A private underwater rescue team is set to join the desperate search to find missing mum Nicola Bulley.
Specialist Group International (SGI), led by forensic expert Peter Faulding, will begin assisting Lancashire Police in their search for the 45-year-old in the waterways of St Michael’s on Wyre village in Lancashire from this morning (Monday). The specialist team has offered its services 'free of charge'.
The news was confirmed to Sky News by police. In a post on Specialist Group International’s Facebook page, Mr Faulding said his team will 'work closely' with police.
"I have just had a long call with the Lancashire Police search adviser to discuss the search for Nicola," he said. "We will work closely with the police search teams who are working long hours to find Nicola.
"The team are leaving shortly from our base in Dorking en route to Lancashire to start tomorrow morning." This comes after new pictures of Nicola captured on her doorbell camera were released, which showed her getting ready to set off on the school run before her disappearance.
She was dressed in her walking boots and was wearing a long black coat. Her dog, Willow, was seen jumping in the back of the car.
Police said they believe the mum-of-two went missing in just a '10-minute window' on January 27 while she was walking Willow close to the River Wyre, after dropping off her daughters – aged six and nine – at school. Ms Bulley - a mortgage advisor - had logged in to a Microsoft Teams call at 9.01am, which ended at 9.30am with her phone still connected to the call.
She was seen by another dog walker at 9.10am – the last known sighting – and police traced telephony records of her mobile phone as it remained on a bench overlooking the river at 9.20am. The device was found by a dog walker at around 9.35am, with Willow nearby.
Teams from Lancashire Constabulary have been searching the river. Meanwhile, a woman described as a 'key witness' by police has come forward.
On Saturday, officers said they wanted to trace a person seen pushing a pram in the area near where the dog walker went missing. In an update on its Facebook page, Lancashire Constabulary said the woman had come forward 'very quickly'.
The force also warned against 'totally unacceptable' speculation and abuse on social media. "The speculation and abuse on social media aimed at some people who are merely assisting our inquiry is totally unacceptable", the force said.
"We would urge people to remember that we are investigating the disappearance of Nicola, and the priority is Nicola and her family. We want to find her and provide answers to her family."
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