What happened? The timeline and everything we know
As part of the police search, officers have asked citizens “not to take law into their own hands.” Nicola Bulley expands.
After taking her two daughters aged six and nine to school on Friday, the 45-year-old mother of two was last seen walking her dog beside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre.
A team of private underwater search specialists joined the police operation to locate her Monday. However, they did not find any trace.
Peter Faulding, head of Specialist Group International (SGI), told TalkTV: “I personally don’t think she’s in the river, that’s just my gut instinct at this point.
“This is the most difficult case I’ve ever had to work on.”
Continue reading: What happened in the hour before Nicola Bulley disappeared?
Faulding was contacted by the family to assist. He stated that although everything is currently “pointing towards the river” as of Tuesday afternoon (and could be contacted again to assist), he does not rule out the possibility of a third party.
He indicated that he believed the next few days would prove decisive as they searched the riverbed for sonar detection equipment.
Faulding also suggested that Bulley’s phone, the only evidence available to police, could be a decoy.
He spoke of a past case in Scunthorpe, where a shoe had been placed by the murderer next to a stream. The victim’s body was hidden in a haystack miles away.
“Whether it’s a plant; there could be a third party involved, I don’t know,” he said. “But we only have the evidence at the moment from the mobile phone near the river.”
The Lancashire Police reaffirmed Tuesday that they are continuing to investigate the incident theory that Bulley may have fallen into the riverBut her friends and family have questioned it. A friend told me Sunday that she had heard this from her. Bulley is an “incredibly strong swimmer”.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley said their extensive inquiries into the disappearance of Bulley have “so far not found anything of note”.
Here’s a timeline about Nicola Bulley disappearance.
Friday 27 January
Bulley disappeared while walking her dog. She was last seen at 9.10am on a towpath by the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre.
The mobile phone of the woman was found nearby on a bench. The police said that the phone was still connected to a conference when it was discovered.
Willow, a springer spaniel dog, was found unattended between the riverbank and the bench about an hour after she disappeared.
Police have pieced together what happened In the hour that passed before she disappeared:
8.43am
Bulley, who had dropped her children at school, walked along the River Wyre’s path.
8:50am (approximately)
Bulley was seen walking her dog by a dog walker who also knows her. Willow and Willow were in the lower field of the river, with Willow her springer spaniel Willow.
The witness then left the field via the river path and the two dogs interacted briefly.
8.53am
Bulley sent an e-mail to her boss.
9.01am
Bulley logged in to a Microsoft Teams work conference.
9.10am (approximately)
Bulley was seen by a witness who knew Bulley walking her dog in the upper field of the river.
9.30am
Bulley continued to log on even though the Teams call was over.
9.35am (approximately)
Bulley’s phone, and her dog, were found by another dog walker at a bench next to the river.
Saturday 28 January, Sunday 29 January
Lancashire Police conducted searches using drones, helicopters, and police dogs. Support was provided by fire departments, mountain rescue teams, and underwater search groups.
Neighbours also organised search efforts across the St Michael’s area, while Bulley’s partner said he spent all of Sunday searching for her.
Monday, 30 janvier
Police said they are keeping an “open mind” about what happened but said they did not believe Bulley was attacked.
In a press conference, Supt Sally Riley said: “This is not a crime inquiry.
“People do go missing but clearly as time goes on, we become more and more concerned for Nicola.”
Mr Ansell, an engineer who has been in a relationship with Bulley for 12 years, said: “It is just perpetual hell. It is utter disbelief.
“It doesn’t feel real. We can only say that we want to find her. She’s got two little girls that need their mummy home. We have got to get some good news now.”
Watch: The Underwater Team assists in searching for missing Nicola Bulley
Tuesday and Wednesday 31 January and February 1 February
On Tuesday, police said that a potential key witness was located.
Earlier police had said the man, who was walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead, had spoken to a woman in the area who found Ms Bulley’s dog, before he walked in the direction of Rowanwater.
Kev Camplin from Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue said Wednesday that the grounds and four-miles of river and wooded areas were being searched.
Meanwhile, Heather Gibbons, a friend of Bulley’s, told Sky News on Wednesday: “We just know that if she could be at home with her girls, we very firmly believe that’s where she would be. Her family are everything.”
Thursday, February 2, 2008
Bulley’s family asked anyone with information about Bulley’s disappearance to contact them.
Her sister, Louise Cunningham, told Sky News: “There has got to be somebody who knows something and all we are asking is, no matter how small or big, if there is anything you remember that doesn’t seem right then please reach out to the police. Get in touch and get my sister back.”
Friday, 3 February
Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell, speaking to broadcasters near where she was last seen, said: “Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Each one. All we are doing is sitting there going round and round and round through each scenario.”
He said he was focused on their two daughters.
In a press conference later, police said their “main working hypothesis” is that she fell into the River Wyre while out walking the dog and “that there is no third party or criminal involvement and that this is not suspicious, but a tragic case of a missing person”.
Supt Sally Riley stated that investigators have eliminated all evidence suggesting that Nicola had left the riverside.
Saturday, 4 Februar
Bulley’s sister, Louise Cunningham, urged people to “keep an open mind” over her disappearance.
She wrote on Facebook: “Off the back of the latest Police media update, please can I add there is no evidence whatsoever that she has gone into the river, it’s just a theory.”
Bulley’s friend, Emma White, also cast doubt on the police theory, telling Sky News it was based on “limited information”.
Officers launched an appeal to trace a woman seen pushing a pram in the area near where Bulley went missing, describing her as a “key witness”.
Sunday, February 5, 2009
Bulley disappeared on March 31, and new images of her were released.
These images are from taken from her home’s doorbell camera and released by her familyYou can see the mother of two loading her car, before she drives her two children to school.
The blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail and she is wearing a long, black coat.
Meanwhile, a woman described as a “key witness” by police searching for Bulley came forward.
Lancashire Police said the woman had got in touch “very quickly” after it released a picture of her on Saturday and stressed she was being treated as a witness.
Following Saturday’s appeal, the woman stepped forward.
Friends and officers condemned “vile speculations” online about the disappearance of Ms Bulley.
Heather Gibbons is her friend told BBC“To see some vile speculation on the internet – some theories that are incredibly, incredibly hurtful. I don’t think people realise that their families are sitting at home and have access to all of it.”
Tilly Ann, a friend, wrote on Facebook: “I cannot sit back any longer and not take action with regard to the hurt and distress caused by some very inappropriate comments.”
She added a few clarifications to the disappearance of her friend.
She wrote in one: “Nicola, an incredibly powerful swimmer.”
Lancashire Police also called on the public to avoid conjecture and abuse online, writing on Facebook: “The speculation and abuse on social media aimed at some people who are merely assisting our enquiry is totally unacceptable.”
Bulley’s search for answers continued with a group of friends gathering at St Michael’s Church in Lancashire, to light candles.
The church is near the primary school Bulley left her children at on the day that she disappeared.
Monday, 6 Februar
Bulley was also found by a private team of underwater search experts who were willing to offer their services for no cost.
Peter Faulding (head of Specialist Group International, SGI) questioned the police’s theory that she had fallen in the river after he searched three to four miles.
He told TalkTV: “I personally don’t think she’s in the river, that’s just my gut instinct at this point.”
He explained that the river wasn’t moving fast and that people drown “generally go to where they are”.
He stated, “We typically find them within five-10m of the place they went down – even after several days.
“This is the most difficult case I’ve ever had to work on.”
Lancashire Police reported Monday that “Our working hypothesis is that Nicola, 45, fell into the River for some reason. But we remain open-minded. We are continuing to do a great many investigations.”
Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell thanked SGI to join the search.
In a statement, he said: “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.”
Mr Ansell said: “It’s been 10 days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back.”
Monday Lancashire Police released two new images of Bulley On the morning she disappeared, captured from the doorbell footage outside her house as she was about to head off to school.
Officers now focus on the river path from the fields to the river to Garstang Road and urge cyclists and drivers who traveled that route on 27 January to get in touch with them.
Tuesday, February 7, 2009
Tuesday was another day of underwater searching for Bulley.
Faulding said his team will look through another stretch of the river “towards where Nicola went originally missing”.
Faulding stated Tuesday that he was “very shocked” Bulley hadn’t been found during searches of the river.
A press conference was also held by police on Tuesday. They stated they still believe Bulley fell into the river, but that they are continuing to investigate all possible leads.
Sally Riley, Lancashire Police Supt, stated that 700 vehicles were seen in the village at the time Bulley disappeared and they are approaching them all.
Riley stated that thousands of pieces have been received from the public. A team of 40 detectives is currently investigating around 500 lines of inquiry.
She also urged the public to avoid “distressing” speculation about what may have happened to her.
Riley stated: “This is especially hurtful for her family, to children, to her partner Paul and to her parents, sister, and friends because it’s not helpful to them. It is distressing and distracting for the investigation by the police.
“It’s not helpful for anyone, especially if they come from outside the area, to take the law into their hands and try to break into property empty of people.”
Wednesday, 8 February
Bulley’s disappearance has been confirmed by divers and police.
Although two days of intensive searches have not yielded any results, divers from Specialist Group International will join the police for a third-day on Wednesday.
Dive terms such as “scuba diver” are now focusing their search higher up the river towards Morecambe Bay.
Faulding, the founder of SGI has stated previously that Bulley could not reach the sea by falling into the river.
Asked about Faulding’s comments, Riley said: “Our search has not found Nicola in the river and then a re-search in parts by SGI has found the same. That does not mean… that Nicola has not been in the river.
“In the light of other inquiries being discounted from the investigation so far… clearly our main belief is that Nicola did fall into the river.
“Clearly Mr Faulding isn’t included within all the investigation detail any more than the members of the public are that I’m briefing through these sorts of press conferences.”