14 Days of Search: A Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s Disappearance
Nicola Bulley vanished on a dog walk in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27; her phone was later discovered on a bench overlooking the river, and a massive search has yet to determine what transpired.
The search for absent mother The investigation into the disappearance of Nicola Bulley has entered its fourteenth day with no clear evidence of her whereabouts.
The 45-year-old woman vanished while walking her dog on January 27 in St. Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, shortly after dropping off her two young children at school.
Her phone was discovered on a bench overlooking the River Wyre, and her springer spaniel, Willow, was found roaming nearby.
Investigators say they are keeping an open mind about what transpired, but have been working under the assumption that Nicola fell into the water by accident and have ruled out foul play; however, Nicola’s family still believes it is possible that another party was involved.
Specialists in underwater forensics withdrew from the search yesterday after being photographed at the scene with Nicola’s partner, Paul Ansell.
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Peter Faulding, the head of Specialist Group International, stated that he is “one hundred percent” certain that Nicola is not in the stretch of river initially suspected, and that his job is complete.
Police have been forced to warn the public against taking the law into their own hands during the search, and it is believed that a group was issued a dispersal order last night.
Below is a chronological account of Nicola’s disappearance and the search for her.
27 January
14 Days of Search: A Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s Disappearance. On Friday, January 27 at 8.26 a.m., Nicola left her home in Inskip with her six- and nine-year-old daughters and dropped them off at school before having a brief conversation with another parent approximately fifteen minutes later.
She took Willow for a walk along the river path at 8.43 a.m., was spotted by a dog walker who recognized her at 8.50 a.m., and at 8.53 a.m., she sent an email to her boss.
It is believed that she texted her friend at 8.57 am about meeting up later in the week, and then joined a work conference call at 9.01 am.
A second witness saw her at 9:10 a.m., the last known sighting before her phone was discovered on a bench at 9:33 a.m., with the dog roaming nearby.
Paul Ansell, Nicola’s partner, was eventually reached around 10:50 a.m., and police were called before a search was initiated the same day.
28 January
As part of the extensive search for the missing person, Lancashire Constabulary utilized drones, helicopters, and search dogs.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team, and the North West underwater search team assisted them.
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The grounds of a house that appeared to be unoccupied were reportedly searched before the owner’s arrival and consent to inspect the interior.
29 January
Over a hundred villagers, including Paul, gathered at the village hall at 10.30 a.m. to organize two searches, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Police urged volunteers to exercise extreme caution, describing the river and its banks as “extremely hazardous” and stating that activity in these areas posed a “real risk to the public.”
Volunteers were instructed to work in a pincer movement upstream, while professionals moved downstream.
30 January
Superintendent Sally Riley of the Lancashire Constabulary stated that authorities were “keeping an open mind about what could have happened” and were not treating Ms. Bulley’s disappearance as suspicious.
She reported that Nicola’s phone was discovered on a bench with a work team call still displayed.
Superintendent Riley stated that there was no evidence of criminal activity or an attack on Nicola.
31 January
Lancashire Constabulary spoke with a potential witness, a man who was walking a small white fluffy dog near the River Wyre when Ms. Bulley disappeared.
It is believed that he resided in the area and frequently traveled the route, but had not seen Nicola on the day she vanished.
Her family issued a statement saying they were “overwhelmed by the support” in their community and that her daughters were “desperate to have their mother returned home safely.”
January 1
Ernest and Dot Bulley, the parents of Ms. Bulley, spoke to The Mirror about their “horror” at the prospect of never seeing her again.
Her father stated, “We dread the thought that we will never see her again; if the worst case scenario occurred and she was never found, how will we live the rest of our lives?”
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They stated that they had urged the police to reconsider the possibility that Nicola had been kidnapped or assaulted, but was informed that this was unlikely.
2 February
Lancashire Constabulary spoke with a second witness who they had identified with the assistance of the public using CCTV, but the witness informed police that they had no additional information to aid their investigation.
Officers from the North West Police Underwater and Marine support unit and police divers combed the River Wyre in the vicinity of where Ms. Bulley’s mobile phone was discovered.
The family Nicola was interviewed on television, with her sister pleading with anyone with information to “bring my sister back.”
3 February
Lancashire Police confirmed for the first time that they are investigating the possibility that Nicola fell into the river.
Superintendent Riley discouraged speculation but said it was “possible” that a “problem” with her dog led her to the water’s edge, and he urged the public to keep an eye out for Nicola’s clothing.
Emma White, who stated that Nicola’s daughters were incessantly asking where she was, and Paul, Nicola’s partner, both gave television interviews in which they made heartfelt appeals on her behalf.
4 February
Emma cast doubt on the police’s theory that she fell into a river, stating that it was based on “insufficient evidence.”
In a Facebook post, Ms. Cunningham urged readers to “maintain an open mind” because there is “absolutely no evidence” that Nicola entered the water.
Lancashire Police then announced that they wanted to locate another “key witness” who was seen pushing a stroller in the vicinity of where Ms. Bulley was last seen the morning she vanished.
5 February
The key witness came forward, and the police force insisted that she was “very much being treated as a witness” as it warned against “totally unacceptable” social media speculation and abuse.
After speaking with Nicola’s family, the private underwater forensics firm Specialist Group International (SGI) offered their services for free.
The police agreed to draft them beginning the subsequent week.
6 February
14 Days of Search: A Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s Disappearance. Peter Faulding, the CEO of SGI, told the Mirror that his high-tech sonar equipment would locate Nicola in less than an hour if she fell into the water near the bench.
As SGI launched into the water that morning, Nicola’s friends expressed renewed hope.
Ten days after the disappearance, Paul issued a new statement in which he said, “I have two little girls who miss their mother terribly and want her back.”
7 February
Superintendent Sally Riley stated that river searchers in Morecambe are expanding their efforts towards the sea, but reiterated that police do not suspect foul play in the disappearance.
She stated that despite analyzing over 500 pieces of information, investigators have yet to find conclusive evidence.
She warned the public against taking the law into their own hands when participating in the search effort.
8 February
SGI withdrew from the search on Wednesday, stating that they are “100%” confident that Nicola is not in the water immediately adjacent to the bench after trawling several miles for two days.
Mr. Faulding described the case as “puzzling,” but he was relieved that his team had not discovered a body because it meant that Nicola may still be alive.
He was seen alongside Paul at the search scene.
Ex-superintendent of detectives Howard Millington told the Mirror that there is now a possibility that Nicola will never be found, but that involvement by a third party appeared extremely unlikely.
Wednesday night, a group believed to have traveled from the Liverpool area to Lancashire attempted to search a building by the river for the missing mother of two. Police reportedly issued them a dispersal order.
9 February
The search operation has shifted to Morecambe Bay, where police boats have been spotted scouring the area.
Lancashire Police has stated that no further press conferences are currently scheduled.
Mr. Faulding has shared a video of the river taken on the day of Nicola’s disappearance, which he claims proves she was not in the vicinity of the bench.
An ex-Police and Crime Commissioner has questioned why Lancashire Police does not appear to have recruited an external force to conduct a peer review.
A witness reported that a red van with a “run-down” appearance was parked close to the location where Nicola disappeared. Police officers searching for Nicola may be tracking this van.
Peter Kirkham, a former detective chief inspector with the Metropolitan Police, has posed seven questions to the Lancashire Police investigation team.
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