Every few months in Britain, a news story takes on a life of its own. When Nicola Bulley vanished while walking her dog in the sleepy Lancashire town of St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27, 2023, news editors took little notice. Within a fortnight, TV crews were flying across the world to cover the story.
Nicola’s body was found in the River Wyre on February 19, and an inquest later ruled that she had died due to accidental drowning. In the three weeks between her initial disappearance and the discovery of her body, amateur TikTok detectives descended on the town and posted wildly misleading claims about the case. Her family, already dealing with the trauma of her disappearance, were bombarded with disgusting abuse.
