A forensic dive expert who led the river search for Nicola Bulley has released a statement, explaining why he didn't find a body.
On Sunday, Lancashire Police confirmed that a body had been found in the river in St Michael's near where mum-of-two Nicola went missing on January 27.
Responding to news of the discovery of a body in the river he'd searched extensively, forensic dive expert Peter Faulding revealed that the equipment he uses "does not penetrate reeds".
READ MORE - Nicola Bulley: Body recovered from river search near where mum went missing
At the time of writing, formal identification of the body has not been completed but Nicola's family have been informed of the major development and are said to be in "agony".
Following his search of the River Wyre, Mr Faulding was adamant that Nicola was not in the water, saying at the time that "if Nicola was in that river, I would have found her. She’s not there."
Mr Faulding joined the search for the missing mortgage advisor earlier this month, 10 days after Nicola vanished while walking her dog on her usual route along a path next to the River Wyre.
In a statement seen by The Mirror, Mr Faulding explained why he and his team did not find a body throughout the course of their three-day search of the river. He said that his specialist sonar equipment "does not penetrate reeds".
He explained that his team was tasked with searching the "non-tidal part" of the river past the bench where Nicola's phone was found.
They used "high-frequency side scan sonar" technology to search the riverbed and "categorically" confirmed Nicola was not there.
He said they did search where the body was found and that they didn't see Nicola "on the days we searched".
He added: "The police underwater search teams and land search teams were searching for three full weeks and were also unable to find Nicola.
"Unfortunately, it was a member of the public that made a grim discovery, unconfirmed as yet to be Nicola.
"Sadly, the discovery was not found in the river but in the reeds at the side of the river which was not part of our remit as the side scan sonar does not penetrate reeds above or below the water.
"A riverbank and wade search would be the only way to search this area and we were not involved or tasked with that search. The difference between these two search areas has caused a lot of confusion and unfair criticism towards myself and my team at Specialist Group International (SGI).
"My previous comments said that if Nicola was in the river, I would find her, still standing. My team and I at SGI did all we could to assist this family with only our best intentions. I am sure I can say this of everyone who has been involved in this difficult search."
Mr Faulding also dismissed criticism of his involvement in the search, rubbishing accusations that he volunteered his services for "any limelight or publicity".
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