Nicola Bulley's disappearance could end up being a 'mystery that is never solved' an ex-top police officer has said. According to Stephen Roberts, the former director of standards at the Met Police, police may never know what happened to the missing mum.
Mr Roberts was talking to Sky News on the case which remains unsolved as the search enters its third week. He said: "Sometimes there simply isn't any physical or human evidence of what has happened to an individual."
Nicola, 45, disappeared while on a dog walk in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27. Mr Roberts was asked if there may be a moment when police must accept that Nicola may never be found.
He said: "Absolutely that's the case... We can think back over decades to missing persons cases where the person who disappeared was never found.
"Sometimes that is so. Sometimes there simply isn't any evidence, any physical evidence, any human evidence of what has happened to an individual. Sometimes, tragically, we and families are left with that mystery that is never solved."
The comments come amid criticism for Lancashire Police on the way they have handled the investigation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said this week that he was "concerned" after police released sensitive information about the missing mortgage adviser's health.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly held an emergency meeting with the force's chief constable over the release of that information. The constabulary said it has launched its own internal review after referring itself to a policing watchdog, reports BirminghamLive.
Police have until this point been unable to find any substantial evidence leading to the truth of what happened to Nicola. In recent days, the investigation has also been criticised. During a press briefing on Wednesday led by senior investigating officer Rebecca Smith, it was revealed Nicola had "vulnerabilities".
This meant the case had accelerated to 'High Risk' with the police mostly working on the hypothesis that she accidentally fell into the River Wyre and drowned. Hours later, the constabulary released a statement outlining that Nicola had "significant" issues with alcohol brought on by struggles with the menopause.
Reportedly due to these issues, on January 10 officers had been called to her address in Inskip over concerns for her welfare. This step was soon condemned and the force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to its contact with the family prior to the disappearance.
