Police searching for mother-of-two Nicola Bulley are facing criticism for their handling of the case - something they attempted to address in a press conference this week.
Senior detectives involved in the hunt for the missing Lancashire woman hit out at “speculation and false information” they say had hampered the so-far fruitless investigation, during the briefing on Wednesday.
But the update on the search produced a bizarre moment when a question was asked about the dog Ms Bulley had been walking along the River Wyre when she vanished without a trace last month.
Early on in the search, it was noted that spaniel Willow was found “bone dry”, which suggests the dog had not gone into the water at any point. Three weeks into the investigation, Lancashire Police maintain that the “most likely scenario” is that Ms Bulley fell into the river.
Asked by reporters whether it was significant that Willow was discovered running between the bench and the gate, rather than the river’s edge, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith shrugged and conceded she was not an expert on dog behaviour.
“We have consulted people and we’re ongoing with consulting people. But, obviously, I can’t speak to the dog,” she quipped.
“All we can say is that he was running backwards and forwards, and he was still in the area where Nicola’s possessions were.
“At that time, when the witness found Willow, it was between the bench and the gate. However, I have to point out, the dog could have got out from there.”
Criticism of the police grew in the hours after the briefing, when they released a further statement disclosing she had suffered “some significant issues with alcohol” in the past which had resurfaced over recent months.
The force was accused of “victim blaming”, with MPs questioning why such personal information was relevant to the search.
In a statement issued via police on Thursday afternoon, Ms Bulley’s family defended the move adding that they “believe the public focus has become distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her private life”.
“As a family, we were aware beforehand that Lancashire Police, last night, released a statement with some personal details about our Nikki,” it went on.
“Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop.
“The public focus has to be on finding her and not making up wild theories about her personal life.”
Anyone with information or footage is asked to submit information through the Major Incident Public Portal (MiPP) at Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
