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News

Missing woman

1000 replies

MyOldCaravan · 30/01/2023 21:12

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
25
ilovesushi · 05/02/2023 12:45

I can't believe there has been no forensic examination of the area. In the absence of any physical evidence of a slip into the water, they should be looking at all the exit routes and all possible scenarios. Was she even at the bench? Here phone was but was she seen there?
I think the reason we are all here posting is not as some posters have said that we enjoy armchair speculation. It is because we are deeply concerned for another mum who has vanished into thin air and we want the police to deal with this urgently and thoroughly and leave no stone unturned. Maybe we are wrong but from a distance this investigation looks piss poor and that is putting a woman's life at risk.

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 12:47

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 12:44

I'm no expert either, but I think you are right. It looks high enough to me that I can believe the river does indeed suddenly stop being tidal at this point.

Reports in a couple of newspapers state that the river is 15ft deep near the location where she disappeared.

Moonlightdust · 05/02/2023 12:51

redkalanchoe · 05/02/2023 09:19

It’s likely to be a tragic accident.

Though if I’d spotted the dog alone, the harness and lead, plus a mobile phone left too I’d have been concerned. I often see dogs who have run off from owners and don’t think much of it, however I think if I saw those other things, especially near a river with a steep bank, I don’t think I’d be rushing off without having a look around. No one leaves their phone unattended without good reason, and the dog unattended and lead and harness suggest it wasn’t just a phone accidentally left behind or dropped.

Yes personally I would’ve called the police immediately in that situation not waited until I got home and then try and find out who the dog belonged to first. Better safe than sorry.

OntarioBagnet · 05/02/2023 12:55

And if she went in upstream of the weir she’s surely more likely to be that side of the weir still? The flow over the weir doesn’t look very deep?

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 13:04

Moonlightdust · 05/02/2023 12:51

Yes personally I would’ve called the police immediately in that situation not waited until I got home and then try and find out who the dog belonged to first. Better safe than sorry.

Different people do different things. Not sure what I would have done but, with a mobile phone and a dog present, I might assume that the owner is in the bushes somewhere relieving themselves. I doubt I would immediately jump to an assumption that the owner was in trouble.

NothingButAWalkover · 05/02/2023 13:11

Catstaps · 05/02/2023 11:39

I think the dog running around not knowing where she went reinforces she’s gone under the water. It was probably sniffing about and she suddenly disappeared so it didn’t see her. I think once in water it is easy to drown. Having said that I can’t see how she actually would have fallen in or entered the water , that bit does seem a bit odd as these things happen when you’re drunk, it’s dark etc. it is all very difficult to get your head around. The poor family, what a terrible nightmare for them..they seemed a lovely couple..it’s so sad 😞

But if the dog wasn't at the waters edge, so didn't see Nicola go in, what on earth was Nicola doing down by the waters edge anyway? That's the bit that doesn't make sense to me. There was no ball to retrieve (like the spaniel wouldn't have retrieved it's own ball). The dog was dry so hasn't gotten into trouble in the water, with Nicola then going to assist.

At the beginning there was reports that someone found the phone on the grass, they then put it on the bench. Is it possible someone came up behind her, grabbed her, she's grabbed the phone, they've snatched it then thrown it forward away from her and then taken her? This would maybe explain why Willow was found running between the gate and bench.

Bubbinsmakesthree · 05/02/2023 13:11

ilovesushi · 05/02/2023 12:45

I can't believe there has been no forensic examination of the area. In the absence of any physical evidence of a slip into the water, they should be looking at all the exit routes and all possible scenarios. Was she even at the bench? Here phone was but was she seen there?
I think the reason we are all here posting is not as some posters have said that we enjoy armchair speculation. It is because we are deeply concerned for another mum who has vanished into thin air and we want the police to deal with this urgently and thoroughly and leave no stone unturned. Maybe we are wrong but from a distance this investigation looks piss poor and that is putting a woman's life at risk.

But that’s what the police have been doing - trying gather as much evidence as possible via cctv, dashcam and witnesses of all of the possible exit routes from the area. It’s a process of elimination- if they can’t find any evidence she left the area, the likelihood is that she fell in the river.

it’s not particularly rare for people to go missing and it turn out they have fallen in a river. For whatever reason this case has garnered a huge amount of media attention whilst other cases barely make the local news.

It seems like the police effort has been extensive to me.

justgettingthroughtheday · 05/02/2023 13:16

@prh47bridge depends if those photos are taken at low or high tide! I could well see a decent high tide raising the water level above the weir!
I live alone a similar type of river. I can tell you for a fact that at times there is significant pressure on the river for at least 5 miles further than it would be considered tidal!

YaWeeFurryBastard · 05/02/2023 13:19

Is it possible someone came up behind her, grabbed her, she's grabbed the phone, they've snatched it then thrown it forward away from her and then taken her?

Highly unlikely given there was no evidence of a disturbance at the scene. If she has gone with an assailant it’s either willingly or under duress i.e. at gunpoint.

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 13:25

justgettingthroughtheday · 05/02/2023 13:16

@prh47bridge depends if those photos are taken at low or high tide! I could well see a decent high tide raising the water level above the weir!
I live alone a similar type of river. I can tell you for a fact that at times there is significant pressure on the river for at least 5 miles further than it would be considered tidal!

As this is described as the limit of the tidal river, I would have thought there would be very little rise and fall in the water level at this point. Without a weir, yes, there would continue to be pressure upstream.

It is perhaps worth noting that the point where she disappeared is about 400m below the point where the River Brock flows into the River Wyre.

redkalanchoe · 05/02/2023 13:27

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 13:04

Different people do different things. Not sure what I would have done but, with a mobile phone and a dog present, I might assume that the owner is in the bushes somewhere relieving themselves. I doubt I would immediately jump to an assumption that the owner was in trouble.

Wouldn’t the dog have followed the owner if that was the case? Or be sat still if following a command to stay.

I can understand more if the person was elderly or something though, and maybe panicked or didn’t have a mobile phone. We don’t know when they called about the dog - whether it was straight away or after their appointment (it sounds like there was a large gap where the dog was left unattended before someone came out).

Catstaps · 05/02/2023 13:29

Yes its very strange why she would indeed go near the edge or into the water.. it certainly is a mystery..

CromwellsPetHate · 05/02/2023 13:29

oakleaffy · 05/02/2023 12:24

This forensic expert in Drownings says Nicola isn't in the river.
It seems very accurate in what he says.

He is sure she isn't in the river.

This guys sounds like he knows what he's talking about and he seems very sure about his theory. I reckon he's right.

Catstaps · 05/02/2023 13:32

I think they need maybe more equipment more teams to do the river searching

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 13:33

CromwellsPetHate · 05/02/2023 13:29

This guys sounds like he knows what he's talking about and he seems very sure about his theory. I reckon he's right.

He isn't a forensic expert in drownings. His claimed expertise is in confined space rescue and forensic search. He runs a company that specialises in specialist rescue, underwater search, forensic search and removing protesters.

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 13:36

redkalanchoe · 05/02/2023 13:27

Wouldn’t the dog have followed the owner if that was the case? Or be sat still if following a command to stay.

I can understand more if the person was elderly or something though, and maybe panicked or didn’t have a mobile phone. We don’t know when they called about the dog - whether it was straight away or after their appointment (it sounds like there was a large gap where the dog was left unattended before someone came out).

I'm talking about what I might have thought. I doubt I would have spent much time analysing the dog's behaviour. However, my two dogs would not follow me into the bushes if I went to relieve myself. They would only follow if they thought I was leaving.

NothingButAWalkover · 05/02/2023 13:45

YaWeeFurryBastard · 05/02/2023 13:19

Is it possible someone came up behind her, grabbed her, she's grabbed the phone, they've snatched it then thrown it forward away from her and then taken her?

Highly unlikely given there was no evidence of a disturbance at the scene. If she has gone with an assailant it’s either willingly or under duress i.e. at gunpoint.

I think the phone being on the ground at some point could be a sign of a struggle on its own. Unfortunately we will never know about any real and tangible evidence at the scene as the police didn't manage the scene properly imo.

At least 25 minutes from 9.10am where she can't be accounted for until that woman came across Willow and the phone. The police not informed until 10.50. Loads of time for anyone to do anything, especially now we know the 'one and only' camera that would have seen everything wasn't working. How convenient

Peverellshire · 05/02/2023 13:49

@prh47bridge @CromwellsPetHate @oakleaffy

The ‘expert’ respects & collaborates with other Police forces to this same end. His confidence, professionalism & track record, appears to speak for itself.

Surely it’s a no brainier to engage? He clearly speaks from experience & knows how to handle the sophisticated equipment, which sounds like a bit of an art form.

This will be solved & brought to a conclusion with timely, professional, collaboration. No time for egos, etc. (Not suggesting that’s case but also true. I have seen investigations go awry because of them).

CityCommuter · 05/02/2023 13:52

I don't believe Nicola is in the river anymore than her family do without a shred of evidence... however, I think wherever she is it's probably a scenario no one has even thought of and there's every reason to believe she's alive...

BluIsTheColor · 05/02/2023 13:58

I'm not sure the expert who says she isn't in river isn't just trying to drum up business and raise his company's profile. Maybe I'm being cynical.

prh47bridge · 05/02/2023 13:58

Peverellshire · 05/02/2023 13:49

@prh47bridge @CromwellsPetHate @oakleaffy

The ‘expert’ respects & collaborates with other Police forces to this same end. His confidence, professionalism & track record, appears to speak for itself.

Surely it’s a no brainier to engage? He clearly speaks from experience & knows how to handle the sophisticated equipment, which sounds like a bit of an art form.

This will be solved & brought to a conclusion with timely, professional, collaboration. No time for egos, etc. (Not suggesting that’s case but also true. I have seen investigations go awry because of them).

I did not claim he does not have expertise. I would need to investigate his claims carefully before offering an opinion. As for being a no brainer to engage, I would hope the police only bring in external experts when their own equipment and experts are insufficient. If we think every disappearance near a river should result in this person's company being brought in, he would be working on thousands of cases a year. Since almost all missing people turn up within a week of disappearing, that would clearly be a huge waste of money.

Nicola Bulley has, of course been missing for longer than that. The most likely explanations are that she drowned or that she has voluntarily gone missing. She may have been murdered or abducted but, in the absence of evidence, that remains an unlikely scenario.

mummywithtwokidsplusdog · 05/02/2023 14:00

Like so many other people, I keep thinking about Nicola and her girls …. It’s such an awful awful situation. Nothing adds up… why would she go near the water if her dog wasn’t in? Why are the police making national appeals for particular witnesses when it’s clear they could just ask locally? I hope she is found soon 🙏

KatherineJaneway · 05/02/2023 14:04

It is an exceptionally odd case. The Police have a theory, but apparently there is no basis.

NothingButAWalkover · 05/02/2023 14:06

mummywithtwokidsplusdog · 05/02/2023 14:00

Like so many other people, I keep thinking about Nicola and her girls …. It’s such an awful awful situation. Nothing adds up… why would she go near the water if her dog wasn’t in? Why are the police making national appeals for particular witnesses when it’s clear they could just ask locally? I hope she is found soon 🙏

I can't get over the fact that both witnesses sought by police, lady in red coat and lady in yellow coat, both said they had already spoken to police before the appeals. Things like this are adding to the already huge speculation, I can't understand what's going on.

Is it a sign that the police are a bit incompetent? Surely if they have already been spoken to, the police would have known that and also would have known exactly who these women were, so why the public appeals? Is none of this information meant for us? Like the evil bastard Huntley, the police did stuff publicly but it was part of a plan to nail Huntley. Is this what's happening here?

ilkleymoorbartat · 05/02/2023 14:07

What is like to understand more, is how easy is it to drown if you fall close to a river bank? I obviously understand that you can go into shock etc, but would this not be a it less likely given that she had many layers on (giving her an extra few minutes of warmth).

If she'd fallen in, presumably it would have been right by the bank. Wouldn't she just have surfaced and been able to grab the sides? The biggest issue would have been getting any traction onto a muddy bank to climb out.

However, if the bank was so muddy that it would be hard to climb out, then wouldn't there be footprint marks from when she'd fallen in??

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