected to a work call, officers said.
Lancashire Police said the witness, who was walking a white fluffy dog in the area, was "currently being spoken to".
The man "spoke to the woman in the area who found Nicola's dog near a bench in the field", the force said in an earlier statement.
Friends of Ms Bulley have joined the search for her with one, Emma White, describing the situation as "a nightmare….

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-64462917

Not sure that’s much news - it seems this man spoke to the woman who found the dog rather than any confirmation that he came in contact with the missing woman?

So dreadful.

So awful to think she might have been swept away by the river. Will they ever find her?

It's not the first we've heard of it.. obviously you've just not heard until now

She wasn't wearing crocs

This is horrendous, based on the descriptions it could be any of the many dog loving from home working primary school mums I know 😭

According to news reports she posted how visibility on her dog walk had been poor as well as spooky a few months ago. Heartbreaking and unsettling. My heart goes out to her little girls and family.

The confusing thing is how heavily the police reporting is leaning towards ‘no third party involvement’. In the absence of evidence surely they would be reporting that they are exploring all lines of enquiry? This would therefore suggest there is evidence of an accident or attempt to take her life. But as others have suggested the latter seems very unlikely, considering the circumstances. If there is evidence to suggest an accident where she has gone in the river why isn’t this being reported? If she is presumed to have been swept away surely it would be useful for people downstream to be aware and help with the search? It doesn’t add up. I will be praying for her and her family.

Yes the whole inicident is very disturbing.

It was a Teams call. Teams is exceptional at blocking out background noise. We had builders in making the house shake a few weeks ago and my meeting colleagues couldn't hear a thing!

It’s been reported that she wasn’t on camera and was muted, just listening to the call along with several others.

How deep & rapid was the river?

Could the police be a step ahead here? Re: what they’ve released & said to date?

I'm local to where she went missing from and it was in the local news straight away

The police always know far more than they publicly reveal. If they say they don't believe there was a crime committed here, they likely have very good evidence to suggest that, even though they aren't releasing it.

They may be reporting publically that they’r treating this as a missing person enquiry in the hope that a suspected third party will get complacent and slip up.

I’m also local to this. It’s so upsetting. I keep hoping for a miracle

@MayThe4th yeah, I guess that could be true, I'm not police so I'm not so sure how it all works. I just know enough of them (family/friends) to know that the public never know what's really going on.

I thought the manager telling the press she was in a Teams meeting was a shitty thing to do. Tell the police by all means but not the press.

I also live locally it was allll over everywhere the first day! Reportedly the tide was low at that time so would’ve only been 2/3 feet deep at the centre so very unlikely to be swept away really.

@SeenYourArse I hadn’t realised that about the tide. It’s really very strange. I hope there hasn’t been any foul play. I know you can get weirdos anywhere but isn’t it quite a posh area there? Not exactly awash with criminal types

I'm also local to this. I don't know her myself but some of my friends do. I really hope there's some positive news soon.