Missing Woman Nicola Bulley 3

[ofwarren]

I couldn't see another post so thought I'd create one.

There is a police press conference this afternoon. I can't see a time for this but it's sounding like a routine one.

They're annoyed about that guy who broke into the abandoned house on Tik Tok

I am furious at the police incompetence and glad that the diver leading his specialist team has said so, in so many words. He was being tactful but knows it's a complete balls-up.

They have focussed on a river drowning with zero evidence.
They had lost possible forensic material.
They never attempted to treat it as a crime scene.
They have possibly allowed a third party to escape many miles away.

She will not be in the river and never was IMO.

The whole thing is a tragedy and the police in charge need to be replaced with fresh eyes.

As long as people aren't randomly speculating, blaming and messaging family members, going to the location and conducting their own searches which hamper police efforts then people discussing information that has been released by the police helps to keep this in the news and keep the pressure on to find her. This might help people who arent sure if there information is relevant to come forward, to keep police updates reaching lots of people which increases the chance of someone remembering something important. As with anything of course there are horrible people who take it too far, but so many people go missing and there isn't a big police and media search and ultimately resources aren't allocated as they have been in this case- to keep it in the public arena increases the chances of her being found.

I agree. I think the force have fallen into a combination of groupthink and defensiveness.

It’s arse covering . The police are under huge pressure and being attacked for saying it wasn’t criminal etc. this is this officer saying they are looking at everything to reassure the public.

for someone who is sure she’s in the river, she’s not sounding so sure anymore.

this time line means whatever occurred, occurred between 9.10 and 9.30.

@JoonT I don't want to be the one to state what is likely in this case (I think we all know what it is now) but that's why it is good to keep talking as someone somewhere will know what has happened to her.

Another woman, a wife, a partner, another man, a brother, neighbour, etc.

Anything in the media that pricks their conscience is good and may lead to finding her.

@KitesFlyHigh maybe not.

I don't know that area, or river.

But here, 2020, man fell in late February, found April. Huge search parties, very sad case.

I was a bit unsure as to why the diving person was so sure they would have found something straight away, perhaps to do with the course of the water there. Certainly here that was not the case.

@confounded234 which so many police forces on so many investigations have done before. Rather than change track, they'll start to close ranks.

I agree...From the outset the hooey about ''falling in'' seemed so outlandish simply because a water loving spaniel was bone dry.
Had Nicola fallen in, her dog would have doubtless followed ''Oh look! a game!''

The dog loves water...there are pics in press of the dog soaked through from entering the river in the past.

I agree that's not going to happen. So the only explanation is she's in the river or she made her way back to Garstang road and someone picked her up.

This is exactly my opinion.
People talking about it and trying to figure it out (being respectful and sensitive of course) might trigger the smallest memory in someone’s mind who lives there. Anything to find her.
Far better to be talked about with a view to trying to understand where she might be and what might have happened than completely forgotten surely?

I couldn’t agree more, I don’t think she’s in the river, people are going to the location like it’s a day out! The guy said as much from the specialist diving team, he said most likely third party involvement, as sad as it is I will be shocked if she’s still alive. I don’t think their theory is anything but dreamt up.

Conference begins.

*Received hundreds of pieces of info and now about 500 lines of enquiry
*40 officers now working on it
*Enquiry team fully open minded as to what has happened to Nicola
*House to house, CCTV, dashcam footage, identifying witnesses and speaking to them
*Digital examinations - fitbit, phone
*700 vehicles identified as driving through the village, all being spoken to re: witnessing anything or dashcam footage
*Coastgurad, Lancashire Fire and Rescue, Lancaster and Bowland Mountain Rescue, SGI (free of charge), other agencies and people
*Continuing to search riverbank and river (fast flowing and tidal in parts making it complex)- drones, sonar, dogs, etc. Some areas discounted, but re-searched as lots of river is tidal
*Six specially trained officers systematically searching riverbank and open ground every day
*Divers from underwater search unit working with SGI
*Reiterate they remain fully open to all credible possibilities - however they believe Nicola did fall into the river
*All enquiries have not found anything of note
*Worked with National Crime Agency who have not advised any further enquiries, nor has anything been missed in this investigation.

Please can people not speculate about what may have happened. Particularly hurtful to Nicola's family and friends, and is distracting to the police enquiry.

Not helpful for anyone to take the law into their own hands. Do not break into empty properties.

Online abuse will not be tolerated. Nor will criminal damage.

*8.26 left home with children
*8.40 dropped children off
*8.43 Seen in upper field
*8.47 Seen in lower field
*8.53 Email to boss
*8.57 Playdate
*9.01 Conference call
*9.10ish seen in upper field
*9.20 phone was on the bench
*9.33 phone found on bench by someone who doesn't know her
*Nicola last seen at 9.10 in upper field. Knee length jacket. Black jeans. Long green walking socks. Green ankle length wellies. Pale blue fitbit
*Nicola did not leave Allotment Lane or Rowanwater Caravan site, not any of the other locked areas
*This only leaves path to Garstang Lane with no CCTV
*Dashcam footage on the lane needed
*Extending search of riverbank to the sea and from Knott End to Morecambe

Questions by press.

Have they shifted the time line again?

They did conduct searches and retrieve forensics though, even he has now backtracked and confirmed he now acknowledges this and doesnt wish to seem critical of the police. Its very challenging especially when it's not clear whether someone has left of their own gumption (which adults are allowed to do), whether there is foul play or whether the most obvious is the case. They aren't discounting any evidence, aren't discounting any tips, and are open minded. I'm not sure what people think would be found on the bench where she may or may not have even been herself but they did take forensics on the day she went missing. They have confirmed they have searched land, buildings, tonnes of cctv and dash cams, and are appealing for any and all information. They haven't just said she's gone in and packed up their stuff and moved on, it's their top hypothesis but they are doing plenty of other things.

OK, so your hypothesis is that between 9.10 and 9.20 someone abducted Nicola, rounded up her dog and delivered it plus phone to the riverbank bench? All in 10 min?

Why don't you consider that she never made it to the river bank and something occurred at the gate where the bench was? Or, she was attacked upstream and whoever did it, put her phone and the dog harness on the seat?

Morecambe? Surprised at that.

Garstang Road isn't overly busy, but busy enough. If Nicola went back to the road she would have been seen by someone passing, any vehicle stopping near that path would cause an obstruction and definitely be noticed

No, the 9.10 was always the time she was last seen, and in the field. 9.33 always the time the phone etc found.

@Bunniesue They were allowing the public to sit on that seat within days and they were definitely not conducting finger-tip searches of the area.

*Also, from questions, hundreds of vehicles identified as having driven through village and they have been notified and many have already provided dashcam footage, but this will take a while to go through.

We are where we were a week ago. 😕

It feel like they're literally absolutely no further on than they were!

it will be interesting to see if Peter Faulding continues to work with the police or whether he thinks this is a wild goose chase

nothing new and this will just fuel more interest on what PF will say.

Surely if the leading theory is that NB is in the river then PF and his team are still "the experts"?

Can't wait for his interview.