A diver taking part in the search for Nicola Bulley has said that police "are calling him and agreeing" with his doubts regarding the case. The mother has now been missing for more than two weeks.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Peter Faulding spoke about the struggling search for Nicola, who disappeared along the River Wyre on January 27 whilst walking her pet dog Willow. Mr Faulding led the Specialist Group International (SGI) search team that collaborated with Lancashire Police to cover miles over the river for three days last week, and has said there is no sign of Bulley.
Faulding said: "On the river on the day it wasn’t running very fast. I’ve spent a lot of time with the family and they said she was so cautious, did the same route every day, didn’t go near the river and her Fitbit shows she doesn’t go near the river. She would have to be pushed really hard to be launched out into the middle of the river."
Police have said officers are keeping an "open mind" as they continues appealing for information regarding Nicola's whereabouts. The force is still searching the River towards the sea at Morecambe Bay with the idea that the 45-year-old, from Inskip, may have fallen in.
Peter continued: “There is lots of odd stuff here. If she isn't found then I would say something is not right. Police officers have been ringing saying they agree with me, this is an odd one." The diver expert searched the river for Nicola, but couldn't find anything.
"It's a negative search, no signs of Nicola," he told the PA news agency at the time. He later told the Daily Mail: "I think the worst mistake the police have made was to declare early on that she’s in the river rather than saying 'let’s keep lines of enquiry open'.
"This is a lady who knew this area intimately, she was slim and fit, and if she had fallen she could have grabbed onto the bank."
Faulding adds that he has been communicating with Nicola's family, and has begun looking for 'deposition sites' in the search for places she could have been buried.
He told the Express: "I’m talking to the family and obviously have vast experience finding buried bodies. We’ve got to consider all options here, there has been that report of suspicious people hanging around.
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"I was frank with Paul and Heather the other day because we need to consider possible deposition sites, we don’t know. I’m not saying the police aren’t doing that and what I don’t want to do is interfere with the police operation.
"Mine (investigation) will be low key, I will just be looking around for possible deposition sites."
