The partner of missing mum Nicola Bulley says her two daughters 'miss their mummy desperately' after an 11th day in the search to find her. The 45-year-old was last seen walking her dog Willow on a towpath on January 27 after dropping her two girls - aged six and nine - off at school in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.
Today (February 6), private underwater rescue team Specialist Group International (SGI) - led by forensic expert Peter Faulding - has been assisting police with the search for Nicola on the River Wyre. In a new statement released today (February 6) Nicola’s partner, Paul Ansell, described the pain their family and friends had gone through over recent days.
He said: “It’s been 10 days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back. This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola’s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support.
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"We are also really grateful to Peter and his team from SGI for coming up and helping support the work of Lancashire Police as they continue their investigation. If anyone has any information which could help find Nicola, I urge them to get in touch with the police and help us provide the answers we all so badly need.”
Lancashire Police says its working hypothesis remains that Nicola fell into the river 'for some reason'. However, detectives insist they remain open minded in the case, with the theory having been questioned by Nicola's friends and family over the weekend.
Enquiries so far have included searches of the river and riverbank, which have extended all the way to the sea using specialist search teams. Sonar technology, search dogs, drone and helicopter resources have also been used, while house-to-house enquiries and CCTV checks have taken place.
Lancashire Police says it has spoken to 'numerous witnesses', analysed Nicola’s mobile phone and Fitbit device, and searched a derelict house on the other side of the river as well as empty caravans in the vicinity. Nicola was last seen at around 9.20am on January 27 on the upper field by the river, off Garstang Road ,where she had taken her spaniel Willow for a walk.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "Our CCTV enquiries have focused on Nicola’s movements and whether she could have left the fields near to the river, whether that be via Allotment Lane, the river path leading to Garstang Road, or by Rowanwater at the top of the upper field. Most of our sightings of Nicola have been by witnesses who knew her and that has enabled us to plot her movements from the school, along the river path and into the field.
"We can say with confidence that by reviewing CCTV, Nicola has not left the field during the key times via Rowanwater, either through the site itself or via the piece of land at the side. Also, we can say that she did not return from the fields along Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road.
"Our enquiries now focus on the river path which leads from the fields back to Garstang Road - for that we need drivers and cyclists who travelled that way on the morning of January 27 to make contact. We have already done a lot of work around this, but every piece of footage helps us build up a picture of movements on that morning."
Police are now writing to drivers who travelled down Garstang Road on the morning of Nicola's disappearance as part of their efforts to gain more information. They say a 'huge amount' of information has already been given by the public, while police are continuing to urge people not to speculate about the disappearance online.
Det Supt Rebecca Smith added: “The team working on this investigation are completely dedicated and determined to find Nicola. As a mother myself, I can’t even begin to imagine what her two children are going through.
“Please be reassured that our sole focus is Nicola and that we are doing everything we can to find her. It is not possible to provide every piece of information to the public because to do so would detract from the investigation, but I’d like to thank everyone who has assisted us so far and for the support provided to Nicola’s family at this extremely difficult time.
“They are being supported and updated throughout. I would ask that anyone who was driving/cycling through St Michael’s last Friday morning and who has dashcam footage to get in touch with us if they haven’t already done so.
"I would also ask in fisherman who may have been in the area at the time to make contact if you feel you can assist. I would also appeal again to anyone who has any other footage – CCTV or Ring Doorbell for example, or any other information, no matter how insignificant you might think it is, to contact us as every small piece can help us build up a picture.”
Anyone with information or footage is asked to call Lancashire Police on 101, quoting log 565 of January 30. For any immediate sightings, call 999.
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