Nicola Bulley Ch 5 9pm tonight

[Wilma55]

Couldn't see a thread on this....

One other reason to release that information is to keep the case in the public eye. In the hope that someone else will come forward with information.

They have nothing new to say. So needed to come up with something.

I very much doubt she is with friends. To do that she needs to have a plan to go forward and that includes money, either earning or claiming can't do either without ID.

And why didn’t PA reveal to Faulding about these vulnerabilities, even if the police didn’t. Clearly the police wanted to stick one to the annoying know it all showing up thinking he would save the day, but PA not letting him know? Again the only word that comes to mind is bizarre. Faulding must be a bit fuming that they potentially all sent him on a wild goose chase.

Excellent points from @mauvish and @CloakAndTin . I don't think the police were trying to paint her as a 'crazy hormonal lady', the way they phrased it was sensitive yet factual imo. Reading between the lines she had recently relapsed after a period of sobriety. As an alcoholic (now thankfully sober) I can attest that suicidality is absolutely a high risk in such a circumstance. As are blackouts, confusion, irrational (to the outsider) behaviour, vulnerability to falls.

I don't read it as victim-blaming by the police I think they are just trying to explain why their investigation has focussed on the river. As this strategy has come in for so much criticism.

See I think the opposite. I think if she has gone away for a break and comes back people will have more compassion knowing she has vulnerabilities. A lot of resources have been invested in searching for her, and she’d never have imagined that it would become such a high profile case. They shouldn’t have felt the need to release the details of the vulnerabilities but people were speculating all sorts after the press conference, so I can understand why they did. The police haven’t been able to win in this case, people complain whatever they do or don’t do.

(In response to the original quote)

The thing is if she is OK and has just gone for a break then having all that personal information being put out there makes it so much harder for her to come back. I'd be mortified if all my personal history was put in the press like that. If they hadn't released this information and she came back after a break away and she got a lot of hassle from the general public she could then choose to share this information if she wanted to.

She's not okay, and she hasn't "gone for a break". She would not leave her dog like that; and the dog would have tried to follow her if she left the area. She has clearly not accessed any bank accounts as the family and police would be aware of this and would not be searching the river for her body.

From the family's statement today it does seem to suggest that they think she's taken off for a while and is now possibly too scared or anxious to reach out to anyone.

It’s interesting you’ve said this because after hearing about her health problems it struck me just how absolutely loyal to her, her friends are. They really did keep her secret for her.

Probably wishful thinking, and they are bound to act as if she's alive unless there is evidence that she's not. This is usually the case in missing person cases.

How many of her friends really knew what was going on behind the facade?

AA is anonymous for a reason. Would friends even know she'd had a Police Welfare check.

I honestly don't think I'd share that info with anyone.

I would do this for one of my friends. It might be wishful thinking to imagine she is somewhere safe, but if any of my friends were struggling in any way I would do anything to help them through it. She may not need money if she is being cared for.
The fact the phone was left behind always felt meaningful to me.

I think it's really unlikely she's alive. And if a friend is hiding her then surely they'd get into trouble for not telling them?! Wasting police time etc?

But saying that I would absolutely love it if she had just gone for a break If you are reading this Nicola then please just get in touch with your family. Everything will be ok

Yeh, that'd be LOVELY if she were still alive but I agree, whoever was hiding her would be in big trouble. And where could she go without a passport? She'd be recognised at the airport. The boat to Ireland? We'd recognise her here. France? But why? It's just so unlikely that she'd leave her daughters to start again, with nothing. I was in a bad relationship once and that precisely depressed me but I couldn't have found 'peace' by leaving my DC. She had a good relationship with her daughters. Presumably she had some rights to the house she lived in? At that point in your life, 45, you have a job, some sort of pension perhaps, starting again with nothing, no assets, no job, leaving your children behind, it makes no sense. The loss of these things would depress a depressed person more.

@thewinterwitch I thoought this too, the dog would have followed her if she'd left the area on foot. If she'd fallen in, I think the dog would have jumped in, or started barking madly but the dog was dry and nobody heard the dog barking non stop

But I don't think she'd have planned it or have forethought about it. It's could've just been like "fuck this, I'm off".
It could've been a spurr of the moment though about disappearing - if the police were called to the house maybe she thought her daughters would be better off without her?
Obviously it's not true, they wouldn't be better off without her but if you are depressed or suicidal or having issues it's usually a moment that snowballs. ive been suicidal and nobody would have known. I'd smile to people passing by me in the street all whilst thinking I was about to just drive my car at speed and purposefully crash.

The moment passed for me and has done numerous times and I'd like to think I'm switched on enough to know that whatever is going on in my life, things get better. But when you're feeling that way, there is only one answer that you think is right.

It's scary actually.

@xJoy What options are left then?

I hope some of the posters on this thread take a long hard look at themselves. RIP.

Which ones specifically?

IMHO there have been sensitive and compassionate posts in this tragic and complex situation.

If there is speculation or inappropriate posting there is a facility to report.

We still don’t know if this was foul play, and accident or intentional. That’s for the coroner’s to conclude in months to come.

What a tragedy for her daughters, partner, family and friends. I hope they receive the support and compassion to comfort them through this next horrendous chapter.

@GoChasingWaterfalls it hasn’t been confirmed yet.