The last known movements of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley have been revealed by police.
Nicola Bulley, 45, a mortgage advisor, was last seen on Friday 27 January at around 9.20am while walking her dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
She had just dropped off her two daughters, aged six and nine, at the local village school.
Ms Bulley’s phone was found, apparently still connected to a Microsoft Teams work call, on a park bench nearby, along with the harness and lead for her dog, Willow, a springer spaniel.
Her parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, have since spoken of their “dread” at the thought of never seeing her again and of hearing their grandchildren “sobbing” after being told “mummy is lost”.
Here we take a look at her last known movements.
Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s last known movements
8.43am – Nicola walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her children off at school
8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path
8.53am – She sent an email to her boss
9.01am – She logged into a Teams call
9.10am (approximately) – A witness – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her on the upper field walking Willow. Work is ongoing to establish exactly what time this was.
9.30am – The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on
9.35am (approximately) – Nicola’s mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker.
Since her disappearance, Lancashire Constabulary has carried out a “thorough” search of the area, including the river.
Investigators continue to appeal for information and on 2 February the force said they would like to speak to a woman who they believe was in the area at the time of Ms Bulley’s disappearance.
“We would now like to speak to the woman pictured on the CCTV image, who we believe was in the area at the time Nicola was last seen and who may have information that could help us,” the force said in a statement.
“We would stress that the woman is sought as a witness and nothing more.
“She is described as wearing a red and white coat with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a light bobble hat.”
The statement added: “She was walking a small, white dog. The woman was seen on CCTV at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Nicola was last seen and was also seen near to the gate at the end of Allotment Lane.
“If you believe this is you, or you recognise the woman, please get in touch.”
A women duly came forward to identify herself as the person sought but said she had not seen Ms Bulley and was unable to help police with their investigation.
Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell, 44, has said he is in “perpetual hell” as the search goes on.
The couple’s two young children believe it is “only a matter of time” until she comes home, their grandfather said.
In an emotional interview with Sky News, Louise Cunningham, Ms Bulley’s sister, said she felt as though she was “stuck in a nightmare.”
“We’re going round and round in circles trying to piece together what could have possibly happened,” she said.
“It’s like she’s just vanished into thin air. We just want her home, we need her home, her children need her home. It’s absolutely heartbreaking."
Ernest Bulley spoke of the “pain” his “close-knit” family was feeling over the disappearance.
Police have since said they are working on the hypothesis that Ms Bulley could have fallen into the river and are continuing their search as far away as Morecombe Bay, although that has been disputed by Mr Ansell, among others, and specialist underwater rescue teams have yet to turn up any evidence indicating that this is likely to have been the case.
Despite insisting the case remains a missing person’s investigation, the authorities have said they are keeping an open mind and have also expressed interest in a red van spotted in the area while another witness has reportedly told police they saw two suspicious “hooded” men hanging around the village the day before the disappearance carrying fishing rods and “trying to hide their faces”.
“It was very strange. It made me uneasy,” the witness told The Sun.
The case meanwhile continues to cause unease in the local community – where yellow ribbons have begun to appear expressing hope that Ms Bulley will be found – and attract fascination online, with amateur detectives following its every turn, eager to help.
