The public has been asked to look out for the clothes of a missing mum on the banks of a river on the eighth day of her disappearance.
Nicola Bulley, 45, was reported missing last Friday morning near St Michael's in Lancashire as she walked her dog, Willow. Police fear she may have fallen into the water at the River Wyre while trying to retrieve her pet's ball.
But, her sister has said there is "no evidence" to support this, according to the Mirror. The dog was later discovered dry by other dog walkers, but there has been no sign of the mum-of-two.
Officers have vowed to continue the search for Ms Bulley and to "bring her home". They have urged the public to look out along the river for the items of clothing Nicola was last seen wearing.
Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary have been trawling the water, supported by specialists and divers from HM Coastguard, mountain rescue and fire services. Nicola's disappearance has sparked a massive public campaign to find her, with volunteers joining the search as her family desperately plea for help tracing her.
Items of clothing she was wearing include an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting black jeans, long green walking socks, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace and a pale blue Fitbit. Nicola's sister Louise Cunningham has said people "don't just vanish into thin air" and cast doubt over whether she would have fallen into the water.
Ms Cunningham posted on Facebook last night: "Please keep sharing my Nikki …Off the back of the latest Police media update, please can I add there is no evidence whatsoever that she has gone into the river, it’s just a theory. Everyone needs to keep an open mind as not all cctv and leads have been investigated fully, the police confirmed the case is far from over."
The comments came after police said they believe no third party was involved, describing Nicola's disappearance as a "not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person". Nicola had dropped her two young daughters at school in St Michaels on Wyre last Friday morning before taking Willow, a springer spaniel, out onto a nearby towpath.
The dog was later found running around alone, with her harness and lead on the floor, while Nicola's phone was on a bench still connected to a work conference call.
Supt Sally Riley, who is heading the search, said: "Our main working hypothesis is that Nicola has suddenly fallen into the river, that there's no third party or criminal involvement, and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person. This is particularly important because speculation otherwise can be really distressing for the family and for Nicola's children."
Mortgage advisor Nicola's phone was discovered on a bench overlooking the river, with police believing it was placed there at around 9.20am.
Ms Riley continued: "I don't wish to speculate, in that we don't know, but it is possible as the dog was loose and off the lead. There may have been an issue with the dog that led her to the water's edge, she puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in.
"We assume the dog didn't get into the river, but we don't know why Nicola may have if she did."
Ms Riley told the MailOnline after the press conference: "I'm not aware of a dog ball being retrieved but it's possible that a ball could have rolled down the steep bank close to the edge of the water and Ms Bulley was bending down to pick it up. What she was wearing could also be a factor."
She said Nicola was wearing a quilted, ankle-length gilet, and underneath that another coat, as well as further clothing. The officer also said Nicola had on ankle length wellington boots.
"One would assume they fill with water when someone enters a river so all of that clothing is heavy, particularly on someone who is of slight build and only 5 foot three," she added.
She confirmed the mum can swim, and said due to the different water depths searchers have been both wading in the River Wyre and diving underwater. She said an "issue" with Ms Bulley's dog may have caused her to place her phone on the bench and go to assist Willow.
And after tracing local CCTV, dashcam and doorbell camera footage, police are confident Nicola did not leave the area near the river. Her tearful father Ernie Bulley said Nicola's young daughters still believed it is "only a matter of time" before their mother comes home.
Friends of the family said Ms Bulley's daughters had been asking: "Where's Mummy? How is Mummy?" Yesterday her partner Paul Ansell, 44, said he would "never lose hope" of finding her.
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