Nicola Bulley – latest: Police accused of victim blaming for revealing mother’s alcohol issues
Police are facing backlash and accusations of victim blaming after revealing Nicola Bulley’s personal struggles.
On Wednesday evening, Lancashire Police announced the missing mother had faced “significant issues with alcohol” brought on by “ongoing struggles with the menopause”.
It was significantly more detail than detectives had released at a press conference just hours earlier, when they simply referred to “vulnerabilities” that made her a “high risk” missing person.
But the decision to disclose such private information has been criticised, with MPs including Stella Creasy and Alicia Kearns among those questioning the move.
The revelations, in a new online statement, follow a defensive press conference by Lancashire Police on Wednesday that criticised online speculation about the case that detectives claim has hampered search efforts.
Ms Bulley disappeared on 27 January while walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in Saint Michael’s on Wyre and has not been seen since.
Key Points
Nicola Bulley had ‘significant issues with alcohol brought on by struggles with menopause’
Police accused of ‘victim blaming’ as MPs condemn decision to reveal Nicola Bulley’s struggles
Nicola Bulley deemed high risk due to ‘specific vulnerabilities’
Expert criticises police for ‘not sharing information’ on Nicola Bulley
Police accused of victim blaming as MPs condemn decision to reveal Nicola Bulley’s struggles
04:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police have been accused of victim blaming as MPs and other high-profile figures question the decision to make Nicola Bulley’s personal struggles public.
Lancashire Constabulary took the unusual step of giving details about the missing mother’s private life “to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation” about the investigation into her disappearance.
Tory MP Alicia Kearns is among those denouncing the force’s decision to share Ms Bulley’s struggles, when it is not clear how doing so will help the ongoing search.
Emily Atkinsonhas more on the revelations made by police, leading to backlash:
Nicola Bulley has had ‘issues with alcohol’ police reveal three weeks into search
Missing Nicola Bulley: What is the focus of police investigation?
07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley are looking at a number of ways to find out where she is.
Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her springer spaniel, Willow, in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre after she dropped off her two daughters – aged six and nine – at school on January 27.
Lancashire Police said there has been an “unprecedented amount of work” on the investigation, with more than 40 dedicated detectives looking through hundreds of hours of possible leads.
More than 300 premises have been visited and around 1,500 pieces of information have been received, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Extensive searches have been carried out on the River Wyre, with officers searching as far as the sea.
Missing Nicola Bulley: What is the focus of police investigation?
In video: Ex-detective Peter Bleksley criticses police handling of Nicola Bulley case
07:15 , Namita Singh
Dive expert says case ‘could have been handled better' by police
07:00 , Sam Rkaina
Speaking to Jeremy Kyle on TalkTV on Wednesday evening, forensics expert Peter Faulding claimed that if his team had been made aware of police concerns for Mr Bulley’s “vulnerabilities” he would have taken a different approach to his part of the search.
“If I had been given that information it wouldn’t have been given to the media,” he said. “It would have been confidential and I would have changed my whole search strategy.
“I assumed that Nicola had slipped into the river and it’s only two foot deep at the bottom of the bank - that’s why I’ve been so adamant that she’s not in that part of the river, we thoroughly searched it.
“If she had jumped in, or intended to take her own life, or walked off, or wherever she is, that would change my whole plan.
“She could have ended up in the sea. But it’s changed this and it’s really annoyed me.
“This is an awful case and I just wish it had been handled a lot better in the first place by giving certain information that would have helped us target that search in specific areas.”
'I would have changed my whole search strategy'
06:45 , Namita Singh
Peter Faulding criticised the police for not disclosing the personal struggle of Nicola Bulley to his team.
Speaking to Jeremy Kyle on TalkTV yesterday, he explained: “If I had been given that information it wouldn’t have been given to the media. It would have been confidential and I would have changed my whole search strategy.
“I assumed that Nicola had slipped into the river and it’s only two foot deep at the bottom of the bank - that’s why I’ve been so adamant that she’s not in that part of the river, we thoroughly searched it.
“If she had jumped in, or intended to take her own life, or walked off, or wherever she is, that would change my whole plan.
“She could have ended up in the sea. But it’s changed this and it’s really annoyed me.
“This is an awful case and I just wish it had been handled a lot better in the first place by giving certain information that would have helped us target that search in specific areas.”
Dashcam footage appeal
06:30 , Sam Rkaina
Due to the lack of CCTV footage on the river path, which has been the main focus of officers, the force has appealed for dashcam footage from motorists and cyclists.
Det Supt Smith said every piece of footage has been reviewed, but none of it has indicated that Ms Bulley was there.
She added: “From the iron bridge to the school there is nothing there, which is why it’s so important for the dash cam.
“Because even though they’re going to be tiny bite-size information, they’re not going to be as good as CCTV – we need to be able to piece together as much of that road as we can.”
A “substantial” number of the 700 drivers who went through the village on the morning Ms Bulley disappeared have been contacted.
However, there has been no sign of her on any of the footage received.
Forensic expert slams police for not disclosing Nicola Bulley as 'high risk'
06:15 , Namita Singh
The forensic expert who assisted police in the search for Nicola Bulley claims police did not tell his team that the dog walker was considered “high risk” as soon as the missing persons case was launched after she disappeared on 27 January.
Peter Faulding said having this knowledge would have changed his team’s “whole search strategy”.
Last week he led a private team of divers to assist police in the search for Ms Bulley, using sonar technology to see if anything was in the river that could help with the hunt, but came up empty-handed.
Taking to Twitter after learning of the news that Ms Bulley had struggled with alcohol problems, Mr Faulding said: “Update re Nicola Bulley. I can confirm that my usually trusted team and I were not passed this crucial information during our search, which would have changed search strategy.”
Updated timeline as police reveal they visited home weeks before she vanished
06:00 , Sam Rkaina
Police are still searching for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley, who disappeared hree weeks ago after dropping her daughters off at school.
A Lancashire Police press conference on Wednesday revealed new details of an incident in the weeks before Ms Bulley vanished.
Click here for the full timeline of the case so far.
Police debunk eight ‘persistent myths’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance
05:45 , Namita Singh
Nicola Bulley’s disappearance while walking her dog in a sleepy Lancashire village has captured the nation’s attention on rare scale, with social media sleuths pouring over every known detail of the case.
The 45-year-old vanished on the morning of 27 January, as she took her springer spaniel along the familiar river path at St Michael’s on Wyre, shortly after dropping her daughters – aged six and nine – off at school nearby.
In a bid to confront this “distracting” speculation – and criticism of their investigation – Lancashire Police called a press conference to update the public on “exactly we have done over the last 19 days”.
Report:
Police debunk eight ‘persistent myths’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance
Police explain CCTV situation
05:30 , Sam Rkaina
Det Supt Smith said officers have viewed a “substantial amount of CCTV, which has helped them “pin down” some of Ms Bulley’s movements.
However, they cannot “complete” every step she made as the area has footage that covers just parts of the route she took.
The detective said: “The area at the top of the field, Rowanwater, has CCTV that covers the gate that enters the field and the front of the site.
“That is working, the site managers have been cooperating with us and supporting this investigation at every stage.
“We can say that Nicola has not entered that area or left.”
Footage also shows she did not go down Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road, the senior officer said.
Det Supt Smith added: “What I can say – which we’ve established only yesterday – was that if Nicola had left out of the river path and turned right, she has not reached the Grapes pub.”
Officers have been “trawling” the area for more footage, but parts of the nearby main road are not covered.
In Video: Online myths and conjecture ‘distracting’ from Nicola Bulley investigation, say police
05:15 , Namita Singh
Online myths ‘distracting’ from Nicola Bulley investigation, say police
Timeline of Nicola Bulley mystery as police reveal they visited home weeks before she vanished
05:00 , Namita Singh
As police are still searches for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley, who vanished almost three weeks ago after dropping her daughters off at school, my colleague Emily Atkinson lists down the timeline of disappearance.
Timeline of Nicola Bulley case as police say they visited home before disappearance
Nicola Bulley has had ‘issues with alcohol’ police reveal three weeks into sear
04:45 , Namita Singh
Nicola Bulley has faced “significant issues with alcohol” brought on by “ongoing struggles with the menopause”, police revealed on Wednesday night as they blamed “TikTok detectives” for distracting officers in the search for her.
Sam Rkaina reports on why Lancashire Constabulary took the “unusual step” of giving details about her private life:
Nicola Bulley has had ‘issues with alcohol’ police reveal three weeks into search
What is the focus of police investigation?
04:30 , Sam Rkaina
Police investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley are looking at a number of ways to find out where she is.
Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her springer spaniel, Willow, in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre after she dropped off her two daughters – aged six and nine – at school on January 27.
Lancashire Police said there has been an “unprecedented amount of work” on the investigation, with more than 40 dedicated detectives looking through hundreds of hours of possible leads.
More than 300 premises have been visited and around 1,500 pieces of information have been received, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Extensive searches have been carried out on the River Wyre, with officers searching as far as the sea.
Senior investigating officer Detective Supt Rebecca Smith said: “As any senior investigating officer does, you form a number of hypotheses, that is scenarios which are possible from the information to hand.
“Those hypotheses included the one that she possibly could have gone into the river, that there could have been third-party involvement, and lastly, that she could have left the area voluntarily.”
The force said there is no evidence to suggest any crime has been committed or there was any third-party involvement.
Expert criticises police for ‘not sharing information’ on Nicola Bulley
04:00 , Namita Singh
The forensic expert who assisted the police in the search for Nicola Bulley claims he wasn’t told the missing mother had “significant issues” and says he would have taken a different approach if he had.
Peter Faulding claims police did not tell his team Ms Bulley was considered “high risk” as soon as the missing persons case was launched after she disappeared on 27 January.
Mr Faulding said having this knowledge would have changed his team’s “whole search strategy”.
More in this report:
Dive expert ‘would have changed his Nicola Bulley search’ if police shared concerns
TikTok detectives spreading conspiracies ‘distracting’ Nicola Bulley search, police say
03:30 , Sam Rkaina
Social media sleuths have “distracted” the investigation into Nicola Bulley, police said on Wednesday as they revealed the mother-of-two had “specific vulnerabilities” at the time she went missing.
Lancashire Police detective superintendent Smith said officers have been “inundated with false information, accusations and rumours” relating to the case and that “TikTokers have been playing private detectives” near the scene of the 45-year-old’s disappearance.
Click here for the full story.
Police debunk eight ‘persistent myths’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance
02:30 , Sam Rkaina
Nicola Bulley’s disappearance while walking her dog in a sleepy Lancashire village has captured the nation’s attention on rare scale, with social media sleuths pouring over every known detail of the case.
But it has also become the subject of intense scrutiny and conjecture. In a bid to confront this “distracting” speculation – and criticism of their investigation – Lancashire Police called a press conference to update the public on “exactly we have done over the last 19 days”.
Reasserting that – despite their “exhaustive” enquiries – there is still no evidence to suggest any criminal involvement, the officer leading the search, Detective Superintendent Becky Smith, also tackled a number of “persistent myths” surrounding the case.
Click here for the full story.
More criticism of police for sharing personal details of missing mother
01:30 , Sam Rkaina
Dive expert criticises police for ‘failing to share information that would have helped search’
00:29 , Sam Rkaina
The forensic expert who assisted police in the search for Nicola Bulley claims he wasn’t told the missing mother had “significant issues” - and says he would have taken a different approach if he had.
Peter Faulding claims police did not tell his team Ms Bulley was considered ‘high risk’ as soon as the missing persons case was launched after she disappeared on 27 January.
Mr Faulding said having this knowledge would have changed his team’s “whole search strategy”.
Click here for the full story.
MPs condemn decision to reveal Nicola Bulley’s struggles
Wednesday 15 February 2023 23:30 , Sam Rkaina
Police have been accused of “victim blaming” as MPs and other high-profile figures question the decision to make Nicola Bulley’s personal struggles public.
Lancashire Constabulary took the unusual step of giving details about the missing mother’s private life “to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation” about the investigation into her disappearance.
Tory MP Alicia Kearns is among those denouncing the force’s decision to share Ms Bulley’s struggles, when it is not clear how doing so will help the ongoing search.
Click here for the full story.
Five things forensics expert claims don’t add up about dog walker’s disappearance
Wednesday 15 February 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson
A forensic expert leading the underwater search for missing Nicola Bulley has been left “baffled” by “strange” events in the mother’s disappearance.
The 45-year-old disappeared while on her regular dog walk in the quiet village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
Dropping her children off at school, she took her spaniel Willow for a stroll by the river and was sighted at around 9am by a witness but despite an extensive search, she has yet to be found.
Here are five things the forensic expert is puzzled by:
5 things Peter Faulding claims don’t add up about missing dog walker disappearance
Nicola Bulley may have just ‘walked off somewhere’, claims search expert
Wednesday 15 February 2023 22:30 , Emily Atkinson
The diving expert who lead the search for Nicola Bulley said she may have just “walked off somewhere” after police described the mother-of-two as high risk.
The dog walker vanished without trace while walking along the River Wyre in St Michael’s, Lancashire, on 27 January.
Lancashire Police detective superintendent Rebecca Smith on Wednesday revealed Ms Bulley was categorised as high-risk when she was reported missing.
Nicola Bulley may have just ‘walked off somewhere’, claims search expert
Watch: Police officer avoids saying she is 'confident' that Nicola Bulley is still alive
Wednesday 15 February 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson
Police receive ‘1,500 pieces of information’ relating to missing mother case
Wednesday 15 February 2023 21:30 , Emily Atkinson
Lancashire Police said there has been an “unprecedented amount of work” on the investigation into Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, with more than 40 dedicated detectives looking through hundreds of hours of possible leads.
More than 300 premises have been visited and around 1,500 pieces of information have been received, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Extensive searches have been carried out on the River Wyre, with officers searching as far as the sea.
Senior investigating officer Detective Supt Rebecca Smith said: “As any senior investigating officer does, you form a number of hypotheses, that is scenarios which are possible from the information to hand.
“Those hypotheses included the one that she possibly could have gone into the river, that there could have been third-party involvement, and lastly, that she could have left the area voluntarily.”
In pictures: Mounted police join search for Nicola Bulley along coastline
Wednesday 15 February 2023 21:00 , Emily Atkinson
Police facing backlash for revealing Nicola Bulley’s struggles
Wednesday 15 February 2023 20:50 , Sam Rkaina
Police have been accused of ‘victim blaming’ after revealing Nicola Bulley’s personal struggles, with MPs saying they are “troubled” by the unusual move.
On Wednesday evening Lancashire Police announced the missing dog walker had faced “significant issues with alcohol” brought on by “ongoing struggles with the menopause”.
It was significantly more detail than detectives had released at a press conference just hours earlier, when they simply referred to “vulnerabilities” that made her a “high risk” missing person.
Tory MP Alicia Kearns is among those calling out the move, and questioning how it could help the search that is now in its third week
“I am deeply uncomfortable with the police releasing Nicola Bulley’s so-called “vulnerabilities” on menopause & alcohol,” she tweeted. “I struggle to ascertain how this will assist Police in their search & investigations. I do see how it would assist those wishing to victim-blame or diminish.”
Labour’s Stella Creasy was also concerned about how much had been made public, and called on Lancashire Police to justify their decision.
“The decision to disclose this level of detail on a missing person’s private life, with no evidence that this is assisting in finding her, is deeply troubling,” she tweeted.
“The police need to be much clearer as to why any of this helps find Nicola Bulley or support this investigation.”
Author and barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman added: “Missing mother Nicola Bulley had “some significant issues with alcohol” brought on by struggles with the menopause, police have said. Such a serious invasion into her private life which will only result in further victim blaming. Shameful.”
Rugby league star’s disappearance ‘exactly the same’ as missing Nicola Bulley, brother says
Wednesday 15 February 2023 20:30 , Emily Atkinson
The brother of an ex-rugby league player who disappeared in the US more than a year ago says his case is “exactly the same” as that of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley.
Bryn Hargreaves, 36, vanished in Virginia on 3 January last year but while detectives believe his body may be in a lake, he has yet to be found.
Police were first called to his house after a neighbour reported water had been leaking into their apartment.
Matt Mathers reports:
Rugby star’s disappearance ‘exactly the same’ as missing Nicola Bulley, says brother
Police ‘hope more than anything’ to find missing mother alive
Wednesday 15 February 2023 20:00 , Emily Atkinson
There has been no sign of Nicola Bulley since her disappearance, even after detectives extended the search for her to the sea on 3 February.
Asked if she hoped to find her alive, detective superintendent Rebecca Smith said: “I hope with all my heart that we find Nicola Bulley alive more than anything.”
However, Ms Smith added she could not be “100% certain” of force’s hypothesis that Ms Bulley fell into the river.
The final email and an abandoned Teams call: Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s mysterious disappearance
Wednesday 15 February 2023 19:30 , Emily Atkinson
Around 30 minutes before Nicola Bulley’s phone was discovered, the mortgage advisor had sent an email to her boss, followed shortly by a text to a friend to arrange a playdate. She sent the text at 8.57am shortly before logging into the Teams call, locals at a village meeting were told.
Below we take a look at her last known movements as the search continues.
Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s mysterious disappearance ahead of police press conference
Police reveal findings from CCTV trawling
Wednesday 15 February 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson
Police say that officers have viewed a “substantial amount of CCTV, which has helped them “pin down” some of Nicola Bulley’s movements.
However, the force cannot “complete” every step she made as the area has footage that covers just parts of the route she took, assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The detective said: “The area at the top of the field, Rowanwater, has CCTV that covers the gate that enters the field and the front of the site.
“That is working, the site managers have been cooperating with us and supporting this investigation at every stage.
“We can say that Nicola has not entered that area or left.”
Footage also shows she did not go down Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road, the senior officer said.
Det Supt Smith added: “What I can say - which we’ve established only yesterday - was that if Nicola had left out of the river path and turned right, she has not reached the Grapes pub.”
Officers have been “trawling” the area for more footage, but parts of the nearby main road are not covered.
MP attacks Lancashire Police over ‘deeply troubling’ update
Wednesday 15 February 2023 18:40 , Emily Atkinson
A Labour MP has criticised Lancashire Police over the “deeply troubling” level of detail disclosed in its latest update over Nicola Bulley’s disappearance.
In a statement issued this evening, the force revealed that Ms Bulley had faced “significant issues with alcohol” brought on by “ongoing struggles with the menopause”.
Responding to the revelations, Stella Creasy – Labour and Co-op MP for Walthamstow – said: “The decision to disclose this level of detail on a missing person’s private life, with no evidence that this is assisting in finding her, is deeply troubling.
“The police need to be much clearer as to why any of this helps find Nicola Bulley or support this investigation.”
Search expert hits out at police for not disclosing details of Nicola Bulley’s 'alcohol struggles’
Wednesday 15 February 2023 18:32 , Emily Atkinson
A search expert who aided the hunt for Nicola Bulley has hit out at police for not passing on “crucial” details of the missing mother’s struggles with alcohol to him.
Peter Faulding’s team Specialist Group International was drafted in to help police search the River Wyre for the 45-year-old.
Reacting to the force’s latest update this evening, Mr Faulding said: “I can confirm that my usually trusted team and I were not passed this crucial information during our search, which would have changed search strategy.”
Police debunk eight ‘persistent myths’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance
Wednesday 15 February 2023 18:22 , Emily Atkinson
Nicola Bulley’s disappearance while walking her dog in a sleepy Lancashire village has captured the nation’s attention on rare scale, with social media sleuths pouring over every known detail of the case.
The 45-year-old vanished on the morning of 27 January, as she took her springer spaniel along the familiar river path at St Michael’s on Wyre, shortly after dropping her daughters – aged six and nine – off at school nearby.
The discovery of her mobile phone on a riverside bench, still connected to a work call, and her dog Willow running loose nearby – its harness left lying on the ground – has sparked an “unprecedented” police investigation.
My colleague Andy Gregory has more:
Police debunk eight ‘persistent myths’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance
Officers seek contact with fishermen
Wednesday 15 February 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson
The leading investigator into Nicola Bulley’s case said police had made numerous appeals to fishermen reportedly seen the day before she vanished.
Detective superintendent Rebecca Smith said she does not believe the fisherman are suspicious, but still wants to speak with them.
Nicola Bulley had ‘significant issues with alcohol brought on by struggles with menopause’ police reveal
Wednesday 15 February 2023 17:50 , Emily Atkinson
Missing Nicola Bulley has faced “significant issues with alcohol” brought on by “ongoing struggles with the menopause”, police have revealed.
Earlier on Wednesday police held a press conference to provide an update on the case, explaining that she had been deemed high risk due to “specific vulnerabilities”.
At the time they did not explain what that meant but this evening has no clarified what that involved.
Nicola Bulley had ‘alcohol issues brought on by menopause struggles’ police reveal
‘My brother went missing in same place as Nicola Bulley – exactly 45 years before’
Wednesday 15 February 2023 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A man whose brother went missing on the same stretch of river where Nicola Bulley disappeared exactly 45 years earlier has shared his sympathies with her family.
Don Jones said “we know just what they must be going through,” as his brother Roger also vanished on 27 January close to the River Wyre near Preston in 1978.
Mother-of-two Ms Bulley has not been seen since around 9.15am on the same date in 2023 and emergency services have still not located any trace of her in the water.
Roger Jones was 16 when he was thrown into the river after a motorbike accident but was not found until two months later.
‘My brother went missing in same place as Nicola Bulley – exactly 45 years before’
Police to take over Nicola Bulley’s social media
Wednesday 15 February 2023 17:00 , Emily Atkinson
Lancashire Police officers will take over Ms Bulley’s social media accounts in order to better examine her phone, detectives revealed.
Speaking at a press conference, Detective superintendent Rebecca Smith, leading the investigation, said “further work” was needed on the force’s digital enquiries.
She said Ms Bulley’s family was “aware” officers will probe the missing mother’s social media accounts.
She also warned this “might show Nicola as being online”, adding: “I want to make this really clear, we have control of this phone, this will be the police that is doing these enquiries and nobody needs to be concerned or contact the incident room about this.”
The baffling 10-minute window shrouding Nicola Bulley’s disappearance in mystery
Wednesday 15 February 2023 16:30 , Emily Atkinson
The disappearance Nicola Bulley continues to puzzle the police and public almost three weeks after the mother-of-two went missing in Lancashire.
The 45-year-old mortgage broker was logged into a Teams work call on her phone on Friday 27 January as she walked her dog, a springer spaniel named Willow, but what happened next in the quiet village of St Michael’s on Wyre remains a mystery.
Specifically, Lancashire Police have a 10-minute window in which they cannot account for Ms Bulley’s movements.
At approximately 9.10am, a witness – somebody who knows Ms Bulley – saw her on the upper field walking her dog.
Police know that at 9.20am, her phone was on the bench it was later discovered on.
The Independent has mapped out the rough radius where the 45-year-old could have walked and driven to in those 10 minutes.
The 10-minute window shrouding Nicola Bulley’s disappearance in mystery
11 key things we learned from police update on Nicola Bulley search
Wednesday 15 February 2023 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police searching for missing mother Nicola Bulley have hit out at “ill-informed speculation” they say has distracted detectives.
In a bid to address intense online speculation around the dog walker’s mystery disappearance – and criticism of the investigation – Lancashire Police held a press conference on Wednesday to shed light on “exactly we have done over the last 19 days”.
Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her springer spaniel, Willow, in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre after she dropped her two daughters - aged six and nine - at school on 27 January.
Here are 11 key things we learned from the latest police update:
11 key things we learned from police press conference on Nicola Bulley search
Nicola Bulley: All the evidence released so far in the case of the missing dog walker
Wednesday 15 February 2023 15:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Nicola Bulley, a 45-year-old mother-of-two and mortgage adviser, is still missing almost three weeks after she disappeared while out walking her dog having dropped her young daughters off at primary school.
Ms Bulley, originally from Essex but now resident in Inskip, was heading east along the River Wyre in Lancashire with her brown springer spaniel Willow when she vanished near St Michael’s on Wyre at approximately 9.15am on Friday 27 January.
She was seen by at least one fellow dog walker moments before disappearing.
Willow’s lead and harness and Ms Bulley’s mobile phone were subsequently discovered by a nearby bench, the device still connected to a work conference call.
The dog itself was also found shortly after being recognised by a member of the public and reportedly appeared distressed.
Joe Sommerlad has more:
Here’s everything we know about the disappearance of Nicola Bulley after 20 days
TikTok detectives spreading conspiracies ‘distracting’ Nicola Bulley search, police say
Wednesday 15 February 2023 14:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Social media sleuths have “distracted” the investigation into missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, police have said.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Lancashire Police said “TikTokers have been playing private detectives” near the scene of the 45-year-old’s disappearance.
Detective superintendent Rebecca Smith said investigating officers have been “inundated with false information, accusations and rumours” relating to the case.
Ms Bulley vanished in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre on 27 January while walking her dog, Willow, after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school.
At the press conference in Hutton on Wednesday, Ms Smith said her “main working hypothesis” remains that Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre.
TikTok detectives spreading conspiracies ‘distracting’ Nicola Bulley search
What are Nicola Bulley’s ‘specific vulnerabilities’?
Wednesday 15 February 2023 14:12 , Lucy Skoulding
Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley had “specific vulnerabilities”, Lancashire Police confirmed in a press conference today.
In a press conference held today, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith said Ms Bulley was graded as a “high-risk” missing person when she was reported missing on 27 January.
When applied to adults who are at risk, specific vulnerabilities refer to mental ill health, substance misuse or isolation, according to the College of Policing.
It can also relate to committing or assisting in the commission of crimes because it is known the person may be easier to groom, manipulate and threaten, and as a victim, they may be less likely to report their experience.
Read the full story by Independent reporter Martha McHardy.
Lead detective ‘cannot be 100% certain” Nicola has fallen into river
Wednesday 15 February 2023 12:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, the lead investigator in the Nicola Bulley case, said: “I have told you that my working hypothesis is, at the moment, through all the information that we have gathered, that the likelihood is that Nicola has unfortunately gone in the river.
“However, I have to stress this because this has been continually misconstrued, I cannot be 100% certain of that at the minute because we are continuing, it’s a live investigation, and there is always information coming in.
“But we are in the 20th day, we have had a thorough, dedicated, meticulous investigation and there is not one single piece of information that’s come to note that would suggest that Nicola has left those fields.”
Nicola Bulley deemed high risk due to ‘specific vulnerabilities’
Wednesday 15 February 2023 12:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Detectives judged Nicola Bulley to be at high-risk when she was reported missing due to “specific vulnerabilities” they were made aware of, police have revealed.
In a bid to address the intense media online speculation – and criticism of its investigation – Lancashire Police held a press conference on Wednesday to shed light on “exactly we have done over the last 19 days”.
“As soon as she was reported missing, following the information that was provided to the police by her partner Paul, and based on a number of specific vulnerabilities that we were made aware of, Nicola was graded as high-risk,” said Detective Superintendent Becky Smith, who is leading the investigation.
“That is normal in a missing person investigation with the information we were in possession of.”
Nicola Bulley deemed high risk due to ‘specific vulnerabilities’
‘Likelihood is that Nicola has gone into the river,’ senior detective says
Wednesday 15 February 2023 12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
When asked how confident she is that Nicola Bulley will be found alive, senior investigating officer Rebecca Smith said: “I hope with all my heart that we find Nicola Bulley alive, more than anything.”
But when pressed, Ms Smith said that the likelihood is that “Nicola has gone into the river”.
However, she said she cannot be 100 per cent sure as the case is an ongoing investigation.
Senior detective debunks some common theories
Wednesday 15 February 2023 12:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Addresssing some theories of where Nicola Bulley could be, the senior detective Rebecca Smith flagged that a derelict house across the river has been searched three times, with nothing found.
She said the police have made numerous appeals to fisherman who were reportedly seen the previous day. However, Ms Smith said she does not believe the fisherman are suspicious, but still wants to speak with them.
Ms Smith also addressed the recovered stained glove, but said there was nothing suspicious about it.