Search teams are continuing to trawl a river in Lancashire in the hunt for missing Nicola Bulley. Police believe the 45-year-old mortgage adviser went missing in just “a 10-minute window” while she was walking her dog close to the River Wyre.
Police said they believe the mother-of-two, from nearby Inskip, could have fallen in when she disappeared more than a week ago. However her friends and family have questioned the theory - with her sister Louise Cunningham urging people to “keep an open mind” as there is “no evidence whatsoever”, the Mirror reports.
There has been no sign of Nicola since the morning of January 27, when she walked springer spaniel Willow close to the river bank after dropping her young daughters at school. She was last seen at 9.10am.
The crucial 10 minute gap is between then and 9.20am, when her phone was placed on a bench where it was later found. On Saturday a police helicopter was in the sky above the spot as officers try to establish what happened.
The detective heading the investigation said yesterday that all the evidence so far appears to point to her falling into the river after an "issue" with her dog. Supt Sally Riley described it as a "tragic case of a missing person" and said that nothing has been uncovered to suggest third party involvement.
But there are several unanswered questions - Willow was bone dry when she was found, and the dog was not wearing her harness or collar. Despite an extensive search by specialists and members of the public, no trace of Nicola has been found, despite her phone being left on a bench close to the water.
Here are the scenarios being explored in the effort to establish what has happened to Nicola - and those that have been ruled out:
Nicola fell into the river by accident
This is currently the main police theory, but doubts have been raised by Nicola's sister and one of her close friends. Police have described it as a "tragic case of a missing person" and say they do not believe anyone else was involved.
Supt Sally Riley, who is heading the search, told reporters: "Our main working hypothesis is that Nicola has suddenly fallen into the river, that there's no third party or criminal involvement, and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person. This is particularly important because speculation otherwise can be really distressing for the family and for Nicola's children."
Locals have described the river bank as being "very slippy", and in an appeal to volunteers police described it as "treacherous".
The detective said: "There may have been an issue with the dog that led her to the water's edge, she puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in. We assume the dog didn't get into the river, but we don't know why Nicola may have if she did."
It is possible that she was trying to retrieve a ball, the detective said. Supt Riley told the MailOnline after the press conference: "I'm not aware of a dog ball being retrieved but it's possible that a ball could have rolled down the steep bank close to the edge of the water and Ms Bulley was bending down to pick it up."
Nicola was abducted
With Nicola's disappearance still unexplained, the case has raised concerns about the possibility of an abduction - however there is no evidence of this. Christine Bowman, 68, told The Mirror : “It has made local women fearful. If they have husbands or partners, they have been taking the dogs out instead.”
Her father, Ernest, told The Mirror: "I asked the Sergeant from Fleetwood a few days ago, 'is there any chance of her being taken' and she said 'I don't think that's the case'. I said 'how can you know that?', it's such an isolated area, the only way that has happened is if it was someone who knew her."
However police have not uncovered any evidence to support Nicola having been snatched, with no reports of suspicious individuals or vehicles having been made.
Other theories have been ruled out
There were no reports of screams or signs of a struggle at the scene around where Nicola's phone was found. Yesterday's statement by police appears to rule this out as a primary possibility, as detectives do not appear to believe a third party was involved.
There is also no indication that Nicola would have harmed herself, or that she would have run away. No evidence exists to suggest either, particularly as those who knew Nicola said she had been in high spirits in the run up to her disappearance.
Former Detective Superintendent Julie Mackay said police would have been thorough in their examination of the scene, telling The Mirror : "Forensics on an outdoor scene is always really complex and usually confined to a small area. I am pretty sure they would have examined that bench or given consideration to that bench.
"They would look to see if there were any marks that could have assisted like drag marks or slip marks. They would be looking for any items such as her mobile phone and the dog harness - it is all relevant? And then they would look at the broader scene."
Detectives have trawled through CCTV and found no footage of Nicola having exited the park through most of the surrounding gates - although they have admitted there are camera blackspots.
