A local councillor who lives near to where police are searching for Nicola Bulley received a late night "offensive" voicemail about the missing mum, the Mirror has been told.
Five of the six members of Inskip with Sowerby Parish Council, Lancashire, received nuisance phone calls - though all but one simply rang off as they answered, it was claimed.
Mum-of-two Nicola, 45, vanished on January 27 during a dog walk in St Michaels on Wyre, just a couple of miles from her home in Inskip.
The search remains ongoing, with police scouring the River Wyre down to Morecambe Bay, and were today at Wyreside Farm Caravan Park.
The flurry of "mystery phone calls" came between 12.45am and 3am on Saturday, according to a source close to the council.
Referencing the voicemail, the insider said: "The police have got a copy of that call."
Describing the content of the message, they added: "Offensive, I wouldn’t say it was abusive, I would say it was offensive."
They said the caller did reference Nicola, but would not give specifics about what was said.
"I believe the police have identified the offender," they continued, describing them as "just some nutter".
Asked if the councillor who received the call was left shaken, they said: "No, we're not soft."
As a result, the council has taken down all members' phone numbers from its website.
Wyre Borough Council said in a statement on Monday parish and town council members contact details had also been removed from its site.
Garry Payne, Chief Executive of Wyre Council, said: "Everyone is deeply saddened by the ongoing Nicola Bulley case and our thoughts are with the family and friends.
"We are supporting Lancashire Police where required and we urge everyone to remain respectful at this time."
Cllr Michael Vincent, Leader of Wyre Council said: "We appreciate the emotional gravity of the situation. However we will not tolerate any form of abuse of any of our Elected Members of Wyre Borough Council or any of the town and parish councils within our borders or our staff.
"The community has shown great strength and resilience during the investigation and we urge everyone to continue to show compassion and empathy.
"It is a shame that we have had to take this step at such a difficult time and appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that residents are still able to contact their elected representatives."
Wyre Council has said it will log any reports of abuse and forward them to police.
Asked about the matter, a Lancashire Police spokesman said: "We are aware and it is being looked into."
