A man who called police after discovering human remains close to the River Wyre amid the search for missing mum Nicola Bulley said: "It was the body of a woman - there is definitely a body down there", according to a witness.
The body was found just a mile away from where missing mum Nicola disappeared last month, the Mirror reports. Police were informed by a man and a woman who had been walking along the River Wyre at St Michael's on Wyre yesterday morning that they had seen the body of a female in the water.
A local resident said he heard the man talking to officers about something he had seen in the 'undergrowth' and a helicopter and drone were deployed to help in the search.
Nicola's family are said to be 'incredibly heartbroken' by the update as they await formal identification to find out if it's the mum-of-two. The 45-year-old has been missing since January 27 where she was last seen walking her dog Willow close to the River Wyre after she dropped her two young daughters at school.
The mortgage advisor's phone was later found abandoned on a bench while still connected to a Teams work call and Willow was found wandering nearby without her lead or harness. The ashen-faced couple who found the human remains are said to have sat vaping on a wall, according to the local resident, as officers frantically called for back up.
The eyewitness added: “I noticed a man and a woman and two police officers on the embankment. I heard the man talking to police about something in the undergrowth.
"Police cars were flying down the road with the blues and twos going. A police officer pulled up a few minutes later and got his drone out. Five minutes later the helicopter arrived.
"Officers asked to me get out so I moved 200 yards down the road. I could still clearly see the man pointing at the riverbank. Then more police cars raced down with the blues and twos going. They cleared the entire road.”
Senior Investigating Officer Det Supt Rebecca Smith arrived at the scene to oversee recovery of the body while a white forensic tent was set up. The body was discovered a mile downstream from where Nicola was last seen.
Sky News correspondent Inzamam Rashid told how he had been in contact with Nicola’s family. He said: said: “They are incredibly heartbroken and they will really be struggling tonight.”
Lancashire Police said in a statement: “We were called today at 11.36am to reports of a body in the River Wyre. An underwater search team and specialist officers have subsequently attended the scene, entered the water and have sadly recovered a body.
"No formal identification has yet been carried out, so we are unable to say whether this is Nicola Bulley at this time. Procedures to identify the body are ongoing.
“We are currently treating the death as unexplained. Nicola’s family have been informed of developments and our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times.” If the body belongs to the 45-year-old, officers will have to investigate if she fell into the water or entered it deliberately and why it took over three weeks to find her.
It was reported yesterday that a detective who worked on the case of murdered community police officer Julia James has been brought in to help solve Nicola’s disappearance. Police still face extreme backlash after their controversial statement last week where they announced Nicola had faced 'significant issues' with alcohol triggered by menopause.
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