Police visited the home of Nicola Bulley a matter of weeks before her disappearance. This revelation comes as officials confirmed that the missing mother had health concerns due to a struggle with alcohol issues relating to the menopause.
Nicola vanished on January 27 after dropping off her two children at school in Lancashire, before taking family dog Willow for a walk on a nearby trail. Lancashire Police are leading the search for the 45-year-old after she vanished last month.
The Mirror reports that the force visited her house just 17 days prior to her disappearance. Officials also confirmed that Nicola had battled with substance issues as a result of "ongoing struggles with the menopause".
The developments come after the force held a press conference this morning where Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson and Detective Superintendent Becky Smith, leading the probe, said Nicola was a "high risk" missing person with "specific vulnerabilities".
Initially they refused to disclose the nature of her vulnerabilities but hours later they have revealed what they are.
Police were told about her vulnerabilities by partner, Paul Ansell, when she was initially reported missing. Officers attended the family home in Inskip, Lancashire, on January 10, police said later this afternoon.
However, they added that this was purely a welfare visit and did not involve any arrests. The force meanwhile is continuing with their prime belief that Nicola at some point entered the River Wyre.
She was last seen walking her dog in the village of St Michael's on Wyre, with her phone discovered on a bench by the water. A force spokesperson said: "We have described how Nicola had some vulnerabilities at the time she went missing and we just wanted to expand on that a little.
"Sadly, it is clear from speaking to Paul and the family that Nicola had in the past suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months. This caused some real challenges for Paul and the family.
"As a result of those issues, a response car staffed by both police and health professionals attended a report of concern for welfare at Nicola’s home address on January 10th. No one has been arrested in relation to this incident, but it is being investigated.
"It is an unusual step for us to take to go into this level of detail about someone’s private life, but we felt it was important to clarify what we meant when we talked about vulnerabilities to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation. We have explained to Nicola’s family why we have released this further information and we would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."
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