A close friend of missing mum-of-two Nicola Bulley has said there are 11 things people need to know about the case as the investigation continues. Nicola went missing last Friday while walking her dog alongside the river, minutes after dropping her young children off at school.
Her phone, which was connected to a work call, was left on a bench with the dog's harness nearby. The dog was running free.
Police say they are working on the assumption Nicola fell into the water, although there is no evidence to support that. Her family rejects the idea.
Police say there is no evidence anyone else was involved in Nicola's disappearance.
Now her friend, Tilly Ann, has written 11 things she says everyone should know about the case, following online speculation, reports The Mirror.
Writing on Facebook, Tilly Ann said she had permission from Nicola's "incredibly close" family before posting.
She wrote: "We can see the hurt and pain and can see how much [Paul's] struggling to hold back the tears. He's is completely focusing on his girls because if he even stops to think about anything else, he will lose it and he doesn't want to worry his girls even more than they already are."
Tilly listed points she believes the public should know:
- Paul and Nikki both mostly work from home which is why he was at home that day. They have CCTV and there is a reason why Paul has never been a suspect. Family and friends need these accusations to stop immediately. The fact that I've had to write this is disgusting to be honest
- They both do this walk regularly and Paul is very well known in the community and very well recognised
- The dog never has her harness on for a chunk of that walk, it's removed at the gate of the top field and then put back on at the gate when they leave
- They very rarely take the ball out for walks with willow now because she is very very protective over the ball and haven't done for a while
- Nikki quite often would put her phone on loud speaker when talking
- The dog was found very close to the bench and the harness. The harness was found on the floor not on the bench
- Nikki is an incredibly strong swimmer
- Nikki drove to the school and then left her car there and walked to the river
- The dog was dry when found
- The dog has since been back
- There's CCTV at the back of the caravan park. The only camera that isn't working is the one that would have seen everything
She added: "What her family need right now is as much positivity as possible please."
A woman described as a “key witness” by police searching for missing mother Nicola Bulley has come forward, as the force warned against “totally unacceptable” speculation and abuse on social media.
On Saturday, officers said they wanted to trace a person seen pushing a pram in the area near where the dog walker went missing.
In an update on its Facebook page, Lancashire Police said the woman had come forward “very quickly”.
The force added: “We must stress that she was very much being treated as a witness and was one of many people in St Michael’s on Friday, January 27th.
“Our enquiries to find Nicola are extensive and will include speaking to as many members of the public as possible.
“The speculation and abuse on social media aimed at some people who are merely assisting our enquiry is totally unacceptable.
“We would urge people to remember that we are investigating the disappearance of Nicola, and the priority is Nicola and her family. We want to find her and provide answers to her family.”
(PA Graphics)
Police have been working to the theory that Ms Bulley fell in the river, but her family and friends have questioned that.
The force believes the 45-year-old mortgage adviser went missing in just “a 10-minute window” while she was walking her dog, Willow, close to the River Wyre, after dropping off her daughters – aged six and nine – at school.
Ms Bulley had logged in to a Microsoft Teams call at 9.01am, which ended at 9.30am with her phone still connected to the call.
She was seen by another dog walker at 9.10am – the last known sighting – and police traced telephony records of her mobile phone as it remained on a bench overlooking the river at 9.20am.
The device was found by a dog walker at around 9.35am, with Willow nearby.
Efforts to find Ms Bulley are ongoing (PA)
Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary have been trawling the river.
In a Facebook post, Ms Bulley’s sister, Louise Cunningham, urged people to “keep an open mind” as there is “no evidence whatsoever” that the dog walker fell in the river.
“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,” she said.
“Everyone needs to keep an open mind as not all CCTV and leads have been investigated fully, the police confirmed the case is far from over.”
Ms Bulley’s friend, Emma White, also cast doubt on the police theory, telling Sky News it was based on “limited information”.
“When we are talking about a life we can’t base it on a hypothesis – surely we need this factual evidence,” she said.
“That’s what the family and all of us are holding on to – that we are sadly no further on than last Friday.
“We still have no evidence, and that’s why we’re out together in force.
“You don’t base life on a hypothesis.”
In an interview with The Sun, Ms White said that police were working to get data off Ms Bulley’s Fitbit watch.
“The Fitbit had not been synced since Tuesday,” she said.
“The police are trying other ways to try to get information from it.”
The police search has been aided by specialists and divers from HM Coastguard, mountain rescue, and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service – with sniffer dogs, drones and police helicopters deployed.
Detectives are also working behind the scenes to analyse CCTV and dashcam videos, and members of the public with footage which could be useful have been urged to come forward.
Anyone with information or footage has been asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30.
