Missing mum Nicola Bulley was referenced in an "offensive" voicemail left for a parish councillor in Lancashire. The voicemail was received during the early hours of Saturday February 11, the Mirror reports.
Five of the six members of Inskip with Sowerby Parish Council received the nuisance overnight calls. All but one simply rang off as they answered though, it was claimed.
The 45-year-old mother-of-two disappeared on January 27 while walking her dog in St Michaels on Wyre, just a couple of miles from her home in Inskip. Police continue to search for the missing woman along the River Wyre down to Morecambe Bay.
A source close to the council said the voicemail was received during a flurry of "mystery phone calls" between 12.45am and 3am. They added that a copy of the voicemail is now in the possession of the police.
They did not go into detail about the content of the message but revealed that Nicola was referred to. Describing the nature of it, they said: "Offensive, I wouldn’t say it was abusive, I would say it was offensive."
"I believe the police have identified the offender," they went on, describing them as "just some nutter". Asked if the councillor who received the call was left shaken, they said: "No, we're not soft."
The councillors' phone numbers have since been removed from the council's website. Contact details for parish and town council members are also no longer listed on Wyre Borough Council's website following the incident, it confirmed.
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Garry Payne, Chief Executive of Wyre Council, said: "Everyone is deeply saddened by the ongoing Nicola Bulley case and our thoughts are with the family and friends. We are supporting Lancashire Police where required and we urge everyone to remain respectful at this time."
Cllr Michael Vincent, Leader of Wyre Council said: "We appreciate the emotional gravity of the situation. However we will not tolerate any form of abuse of any of our Elected Members of Wyre Borough Council or any of the town and parish councils within our borders or our staff.
"The community has shown great strength and resilience during the investigation and we urge everyone to continue to show compassion and empathy. It is a shame that we have had to take this step at such a difficult time and appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that residents are still able to contact their elected representatives."
Wyre Council has said it will log any reports of abuse and forward them to police. Asked about the matter, a Lancashire Police spokesman said: "We are aware and it is being looked into."
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