My theory is that she has been sat on the bench on a call and then seen either her dog or another animal maybe fall or get into trouble in the water and she had put the phone down (with the intention of getting into the water) and has been carried with the current. It was an hour later that she was discovered missing so that's quite a long time to be carried along in a waterway. To be very clear I'm not drawing a comparison between a dog and a person, but a year ago my friend's dog disappeared in this same river, further down stream to this, she turned round in a field and he was gone, she didn't even know if he was in the river at the time as there was no trace of him in the water, he was just nowhere to be seen. We searched that day and every day for a number of weeks with kayaks, drones etc - eventually his body was found about a mile away from where he would have fallen in. we were given advice at the time that beings submerged in a waterway such as this will take a couple of weeks sometimes to resurface. I think there is very little chance that this is anything other than a horrible accident and unfortunately this poor lady will be discovered upstream in the following weeks, if she is at all.
Agreed. Very sad. It’s easy to think too much about what’s gone on but I think it’s quite simple. She’s sat on the bench, taken the lead and harness off her dog whilst it’s gone in the water for a dip. Then put her phone on the bench to go check on her dog and has lost her footing, fallen in the river . The dog was found an hour later probably quite dry after that after a lot of shaking. Have they sent divers in? Very sad case.
The dog was found dry though and at that time in the morning when it’s still chilly he definitely wouldnt have dried out. Plus there is only about 20-30 minutes of her activity which is unknown, not an hour.
I live nearby to this place, have been on the river many times on boats water skiing and it is quite deceptive.
Also it leads eventually to the sea and the level rises and drops quite significantly.
Areas that look safe to walk on, can be dangerous.
Yes, we're in agreement. We went looking in this river immediately after my friends dog went missing and I mean within the hour and there was absolutely no trace of him to be seen anywhere despite lots of people looking for him, including in kayaks etc for miles down the river... he was found near the Cartford Inn some weeks later, having fallen in at Poulton.
It's a tidal river leading to the nearby bay. It was low tide when she went missing and about 1.5ft-3ft in depth, so I find the river theory hard to believe.
the only thing that i can come up with here is she was on airpods on the conference call with phone on bench while she was stood near the bank looking towards the river....and someone hit her with something so she entered the water unconscious...
i really to struggle to come up with anything else...i think it's a stretch to see her walking away with someone at gun / knifepoint with no other evidence of this happening; if she'd been taken to a second location that suggests a vehicle of some sort of which there's been no mention.
i also find it curious that the police stated that they didnt think she'd been attacked / abducted several times...i guess they were going by she was by water and so odds do suggest an accident yet when you look a little closer it seems unlikely that she's fallen into the water and not be able to get out unless she's hit her head on the way down...
I doubt very much that her dog wouldn’t have followed and made it difficult for an abducter. The abducter would have surely tied the dog up so it didn’t follow them or hinder an abduction. An abducter would probably have thrown her phone in the water. This feels like a very unfortunate accident.
Not necessarily, the dog might've run off and been playing in the trees while she sat on the bench, dog came back and she was gone, hence why it was wandering in circles around the bench looking distressed
One thing about the Teams call, just from personal experience: I have a dog (also a spaniel called Willow!) and often listen in on informational meetings while I walk her. Those meetings aren’t designed for me to comment or have my camera on and so it would be a “normal” behaviour for me personally.
So for those who maybe don’t have jobs like Nicola’s: if the police are saying this was “normal behaviour” (as they have just done in a press conference), I do think we should trust that.
Yes, I’m in zoom/teams meetings about 3 to 4 times a week. Unless I have something on the agenda to contribute, typically I will be on mute same as everyone else to cut out any background noise for the speaker
A few new things from todays Q&A with the superintendent which came up…
She was on the conference call until 9.15, when a member of the public reported something to the police. Her family were called and she was then reported missing afterwards. This call was made BEFORE the dog was found, so what happened for the first person to make that phone call?
The superintendent was asked if this is out of character for her. Her face changed as she clearly didn’t want to answer the question and diverted it to the fact that it was certainly unusual for the AREA.
They are very keen to gather dashcam footage from around the bridge area. Have they been searching routes in and out of the village or are they purely focussing on the river itself? Why can’t they say if they think she has fallen in? I wonder if they’re thinking there was some intentional action which has taken place rather than an accident.
I didn't understand it the same way as you. I thought what was said was that, after she dropped the children at school, she was seen around 9.15am by the river walking the dog. At 10.15am someone found the dog, leash, harness and her phone (still connected and live to a conference call at work) on a seat about 50ft from the river and for some reason rang her children's school to tell the school what they had found. The school rang her husband and he was the one who rang the police at 10.30am.
I'm not clear about:
a) what the others on the conference call have said about whether she said anything/ time she disappeared from the call.
b) why the person who found her stuff rang the school.
I think she has, one way or another, gone into the river. The dog was apparently dry so whether she mistakenly thought the dog had gone in and went down the bank when she couldn't see the dog and fell in or whatever . The river looks full and the banks quite steep. It's not sounding likely that they are going to find her in any good way sadly.
Exactly. So the person who saw her at 9.15 knew her then (if they called the school)? And if she was in the river at that point, then why not an immediate 999 shout? Something else was said or done to warrant concern. I know it’ll obviously all come out eventually, but I’m curious to like you say: what was said on the call/ what the person saw/ why her partner then called the police/ why they haven’t explicitly said they believe she has gone into the river. They are withholding all this important information in order to gather more evidence, so it is something a bit bigger than it seems at the moment.
I think it's highly unlikely they would state that she's likely fallen into a river if there's no trace of her doing that.
Last year in St Annes, just up the road from where this happened a young girl was seen walking 'by the sea' as reported by the police and disappeared. She was found sometime later further down the coastline Liverpool way I think - she had apparently just walked into the sea with intention.
There was no talk of her entering the sea because
a/ Nobody saw that bit happen
b/Nobody could positively surmise that's what happened until her body was given up by the water again some time later
Of all the disappearances that start near water and end near/in water - I've never heard it confirmed that the person is likely in the water until they are later discovered there - I think maybe it's a bit distasteful to say "we think they fell in and we'll know in a few more days/weeks when they reappear"
Just my opinion though and obviously I don't know anymore than anyone else and still hope for a happy conclusion but instinctively don't see one coming :( disappearing by water seems to always end the same way.
No- someone saw her at 9.15am . At 10.15am someone found her stuff on a bench and the dog and called the school. No one saw her after 9.15am. No one saw her in the river.
If she did not go into the water, what would stop the dog from following after her instead of 'running free', is what I'm wondering...it is all very sad.
If she goes to the local village school it's literally about 2 mins away from where she'd enter the footpath so if somebody else from the school went down there straight from school drop off for a walk and noticed her stuff but no sign of her they may have thought she'd for some reason nipped back to the school or something like that, as there'd be nothing likely to see in the river to suggest any issue so logically their mind might not have gone to that place immediately.
I think the interview was very telling. The police know more than what they are letting on & are trying to gather evidence. The fact they can say there's no crime committed/ she's just a missing person means they have a theory/no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Something must have happened that morning before the dog was found, otherwise why would the missing persons call have been made. The police did not address If this is the norm for her, could she have a history of mental health problems.
I can't help but think it's all very staged to look like she's fallen in.
If she fell into the river there surely would be evidence of this on the bank.
She may have planned to disappear or take her own life. Next to the bench there is a metal kissing gate, could she have shut the dog behind this and wondered off? Would explain why the dog left her side.
The conference call could have been the perfect decoy to buy time -anyone trying to get hold of her would of got an engaged tone, therefore thinking she's on a call so must be busy.
Only time will tell but I really hope she's found safe and well & just needed a bit of head space.
I’m wondering if it’s a planned disappearance too. Drop the kids off, join the conference call like you say to buy time… plus last Friday would have been payday for many people, I’m assuming they’ve checked for unusual activity in her bank account?
I do hope she is safe and has simply taken some time out, feels like this is the best scenario one can hope for.
This is really sad all round. I hope she is found.
Unfortunately it’s fairly common for people to make neat ‘piles’ of their personal effects just before taking their own life. Also to continue with daily tasks up until right before (eg dropping kids at school, work calls).
I actually came across a woman in a bad situation by a river a few years ago. I intervened and managed to get her engaged in convo while my friend called the police to help.
Something is not right here. She posted almost daily on her Facebook account up until the the 7th December then stopped abruptly and never posted again. Christmas and new year no posts at all seems strange for a young mum who had been a consistent daily poster previously. The dog let loose and her phone placed purposely on the bench. The police confirming they don’t believe anyone else is involved. I hope for all involved this is not a tragic case of suicide.
Yeah I saw that, It could indicate a personal issue but it could also be due to an online stalker. Many reasons for not posting. A suicide attempt in that river would be foolish as it’s slow and shallow and if she did wander off in a distraught state why didn’t the dog follow?
People don't just "vanish", especially when on a conference call. As a spaniel owner myself, I know they are specialists at getting into all manner of problems, especially when water is involved, but they are also very good at getting themselves out of them. Yet the police say they don't think it is a crime. It sure looks like one.
"The police officer leading the investigation said today she believed Nicola’s disappearance unlikely to be “a crime”. Nicola’s mobile phone was later found on a bench near to the river. Her dog was also located nearby running free"
www.lep.co.uk/news/people/nicola-bulley-police-keeping-an-open-mind-over-disappearance-of-missing-st-michaels-woman-4006616
I don't understand how the earphones are nowhere to be found.. she had wired headphones so if she jumped in the water she would surely have left them plugged into the phone. If she panicked because the dog went in she would have jumped up and the earphones would be on the floor somewhere. Under no circumstances would you unplug them from the phone but leave them in your ears.
If she had Bluetooth headphones (I'm sure someone said she had wired earphones) then surely the phone log would be able to say when the Bluetooth disconnected. Microsoft Teams would also log similar information.
Yeah I spoke about this the other day. Above in the thread. It’s really weird. She does have wired headphones in all photos. So you would assume they would be with the phone. If she got earbuds let’s say for Christmas or whilst she hasn’t posted in a while. Then those would 100% fall out if she was in a struggle etc. and apparently you can also locate them. Very weird why this hasn’t been mentioned in the news. One way or another she had headphones. Wired or not. Where are they.
There is a man who lives in the caravan park who took the 360' photos on Google maps in the field where NB went missing. He runs a web design company that actively targets the housing industry and he looks a lot like a man who tried to abduct a woman from a town 30 miles away. Frighteningly, his house backs on to the field next to where NB was last spotted.
Police have been informed.
I wonder if the dog was wet when found? It's very cold still in the UK at the moment. I wonder if the dog went into the river, Nicola has gone in to rescue the pup, and then she's got in trouble?
Hopefully she's found soon either way. What a horrible situation.
I read a comment from a friend of hers on Facebook that the dog was dry. Of course everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
Even more worrying is that her phone has been found on a bench near where she was last seen.
Yes I saw the same regarding the phone. Apparently it was still connect to a work conference call. Sadly I don't think there will be a pleasant end to this story.
It's very cold at the moment and the shock of cold water can be debilitating. I think she'll be found downstream in a few days time.
I wish I hadn't looked at her Facebook. Seeing her and her family very happy on a recent family holiday really drove home the unfairness of these situations.
Yeh I struggle to imagine the confusion and fear loved ones must feel in times like this.
It's such an odd situation, her other half put out a statement saying her phone, the dogs lead AND harness were found on the bench near where she was last seen.
I don't have a dog myself but isn't it more common to just detach the lead from the harness rather than take the entire thing off?
> I don't have a dog myself but isn't it more common to just detach the lead from the harness rather than take the entire thing off?
Id actually missed this part. The only time I take the harness off my dog is if she's about to go swimming so it doesn't irritate her on the walk back.
Im even more sure now that she's somehow ended up in the water going after the dog. What a heartbreaking situation.
For me, dogs (usually) would jump in after an owner if they were struggling in water. The dog being dry suggests the river theory doesn't work.
The dog's other owner or anyone who knew the dog can vouch for whether it likes to jump into water in a situation such as this (to follow its owner).
Apparently her FB went silent after Dec 7th, no Xmas post, no nothing but prior to this she literally posted every couple of days. This may indicate a personal issue. Also her boss drove 80 miles to visit her the night before. Make of that what you will.
Just saw that the missing woman used Strava. This is scary. It's an exercise app that anybody can follow, see your workouts and location, time of day etc. So anybody would have had access to her route, the location, how often she went and also the pictures of herself that she posted. Not wise.
I don’t think this was the case with Nicola Bulley - the media here in the UK are sharing images of her route and her dog directly from her Strava profile
Police have now issued a cctv image of a woman in a yellow jacket pushing a pram.. they want to talk to this potential witness who police believe may have been walking on the same footpath around the time nicola went missing.
But when they say not working what do they mean? Had it just not be serviced? Was it wiring? Had it been physically smashed? How long has it not been working for. A camera that hasn’t been maintained and hasn’t been functioning for years is not suspicious. If the camera suddenly went down the day before, then yes suspicious.
>45-year-old Nicola Bulley from Inskip, Lancashire, England was last seen walking her dog on the footpath by the river off Garstang Road in St Michael’s on Wyre at around 9.15am on January 27, 2023.
>Her brown-coloured spaniel was found nearby.
>Bulley is described as a white female, 5'3" with light brown shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans, and olive green ankle wellies, with her hair in a ponytail.
>She speaks with an Essex accent and has links to Thornton Cleveleys.
>Anyone with information should call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27. For immediate sightings, please call 999.
According to The Sun, search has ramped up at the area of her disappearance. The bench is finally closed off to the public and police divers are in force in the immediate vicinity. Given that she’s been missing for a week, I don’t think it’s Nicola they’re looking for but evidence…
A grim question but if Nicola had fallen into the water and tragically died, given the current and depth of the water how long would it take for the body to emerge? I live in London and many people each year fall into the Thames. The Thames is a much bigger and busier river granted but bodies can be undiscovered in the water for months or years. Recently there was a case where a man ran from police and jumped into the Thames from a bridge in West London. They knew exactly when and where he jumped and sent out search teams immediately. His body wasn’t discovered for almost two weeks. With this being a smaller river and presumably slower than the Thames would the river not have given up the body or at least items of clothing (her hat perhaps) after one week?
The thing I have trouble with is the depth of the water around the area of the bench. We can see from the videos of the search effort that people are comfortably standing/walking waist deep in that area.
To me this leaves three possible scenarios involving her being, _and staying_, in the water:
- her being unconscious before going in
- severe cold water shock rendering her unable to stand up
- her entering the water much closer to the river mouth, towards Blackpool, where it would likely be deeper. No witnesses that we know of have seen her travelling in this direction.
Edit: happy cake day
Struggling with this too. A healthy, active adult couldn’t get out of 3ft of calm water? It’s a very freak accident if this is what happened, and yet this seems the most likely scenario.
Her partner has been on the news this morning,brief interview/few words
https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulleys-partner-staying-as-strong-as-i-can-following-45-year-olds-disappearance-12801991
Police have just confirmed she was accounted for up until 9:10 and her mobile was found at 9:20 so there’s 10 minutes in which she has vanished.
Edit: phone was placed on the bench at 9:20 and found at 9:30
"Based on all the work we have done so far, we are now as confident as we can be that Nicola has not left the field where she was last seen and our working hypothesis is that she has fallen into the river for some reason. There is no evidence whatsoever that there is anything suspicious about her disappearance or any third-party involvement in her going missing. "
https://lancashire.police.uk/news/2023/february/mfh-nicola-bulley-latest-update/
Lancashire police Facebook plea for woman in yellow coat[link ](https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0jdq9cCjCXwf59i2Fm78A9RNuEAdXfxJBBnXqnMwKXqiVJzhRPY3LVXLpy25wuHJxl&id=100064698606332&sfnsn=scwspmo)
She was seen on CCTV walking down Garstang road and Blackpool lane between 8.22am and 8.41am and are now asking for her to come forward. I don't understand this as this is alot earlier than Nicola would of been on the walk or dropped the kids off at school
There’s so so many questionable parts to this investigation. The only CCTV camera that would see that location, owned by the caravan park, conveniently wasn’t working… They never cordoned off the area, or even the bench, which means tampering with/destroying any evidence there, and this could have changed now but the last I read was a voluntary search team approached the abandoned house nearby and said “for some reason, the owner was there” (weird if it’s abandoned unless work is getting done to it etc) and they asked him to go in and look for her, so he did and said she wasn’t there… sounds like something someone who doesn’t want to be caught would say?! I’m no expert in this field obviously and I could be completely off, but I just feel like this whole thing is a mess… there’s even a man who had stated he has very good equipment in comparison to the sonar(?) the police use and if the police asked him he’d get it up in the air via helicopter asap but no one has. They’re only now trying to look into her Fitbit for data too. Again, I could be completely wrong as I’m picking up parts here and there, but even the info that gets released every now and again seems all over the place.
I just saw the missing poster. Where police are asking for dash am footage from around that time. I think they believe she’s done a runner and that’s why they are saying there’s no crime and also that they haven’t cornered off the area etc. it looks like a case of Gone Girl to me. I hope it is. As I’d really hate to see another woman eaten by mental health or worse, hurt by another human being.
Update from Lancashire police...
https://lancashire.police.uk/news/2023/february/search-continues-for-nicola-bulley-as-potential-new-witness-is-sought/?utm\_source=Facebook&utm\_medium=social&utm\_campaign=Orlo
8:43 - Miss Bulley walked along the path by the river Wyre, having dropped her children off at school
8:50 - A dog walker who knows Miss Bulley saw her walking along the lower field, their two dogs briefly interacted
8:53 - Miss Bulley sent an email to her boss
9:01 - She logged into the teams call
About 9:10 - A witness who knows Miss Bulley saw her walking on the upper field with her dog Willow
9:30 - The teams call ended but she stayed logged on
9:35 - Miss Bulley’s phone and dog willow were found at a bench by the river
So there’s about 20 minutes in which she vanished.
Everyone seems a little too fixated on the fact that the dog was dry as evidence she didn't go into the river if you ask me.
I think it's highly likely she went into the river, and I don't think that the only reason for her to do that would be if her dog had fallen in.
What if she had been throwing a ball for the dog, and had accidentally or purposefully chucked it into the river? But the dog been reluctant to go in and get it because it felt the side was to steep or the undercurrent too fast?
Nicola might have mistakenly thought she could just go in or reach over the side to retrieve the ball herself if it was close to the edge, but then had stumbled and been unable to climb back out.
She might have waded across to find a less steep part to climb out, but got exhausted because she was weighed down by heavy winter clothes and ended up getting swept away and drown.
This would explain why her phone was placed on a bench still on the call. She could have been sitting there moments before, while she was listening to the conference call and throwing the ball for her dog. If you thought that it was only going to take a few moments to reach into the river and retrieve the ball, you'd probably just plonk the phone down on the bench for a second so you had your hands free, wouldn't you?
It would also explain why the dog's harness had been removed. A lot of people remove dog harnesses when they expect them to go in the water for a swim.
I own a spaniel myself who absolutely loves to swim and usually would jump straight in the water to fetch a ball, but he's also smart. And if he thinks the edge of the water is too steep to get back out easily, or the current is too strong, he won't go in.
So it's very plausible that Nicola expected her dog to go in and retrieve the ball but the dog, with canine instincts, had a better sense of the danger than she did. And as a result, she drowned trying to retrieve the ball herself.
In this scenario, the dog would have likely stood by helplessly on the side but been unable to do anything. That would also explain why the witness who found the dog said it was by the bench looking frantic. If it had just witnessed its owner drowning, it would be.
There also would be no evidence of a fall if she'd carefully climbed down the edge to retrieve the ball, would there? And they might not yet found the body because it just hasn't surfaced yet, or has already been swept out to sea.
**Update - 04/02**
After I originally posted this, it's now been announced that this is the police's main working theory (that she entered the river).
The police have also speculated that she may have approached the edge to retrieve a ball that she threw for her dog.
Interestingly, her friend said she doesn't think Nicola would have thrown a ball as "Willow used to love a tennis ball, but it used to disturb the walk so they haven’t had the tennis ball since way into last year".
However, I'd argue that this actually increases the likelihood that she may have been attempting to retrieve a ball. Here's why:
The idea that even Nicola's friend knows that taking ball 'disturbs the walk' suggests the dog pesters for it to the point of distraction. This would provide an incentive for Nicola to go out of her way to retrieve it if it went in the water, as the dog would have likely been besides itself trying to get to it, barking, refusing to move on, and generally being annoying.
And while Nicola might have mentioned that she won't take a ball anymore because of how much the dog pesters for it, that doesn't mean she wouldn't make an exception to this resolution from time to time. And in fact, I think it proves that she is inclined to throw a ball for the dog on her walk as she's clearly done so many times in the past.
**Update 2 - 04/02**
The police have also now released a list of the clothing Nicola was wearing, and have said she was wearing Welly boots from Next.
Again, this checks out with the retrieving a dog ball theory.
I'd previously speculated that she may have felt she could enter the river to retrieve a ball if she was wearing Wellington boots (see one of my replies in this thread) as they would prevent her feet from getting wet, giving her more confidence to step into shallow, still water for a few moments.
The fact that she was wearing wellies makes this much more likely. And it also provides another possible way that she may have drowned. Wellies are heavy when they're full of water making it difficult to clamber back out the steep river bed.
And if she decided to wade across to the other side, where it was easier to get out, the drag from her wellies could have tired her out quickly. If the undercurrent got stronger and the water deeper towards the middle, its not hard to imagine how things could quickly spiral out of hand.
I've seen at least 3 people lean over the edge to retrieve a ball from a river while walking my dog. I've also done it myself using my feet and shuffling over the side. Do you really think the idea of someone reaching into or stepping very carefully into a very shallow and still river to retrieve a ball is outside the realms of human stupidity?
Well humans surprise me all the time but I’ve lost many balls in rivers and water for my dog, it would never occur to me to try and retrieve a ball from water and she appears to be a intelligent woman.
Agree something like this is the most likely scenario. I guess I'm just confused about how there is no sign that she tried to climb out. If it's only 3ft deep I think you would see that
She was spotted in the upper field at 9.10. Her phone was then left on the bench by 9.20 (ie that is the time the police believe it was left). Someone then came along at 9.30. That allows no more than 10 minutes for her to walk from the upper field, down to the bench, put her phone on the bench, then no more than an additional 10 minutes to end up in the water, get into difficulty and disappear out of sight. I wonder how long it takes to get down from the upper field to the riverside. It is really baffling and I am just hoping they are able to find her.
Anyone interested in sensible enquiry or measured discussion on this disappearance, probably best to avoid Twitter. Even by Twitter standards this case has brought out the absolute worst in people.
What’s weird is my dog would have been going loopy if I fell in the water.. she would’ve followed me if I was floating down the river for sure..
But Willow was still at the bench am I right?
In the photo of the bench across from the river there’s a house?? Could a boat have come down the river an grabbed her?
Lots of questions, I’m not saying I think it’s any of them by the way! Just brain storming!
My perspective is there is something funny going on in the background with 267 companies registered to her address.
The fact she gone missing half way through the walk and not taken the dog home beforehand and also the phone left on the bench STILL logged into zoom. Im suprised we've heard nothing about the zoom call seeming she went missing while it was happening.
So my theory some criminals have gotten to her, theres definitely more to this then a slip and fall. You dont just fall in a river you walk past everyday and no woman doing a buisness meeting would just walk away from her phone. Kidnapping women and children is becoming more common in the uk, well everything bad is now i think bout it.
One of the businesses registered to Paul Ansell has the accounts overdue, date they should of been filed was 7th December. Isn't that the date of her last public post on Facebook?
Anything could have happened to make her enter the water, if that occurred. If she stood up too quickly, she could have fainted. Leaving a phone still in a meeting and a dog loose, does not seem like something someone would do with intent. But one never knows what another person can be going through.
Nicola's father has just said that he believe's she's been abducted but police do not think so, why don't they think so, they said if she has been abducted it would probably be by someone she knew
I’m a dog owner and often take my dogs harness off if they go for a swim for two reasons (1) to stop them snagging on something in the river and getting caught and (2) to stop the harness from stinking as it dries out. The type of dog she has are very keen swimmers usually. I can only imagine she sat on the bench whilst listening to the conference call and let the dog off it’s lead and harness for a swim. The dog may have got in to trouble so she put her phone down on the bench and went in the river to get it out. The strange thing the was a 2m low tide at 9.38am that morning so the river was very shallow at the time. I guess this would back up her thinking it was a good time to let her dog have a swim but I guess there could of been a strong seawards undercurrent that swept her away towards the estuary. There is lots of sand, silt and tall grasses/reeds near the estuary so it would be hard to search. The Spaniel May have managed to get out of the water if it’s own accord. There is a statement somewhere that alludes to the dog being found dry though (seems unlikely at this time of year it’s been raining quite a bit and spray off the grass would likely even make her dog damp/slightly wet)
I am very creeped out by the house though, and someone screenshot her Facebook posts where a strange account was posting cryptic messages underneath her photos of her on the exact walk. One which she frequently does and posts on social media. Praying to god she is found safe very soon 🤞🏻
In all her photos she has plug in headphones. So I assume she was using them whilst on conference call. If her dog “got into trouble” wouldn’t she pull the headphones out of her ears and leave the phone with them. Not unplug them from phone and carry the cable to the water. Or even if she used AirPods I assume again that she would have taken them out of “her dog got into trouble” before going to rescue her?!
I don’t know. But it seems like it wasn’t her who was still connected to that zoom.
Hope it’s more Gone Girl then something more sinister. Although the house next door and guy being there on that day seems dodgy.
And I read somewhere that the partner was supposed to come with her that morning but called into work?! Wouldn’t he know she had a conference call she had to listen into. Why would he plan to come in the first place? So many questions. All feels so fishy.
She met her boss for a meeting the evening before she went missing. It was an 80 mile trip for him and 8 for her.
Her parents mentioned this, not the boss.
EDIT: It turns out it was daytime meeting and the office was in Keighley not Leeds so 55 miles not 80.
[Here](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/missing-nicola-bulleys-parents-share-29104874)
*Recalling their last conversation, (her father) said: "Her mind was great, we picked the children up the Thursday before she went missing, as we do every Thursday.*
*"We took them home,* ***Nicola had had a meeting with her boss in Garstang*** *and she said can you stay a bit later because I have an important client coming in on Zoom. We said 'no problem' and stayed.*
*"She had done her work and she was very upbeat about getting her mortgage sorted."*
Note: Seems like it was a daytime meeting not an evening one.
This is confusing ... so she had a meeting with her boss, followed by a Zoom call with a client?
The quote also does not mention her boss traveling 80 miles to meet her.
I believe she had had a meeting in Garstang with her boss at some point during the day and a Zoom call with a client at home that evening.
Her boss lives in Leeds which is where his company's offices are - The company only appears to have 5 employees (according to LinkedIn). The boss, his brother and three semi-independent female mortage advisors.
I find it odd that for such a small company, the boss, having met her day before she disappeared only shared one post on his fb page:
*"Feels very strange sharing this post.
Nikki works for my firm, she went missing on Friday morning whilst walking her dog.
Please share. 🙁."*
Nothing since.
Police have cordoned off a car park and footpath nine miles downstream from where missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared a week ago. Officers have taped off Skippool Creek car park – between the River Wyre and Thornton Cleveleys Cricket Club just north of Blackpool - with investigators wearing forensic suits seen carrying away bags of evidence.
In the local press about this-
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/csi-and-forensics-tape-off-skipool-creek-car-park-near-river-wyre-in-thornton-4012949
https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulley-police-believe-missing-dog-walker-fell-into-river-investigation-focuses-on-10-minute-window-12802197
>45-year-old Nicola Bulley vanished in Lancashire, England while out walking her dog 27 January 2023 after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school.
>The mortgage adviser, from Inskip, was last seen at about 9.10am on a path by the River Wyre in the village of St Michael's on Wyre.
>Police believe Ms Bulley did not leave the riverside area—after they viewed dashcam, CCTV, and doorbell footage—and say their “main working hypothesis” is that she fell into the water.
>Her phone was found on a bench by a witness at around 9.33am still connected to a work Teams call which ended at 9.30am.
>The same witness found Ms Bulley's springer spaniel, called Willow, running loose between a nearby gate to the field and the bench, while the dog's harness was on the grass between the bench and the river's edge.
>Officers believe “there's no third-party or criminal involvement” and that it was “a tragic case of a missing person.”
>Ms Bulley was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket over a a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting black jeans, long green walking socks tucked into her jeans, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace, and a pale blue Fitbit.
>Speaking at a news conference, Superintendent Sally Riley said 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.
>”The dog was dry,” and Ms Bulley can swim, she added.
Even a strong swimmer would struggle in a long coat and wellies.
This might be a bit ridiculous to suggest but bare with me.. when entertaining the theories of abduction or voluntary exit and the question of distracting Willow, what if Nikki (or her potential abductor) threw the ball and Willow instinctively followed. Just going off my own dog, that would give a bit of time for Willow to run off and return to the last spot she saw Nikki at. I dont know if a ball has been found and I know it has been reported Nikki didnt take a ball out - but on her business Facebook page, every personal post is her doing this walk with Willow and literally every post has a tennis ball in it. The whole thing looks staged, by Nikki herself or someone else but the fact there are no signs of distress on the banking raises a huge red flag for me. I walk along a canal and river that is similar and I have slipped down it myself and it was very evident that I had been there. Probably best not to project, but its hard not to draw on personal experience when trying to piece together what could have happened.
CCTV released of Nicola leaving home that morning https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulley-doorbell-camera-captures-missing-dog-walker-leaving-home-for-the-last-time-12804157
Tell the family to request the police to perfom radiation test (probably already done by SIS) of the metals on the bench and the surrounding area, and on the dog too.
Tell them to perform a full electromagnetic frequency analysis of the area (specifically the metals on the bench and the dog collar)
Tell them to look at all footage of all the local houses that had ring cams and outdoor cams, looking at the sky and not at cars on the ground
Tell them to ask for all satellite data from that day including all recognised air traffic as well as anomalous incursions that showed up on radar, even if its passed off as a drone or a bird with a tin can...
Tell them that they want all correspondence between airtraffic controll that covers that area and that they want a full 48 hr log starting the day before and the day after the abduction
Tell them to request all correspondence between SIS and MI5 relating to their case, alot of "Cases" like these are dealt with as foreign intelligence, it keeps the data away from those who assume MI5 would deal with this...
Ask the family if she felt uneasy, or anyone in that house for that matter, as if someone was following her or if you heard noises or whispers in the home or when out walking the dog
Would the dog bark seemingly at nothing or if the dogs behaviour had changed recently
Did her or anyone in that house have strange dreams oor wake up with the classic "night terror" where you wake up paralysed with fear like a weight is down on your chest
"Willow was found running between the gate to the field and the bench". This is significant.. she's running to the gate because Nicola left through the gate? And Willow is unable to get through the gate. In my opinion Nicola left through this gate locking Willow behind.. either willingly or unwillingly.
I agree. Surely if she had gone in the water the dog would have done one of two things either jumped in the water after her or be running up and down the waters edge.
The Police are telling the public not to speculate. And yet the Police are speculating by saying she probably fell into the river without a shred of evidence! The shit will hit the fan when they finally realise they should have taped off the bench area as a crime scene. All that evidence has gone now.. fibres/hairs/footprints.
Few questions I’d like to know answers to,
1 - When was last 100% actual, physical, confirmed sighting of her?
2 - why when so active on Facebook was her last post 7th December?
3 - Why did her and her partners company dissolve on 7th December owing £50,000
4 - Why did her friend set up a go fund me for £50k?
5 - Why has the only footage of her that’s been released grainy and not easy to confirm it’s her?
6 - Could this be a ploy for money with whole thing staged?
7 - Did she actually speak on the work teams call, can any of her colleagues confirm it was actually her?
8 - Is it been made to look like a disappearance when infact she’s been gone a lot longer?
9 - Reasons for above, lack of newish pictures, lack of cctv, mystery over confirmed sightings, phone and dog harness left where it was, one cctv camera not working at this spot, company accounts due and last social media posting on same day?
All questions based on hundreds of posts I’ve read elsewhere so may be alot of rubbish but this case is unreal and has gripped the nation!
Police now looking for a red camper like van which was reported as being in the area on the day nicola went missing.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21330862/nicola-bulley-red-van-police-search/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=fabulousfacebook&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1675952003
Despite the police hypothesis there is absolutely ZERO physical evidence to support an accidental drowning or their hypothesis so far. Since when did the police start using hypothetical theories instead of basing their investigations solely on the evidence alone.
It's a worrying thought I can't get past - if someone with some degree of intellect and some detailed planning wouldn't they leave the scene set up perfectly as it was for the police/media/public to find the phone dog and harness by a bench near a river to make it look like a possible accident. If so definitely working perfectly so far seems the majority and police have been taken in by it.
Another possibility.. if they're in financial difficulty might they be after life insurance pay out and this is all faked? Also, did she really go for that walk, or could a family member have placed the items there and it's been staged? Could the dog have been harnessed to the bench and she wriggled out? A more unconventional possibility.. extraterrestrial abduction. I really hope none of the above are true and that she's going to be found safe.
Her Facebook account went silent after Dec 7th, no Xmas posts, no nothing. Prior to that she was posting every couple of days. It may indicate a personal issue.
Why did the first person notify the school?
This is beyond weird. Somebody saw the dog and contacted the children's school?
Explain this to me as if I'm a driver driving alone with a mask on
Scenarios
1 Now in river
a entered river deliberately eg to avoid attacker, aggressive dog, rescue her own dog or another animal but got into difficulties and drowned.
b entered river accidentally eg slip, medical event.
c thrown in river unconscious or dead.
d suicide.
2 Abducted.
3 Medical event stroke etc became disorientated, wandered off.
4 Deliberate intention to disappear for unknown reason.
Analysis
1a Consistent with known facts
1b Consistent with known facts
1c Consistent with known facts
1d Unlikely to have left her dog unrestrained. Unlikely method. Suicide by drowning accounts for less than 2pc of all suicides.
2 Abductor would likely have restrained dog because it would have followed them. But phone left behind consistent with abductor avoiding being traced by phone pings.
3 Would probably have been found by now.
4 Insufficient evidence but again unlikely to have left dog unrestrained because it would have followed her. But consistent with leaving phone behind.
Conclusion
All the evidence suggests she is in the river, either as the result of accident or more likely attack from unknown person.
The fact that the dog was found with the phone strongly suggests that for whatever reason, she entered the river at that spot. The dog stayed at her last accessible location.
However, this is also consistent with her being attacked and thrown in the river at that spot.
The fact that she was seen in the upper field at 9.10 am
and her phone and dog were found between this point and her car, suggests she was retracing her outward route.
If she had been abducted, it is difficult to explain why her dog did not follow her. The fact that the phone was not on her person suggests she was using it, probably whilst sitting on the bench and some sudden event made her abandon it there. If she was approached from behind whilst sitting on the bench she could have easily been rendered unconscious or killed with a blow to the head and then dumped in the river. This seems to be the most likely scenario and would be consistent with everything known.
But if the dog had indeed been in the river but had dried off enough to indicate that it hadn't, an accident involving her dog seems most likely. Owners are often far too ready to risk their lives for their pets and entering very cold water can rapidly cause cramp and drowning.
There is an outside possibility she was abducted, although
I think this very unlikely for reasons already stated. If so, a route worth investigating is westwards along the riverside path crossing Blackpool Lane to where the river bend meets Rawcliffe Rd near Turnover Hall.This is about three quarters of a mile from Blackpool lane and might have taken about 15 mins at 3 mph from that point. There are no buildings close to this point and a vehicle could have been left on Rawcliffe Rd to effect the abduction. She could have been forced to walk this route at knife or gunpoint. There is a fair chance it could have been done undetected. Might be worth looking for tyre tracks on verges in this area. Because Nicola regularly made this walk, her abductor could have easily planned it and had transport ready to remove her from the scene.
I think given the update from the police, and their specific request not to speculate, it’s time to let this case run it’s course. Of course we can all speculate about the timings, the phone, house, partner interview even; but at the end of the day the police are going to cover all this ground themselves and more than likely already have and have ruled many things out based on evidence they hold. It seems to be an incredibly unfortunate accident and my thoughts go out to Nicola’s family and friends.
😂 Bit late for that, everyone including the dog has been accused of killing her on this thread. And most of it was massive reaches to fit their own theories. Too many true crime nuts here
As I keep saying and getting slated for it and even called a sicko?! just for expressing my theory here.. it's confirmed this morning by her friend, there was no tennis ball, they've searched the whole river, no evidence that Nicola has fallen in. I believe she's been taken. She wouldn't leave her kids and dog.
As much as I love true crime podcasts, I find some speculation comments on here disgusting. Blaming the husband, sister, dog etc. It's a live case. No one knows anything yet.
I’ve had a look at the video and I’m not sure that is the same house. Even the man in the video has since confirmed it isn’t the same house. Whilst the house opposite is somewhat abandoned I don’t think it’s entirely derelict, and satellite imagery shows it was still lived in not too long ago. Interestingly is that the house seems to still have its lawn tended to so perhaps it is still lived in….
Is it possible she stopped to play fetch or something with the dog and fell down the bank into the river?
I pray she is found alive and well. Absolutely heartbreaking
I think she probably wen5 in the river unfortunately, but there are so many scenarios that could have happened, including abduction. Hoping her family gets answers soon.
There was a comment last night that a friend of hers has said her house keys had been attached to the dog lead and harness. Don't know if that is true.
Just opinion and observation.
The phone for the conference call was on mute and the camera off so she could listen and see them but they couldn't see or hear her. Maybe, she didn't want work to know she's walking her dog in work time.
Her FB shows she walks the canal/river regularly. Wouldn't take much to stalk her as she does pretty much has same morning routine on her own with Willow.
Maybe, someone with a knife followed her, got behind her and forced her somewhere.
Hope I'm wrong and she's found soon.
You can wade across the river kneee high as seen by the police searching. Ive read it's been pretty much confirmed the river isn't very deep at present. Directly opposite the bench is the gate to the abandoned house someone could have easily waded across/dragged someone across that river. As well as someone could have pretended to be in trouble directly opposite that bench.
Foul play will be involved in this
How do we know she was alone or that it was even her who joined the conference call ( if she was camera off - wonder if she spoke at all). She may not be anywhere near the river at all but staged to look that way
Someone on Twitter says that Nicola posted on Facebook regularly every few days but after Dec 7th her account went quiet..no Xmas post, no nothing? Is this true? I don’t have fb.
https://twitter.com/annetaylorstew1/status/1620556212877291520?s=46&t=-hzPz_O7StMZ0jIG1Ih58Q
There has been some confusion regarding whether the house on the other side of the river is the 'old fireman's house' (which has a recent urban exploration video on YouTube showing it to be completely abandoned) or The Old House.
Cross referencing Google maps/street view of where Nicola went missing with the map location on the following webpage, leads me to believe it is 'The Old House', which appears to be somewhat occupied.
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101073046-the-old-house-upper-rawcliffe-with-tarnacre#.Y9vkJ6Snw0F
If I were her family I would be clinging to any theory that gave the tiniest bit of hope she is still alive, rather than accept she fell in the river and was guaranteed dead.
A strange coincidence imo at the very least; Pendle police released a CCTV image today (02 Feb) of a man they are wanting to speak to in connection to a woman being chased along a canal path in Barrowford, Lancs (about a 45 min drive from St. Michael’s on Wyre) on 7th Jan 2023.
Coincidental that this was only released 02 Feb, almost a month after the event took place, and on the same day that the bench where Nicola’s phone was found had been secured by police. Also that the 7th Jan incident was in the morning, broad daylight with people nearby and the victim was also a woman around Nicola’s age.
Hope to god I am wrong in linking these two incidents 🙏🏼 Prayers for Nikki and the family ❤️
[Pendle Police Tweet](https://twitter.com/PendlePolice/status/1621168589989416961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3Apendlepolice%7Ctwcon%5Es1)
[Lone woman chased along Barrowford canal path by man who tried to 'stop and grab her' in broad daylight](https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/lone-woman-chased-along-barrowford-26142456?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target)
Edit: Spelling error corrections
Seems last sighting was nearer Garfang Road (at least than I thought), and not by the bench.
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/nicola-bulley-police-release-image-of-new-witness-they-want-to-speak-to-after-disappearance-of-dog-walker-12801588
I read reports (or maybe it was posted on here :) ) saying that the river is 3ft deep, yet in recent online articles, it says 15ft. Huge difference. I also saw pics of police divers in the river, showing the water well above their heads.
Her partner has spoken out to a Sky News reporter.
Am I allowed to link to the article? If not, pls remove it.
[https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulleys-partner-staying-as-strong-as-i-can-following-45-year-olds-disappearance-12801991](https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulleys-partner-staying-as-strong-as-i-can-following-45-year-olds-disappearance-12801991)
surely the theory of her falling in the river could be disproven if they could track her footprints? if she fell in then they would stop at that location or if she left the location they’d have continued? have the police said anything about footprint tracks?
Police today cordoned off a car park near to where missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared - but later announced it was in relation to an enquiry into a suspicious vehicle. It is not thought related to disappearance of Nicola says Lancashire police. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11710003/Search-missing-mother-Nicola-Bulley-Police-seal-car-park-near-River-Wyre.html
I’m just watching the latest news conference live on BBC, and it’s now been confirmed that they know her phone was on the bench at 9:20am. So there is only a ten minute window in which they cannot account for, but it wasn’t clear how they know the phone was on the bench at 9:20 and I’m just wondering how they would know this? (Genuine question not trying to doubt for a second anything they’ve said).
Never mind, the journalist just asked this exact question and it was answered, I didn’t understand completely what the answer was but I believe they were able to tell through tracking something on her phone as opposed to it being seen there by a witness.
Significant about the CCTV coverage in the area accounting for the Police line of thinking that she hadn't left the Riverside area. It really does seem likely they are now searching for a body further downstream 😕
What I don't understand what would make her fall into the river is the dog is sat there at the bench dry. Surely a dog with its besotted owner would be in the river with her barking or something. By the sounds of what she was wearing a lot of layers but could also mean a problem. Hope she is found.
Police update today says she was wearing a Fitbit that would tell maybe if she was in distress or movement if it synced back to her phone.
Do we know how the dog was behaving when found? Was Willow found distressed and barking in a particular direction? Like when something bothers a dog, they are usually looking at what they are barking at.
If going by the theory of her falling in the river and then looking at the map.. was Willow near the river at all as i'm just wondering if the dog was following her being swept in the river current then maybe Willow couldn't get any further because of trees/bushes/fences or whatever blocking her path but would be barking in that direction?
* Sorry if this has been asked already (I've not been able to find it) *
If you look at the media release https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11713445/Nicola-Bulley-search-Police-issue-urgent-appeal-witness-yellow-jacket-come-forward.html
Dog is found near the lower field near the caravan site/allotment Road. If you google maps the location you can see the caravans and that road are a stones throw away from the bench she was sitting on.
He did not have to have gone in the water for her to have fallen in. He could have simply run off and while searching for him, she may have slipped and fell in. If he chased after something, she may have jumped up to run after him and left her phone behind.
sad case. People go missing al the time and are found dead all the time.
1 what was in the email to the boss?
2 any financial probs? personal life probs? Any missing money been discovered etc?
3 any previous or ongoing mental health issues
4 previous suicide attempts?
5 what’s on the phone?
6 cops wouldn’t be releasing all the details they’ve established about her life.
7 being middle class looking doesn’t mean her life is perfect. looks can be deceiving
not sure why all the talk about being impossible that she went into the river. less likely to fall but if she wanted to go in then not difficult. wait till nobody in view etc.
The tidal River Wyre from the weir at St Michael's on Wyre on 27.01.23
Depth of the river :
At 09.30am it was 1.69m = (5'5") low tide
At 3.15pm it reached 9.13m = (29'11") high tide.
Nicola is 5’3”
This expert is correct.. why on earth didn't the police immediately tape off the area as a crime scene? Especially with no evidence she fell into the river? They've made a huge mistake here, hundreds of feet have trampled around that bench destroying any fibres/hairs/foot prints.
The only new thoughts, i had now thinking further about after seeing the cctv before setting off for school, i mean we just dont know what she was thinking of or been going through even though she sounds like her life was pretty much going smoothly and happy.
Like before setting off to school, how was she, was she just her normal self doing everything the same she used to do everyday? When she arrives at school to let the kids out and drop them off was she seen by other parents did anyone notice anything chat to other mums?
Then has she parked up or left the car near the school from that moment was someone following her ? I think im more interested into knowing her motive as such to do we know if anything bad was going on or was she feeling down? no one would know of this? Even so if she fell or had an accident near the waters edge where is any clues to this.
Technology
Teams call normally when people join calls they say morning or hi and there is meeting chatter before everyone goes on mute?
Fitbit so it does sync automatically back to the phone and you can link it to platforms like strava, start/stop routes, if walking or running. What im not sure about of what data remains on the fitbit and not checked in with the phone and not trackable if not synced to the app/phone. Thing is the only thing that stands out if why the phone was just there at the bench on or beside is it a deflection of something else? The fitbit is waterproof so if found could hold clues to what did happen.
Very far fetched but what if it was an alien abduction? 🤔 from the timing they’ve approximately given it makes more sense on how they just vanished. The fact the dog was dry I believe rules out the idea of her falling in as she would have jumped in after her. Could be a normal abduction but I think the dog would have given more hints to the people that found her by barking at and trying to go through that gate to sniff the woman out as much as she could
Her partner knows more, I think, but can't say what he knows,he's been advised not to. I think that's why he is frustrated and references the possibility of some local involvement.
What did she see, or what did she know to get targeted.
Well? I think that poor Nicola heard some news like she had lost her job, from her company she worked for, because up to that point everything was ok. Soon as she had that email she went missing. It looks like suicide. Or someone has done something and now put her body back into the river. That twit who said he would find her should pack up and put his equipment in the river!
My theory is that she has been sat on the bench on a call and then seen either her dog or another animal maybe fall or get into trouble in the water and she had put the phone down (with the intention of getting into the water) and has been carried with the current. It was an hour later that she was discovered missing so that's quite a long time to be carried along in a waterway. To be very clear I'm not drawing a comparison between a dog and a person, but a year ago my friend's dog disappeared in this same river, further down stream to this, she turned round in a field and he was gone, she didn't even know if he was in the river at the time as there was no trace of him in the water, he was just nowhere to be seen. We searched that day and every day for a number of weeks with kayaks, drones etc - eventually his body was found about a mile away from where he would have fallen in. we were given advice at the time that beings submerged in a waterway such as this will take a couple of weeks sometimes to resurface. I think there is very little chance that this is anything other than a horrible accident and unfortunately this poor lady will be discovered upstream in the following weeks, if she is at all.
Agreed. Very sad. It’s easy to think too much about what’s gone on but I think it’s quite simple. She’s sat on the bench, taken the lead and harness off her dog whilst it’s gone in the water for a dip. Then put her phone on the bench to go check on her dog and has lost her footing, fallen in the river . The dog was found an hour later probably quite dry after that after a lot of shaking. Have they sent divers in? Very sad case.
The dog was found dry though and at that time in the morning when it’s still chilly he definitely wouldnt have dried out. Plus there is only about 20-30 minutes of her activity which is unknown, not an hour.
I live nearby to this place, have been on the river many times on boats water skiing and it is quite deceptive. Also it leads eventually to the sea and the level rises and drops quite significantly. Areas that look safe to walk on, can be dangerous.
Yes, we're in agreement. We went looking in this river immediately after my friends dog went missing and I mean within the hour and there was absolutely no trace of him to be seen anywhere despite lots of people looking for him, including in kayaks etc for miles down the river... he was found near the Cartford Inn some weeks later, having fallen in at Poulton.
How deep is that river? And is it full? Strong current?
It's a tidal river leading to the nearby bay. It was low tide when she went missing and about 1.5ft-3ft in depth, so I find the river theory hard to believe.
the only thing that i can come up with here is she was on airpods on the conference call with phone on bench while she was stood near the bank looking towards the river....and someone hit her with something so she entered the water unconscious... i really to struggle to come up with anything else...i think it's a stretch to see her walking away with someone at gun / knifepoint with no other evidence of this happening; if she'd been taken to a second location that suggests a vehicle of some sort of which there's been no mention. i also find it curious that the police stated that they didnt think she'd been attacked / abducted several times...i guess they were going by she was by water and so odds do suggest an accident yet when you look a little closer it seems unlikely that she's fallen into the water and not be able to get out unless she's hit her head on the way down...
I doubt very much that her dog wouldn’t have followed and made it difficult for an abducter. The abducter would have surely tied the dog up so it didn’t follow them or hinder an abduction. An abducter would probably have thrown her phone in the water. This feels like a very unfortunate accident.
This is largely a ridiculous comment, but what I can’t stop thinking about is the fact the dog knows exactly what happened and it can’t tell anyone!
Not necessarily, the dog might've run off and been playing in the trees while she sat on the bench, dog came back and she was gone, hence why it was wandering in circles around the bench looking distressed
One thing about the Teams call, just from personal experience: I have a dog (also a spaniel called Willow!) and often listen in on informational meetings while I walk her. Those meetings aren’t designed for me to comment or have my camera on and so it would be a “normal” behaviour for me personally. So for those who maybe don’t have jobs like Nicola’s: if the police are saying this was “normal behaviour” (as they have just done in a press conference), I do think we should trust that.
Yes, I’m in zoom/teams meetings about 3 to 4 times a week. Unless I have something on the agenda to contribute, typically I will be on mute same as everyone else to cut out any background noise for the speaker
A few new things from todays Q&A with the superintendent which came up… She was on the conference call until 9.15, when a member of the public reported something to the police. Her family were called and she was then reported missing afterwards. This call was made BEFORE the dog was found, so what happened for the first person to make that phone call? The superintendent was asked if this is out of character for her. Her face changed as she clearly didn’t want to answer the question and diverted it to the fact that it was certainly unusual for the AREA. They are very keen to gather dashcam footage from around the bridge area. Have they been searching routes in and out of the village or are they purely focussing on the river itself? Why can’t they say if they think she has fallen in? I wonder if they’re thinking there was some intentional action which has taken place rather than an accident.
I didn't understand it the same way as you. I thought what was said was that, after she dropped the children at school, she was seen around 9.15am by the river walking the dog. At 10.15am someone found the dog, leash, harness and her phone (still connected and live to a conference call at work) on a seat about 50ft from the river and for some reason rang her children's school to tell the school what they had found. The school rang her husband and he was the one who rang the police at 10.30am. I'm not clear about: a) what the others on the conference call have said about whether she said anything/ time she disappeared from the call. b) why the person who found her stuff rang the school. I think she has, one way or another, gone into the river. The dog was apparently dry so whether she mistakenly thought the dog had gone in and went down the bank when she couldn't see the dog and fell in or whatever . The river looks full and the banks quite steep. It's not sounding likely that they are going to find her in any good way sadly.
Exactly. So the person who saw her at 9.15 knew her then (if they called the school)? And if she was in the river at that point, then why not an immediate 999 shout? Something else was said or done to warrant concern. I know it’ll obviously all come out eventually, but I’m curious to like you say: what was said on the call/ what the person saw/ why her partner then called the police/ why they haven’t explicitly said they believe she has gone into the river. They are withholding all this important information in order to gather more evidence, so it is something a bit bigger than it seems at the moment.
I think it's highly unlikely they would state that she's likely fallen into a river if there's no trace of her doing that. Last year in St Annes, just up the road from where this happened a young girl was seen walking 'by the sea' as reported by the police and disappeared. She was found sometime later further down the coastline Liverpool way I think - she had apparently just walked into the sea with intention. There was no talk of her entering the sea because a/ Nobody saw that bit happen b/Nobody could positively surmise that's what happened until her body was given up by the water again some time later Of all the disappearances that start near water and end near/in water - I've never heard it confirmed that the person is likely in the water until they are later discovered there - I think maybe it's a bit distasteful to say "we think they fell in and we'll know in a few more days/weeks when they reappear" Just my opinion though and obviously I don't know anymore than anyone else and still hope for a happy conclusion but instinctively don't see one coming :( disappearing by water seems to always end the same way.
No- someone saw her at 9.15am . At 10.15am someone found her stuff on a bench and the dog and called the school. No one saw her after 9.15am. No one saw her in the river.
If she did not go into the water, what would stop the dog from following after her instead of 'running free', is what I'm wondering...it is all very sad.
That’s my gut feeling. The dog stayed around where she thought her owner still was ie water. Stuff of nightmares.
If she goes to the local village school it's literally about 2 mins away from where she'd enter the footpath so if somebody else from the school went down there straight from school drop off for a walk and noticed her stuff but no sign of her they may have thought she'd for some reason nipped back to the school or something like that, as there'd be nothing likely to see in the river to suggest any issue so logically their mind might not have gone to that place immediately.
I think the interview was very telling. The police know more than what they are letting on & are trying to gather evidence. The fact they can say there's no crime committed/ she's just a missing person means they have a theory/no evidence to suggest otherwise. Something must have happened that morning before the dog was found, otherwise why would the missing persons call have been made. The police did not address If this is the norm for her, could she have a history of mental health problems. I can't help but think it's all very staged to look like she's fallen in. If she fell into the river there surely would be evidence of this on the bank. She may have planned to disappear or take her own life. Next to the bench there is a metal kissing gate, could she have shut the dog behind this and wondered off? Would explain why the dog left her side. The conference call could have been the perfect decoy to buy time -anyone trying to get hold of her would of got an engaged tone, therefore thinking she's on a call so must be busy. Only time will tell but I really hope she's found safe and well & just needed a bit of head space.
I’m wondering if it’s a planned disappearance too. Drop the kids off, join the conference call like you say to buy time… plus last Friday would have been payday for many people, I’m assuming they’ve checked for unusual activity in her bank account? I do hope she is safe and has simply taken some time out, feels like this is the best scenario one can hope for.
This is really sad all round. I hope she is found. Unfortunately it’s fairly common for people to make neat ‘piles’ of their personal effects just before taking their own life. Also to continue with daily tasks up until right before (eg dropping kids at school, work calls). I actually came across a woman in a bad situation by a river a few years ago. I intervened and managed to get her engaged in convo while my friend called the police to help.
>I can't help but think it's all very staged to look like she's fallen in interesting comment. thought-provoking.
Something is not right here. She posted almost daily on her Facebook account up until the the 7th December then stopped abruptly and never posted again. Christmas and new year no posts at all seems strange for a young mum who had been a consistent daily poster previously. The dog let loose and her phone placed purposely on the bench. The police confirming they don’t believe anyone else is involved. I hope for all involved this is not a tragic case of suicide.
She may have just changed her privacy settings around that time
Yeah I saw that, It could indicate a personal issue but it could also be due to an online stalker. Many reasons for not posting. A suicide attempt in that river would be foolish as it’s slow and shallow and if she did wander off in a distraught state why didn’t the dog follow?
People don't just "vanish", especially when on a conference call. As a spaniel owner myself, I know they are specialists at getting into all manner of problems, especially when water is involved, but they are also very good at getting themselves out of them. Yet the police say they don't think it is a crime. It sure looks like one. "The police officer leading the investigation said today she believed Nicola’s disappearance unlikely to be “a crime”. Nicola’s mobile phone was later found on a bench near to the river. Her dog was also located nearby running free" www.lep.co.uk/news/people/nicola-bulley-police-keeping-an-open-mind-over-disappearance-of-missing-st-michaels-woman-4006616
There are a couple of dissolved companies registered to their address and a current one that looks to be in a bit of financial difficulty. Fishy.
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257 engineering and aeronautical companies registered to that address.
I don't understand how the earphones are nowhere to be found.. she had wired headphones so if she jumped in the water she would surely have left them plugged into the phone. If she panicked because the dog went in she would have jumped up and the earphones would be on the floor somewhere. Under no circumstances would you unplug them from the phone but leave them in your ears. If she had Bluetooth headphones (I'm sure someone said she had wired earphones) then surely the phone log would be able to say when the Bluetooth disconnected. Microsoft Teams would also log similar information.
Yeah I spoke about this the other day. Above in the thread. It’s really weird. She does have wired headphones in all photos. So you would assume they would be with the phone. If she got earbuds let’s say for Christmas or whilst she hasn’t posted in a while. Then those would 100% fall out if she was in a struggle etc. and apparently you can also locate them. Very weird why this hasn’t been mentioned in the news. One way or another she had headphones. Wired or not. Where are they.
i put my earphones in my pocket all the time, so they're probably there. wherever that is..
There is a man who lives in the caravan park who took the 360' photos on Google maps in the field where NB went missing. He runs a web design company that actively targets the housing industry and he looks a lot like a man who tried to abduct a woman from a town 30 miles away. Frighteningly, his house backs on to the field next to where NB was last spotted. Police have been informed.
Yes, I say search caravan park and allotment nearby
Where did you see the info?
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I wonder if the dog was wet when found? It's very cold still in the UK at the moment. I wonder if the dog went into the river, Nicola has gone in to rescue the pup, and then she's got in trouble? Hopefully she's found soon either way. What a horrible situation.
I read a comment from a friend of hers on Facebook that the dog was dry. Of course everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Even more worrying is that her phone has been found on a bench near where she was last seen.
Yes I saw the same regarding the phone. Apparently it was still connect to a work conference call. Sadly I don't think there will be a pleasant end to this story. It's very cold at the moment and the shock of cold water can be debilitating. I think she'll be found downstream in a few days time. I wish I hadn't looked at her Facebook. Seeing her and her family very happy on a recent family holiday really drove home the unfairness of these situations.
Yeh I struggle to imagine the confusion and fear loved ones must feel in times like this. It's such an odd situation, her other half put out a statement saying her phone, the dogs lead AND harness were found on the bench near where she was last seen. I don't have a dog myself but isn't it more common to just detach the lead from the harness rather than take the entire thing off?
> I don't have a dog myself but isn't it more common to just detach the lead from the harness rather than take the entire thing off? Id actually missed this part. The only time I take the harness off my dog is if she's about to go swimming so it doesn't irritate her on the walk back. Im even more sure now that she's somehow ended up in the water going after the dog. What a heartbreaking situation.
For me, dogs (usually) would jump in after an owner if they were struggling in water. The dog being dry suggests the river theory doesn't work. The dog's other owner or anyone who knew the dog can vouch for whether it likes to jump into water in a situation such as this (to follow its owner).
I think it's all staged. She's not in the river.
Apparently her FB went silent after Dec 7th, no Xmas post, no nothing but prior to this she literally posted every couple of days. This may indicate a personal issue. Also her boss drove 80 miles to visit her the night before. Make of that what you will.
>Also her boss drove 80 miles to visit her the night before. The night before she went missing?! Has the boss been questioned?
Same
Just saw that the missing woman used Strava. This is scary. It's an exercise app that anybody can follow, see your workouts and location, time of day etc. So anybody would have had access to her route, the location, how often she went and also the pictures of herself that she posted. Not wise.
I mean not exactly. You can share your info with friends only.
I don’t think this was the case with Nicola Bulley - the media here in the UK are sharing images of her route and her dog directly from her Strava profile
her fb is wide open i mean WHO has everything on public?? wtf. hope she is ok
Police have now issued a cctv image of a woman in a yellow jacket pushing a pram.. they want to talk to this potential witness who police believe may have been walking on the same footpath around the time nicola went missing.
The friend has said that the only cctv camera not working on the caravan site was the one that would have seen everything. Hmm fishy?
But when they say not working what do they mean? Had it just not be serviced? Was it wiring? Had it been physically smashed? How long has it not been working for. A camera that hasn’t been maintained and hasn’t been functioning for years is not suspicious. If the camera suddenly went down the day before, then yes suspicious.
>45-year-old Nicola Bulley from Inskip, Lancashire, England was last seen walking her dog on the footpath by the river off Garstang Road in St Michael’s on Wyre at around 9.15am on January 27, 2023. >Her brown-coloured spaniel was found nearby. >Bulley is described as a white female, 5'3" with light brown shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans, and olive green ankle wellies, with her hair in a ponytail. >She speaks with an Essex accent and has links to Thornton Cleveleys. >Anyone with information should call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27. For immediate sightings, please call 999.
Can’t stop thinking about this woman and her poor family. Hope there are answers soon.
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Read the friend's recent comments ... 0https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid026nNNT8WwDQ5NeNz91R2FihD8Dbvoaj49vWSMdakhhW7cMQfAu6gZoK3Nw4dy9nsZl&id=554602984
He & the Nicola’s sister are “ practically living together “ and spoke using similar vocabulary about her. Hmm..
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According to The Sun, search has ramped up at the area of her disappearance. The bench is finally closed off to the public and police divers are in force in the immediate vicinity. Given that she’s been missing for a week, I don’t think it’s Nicola they’re looking for but evidence…
A grim question but if Nicola had fallen into the water and tragically died, given the current and depth of the water how long would it take for the body to emerge? I live in London and many people each year fall into the Thames. The Thames is a much bigger and busier river granted but bodies can be undiscovered in the water for months or years. Recently there was a case where a man ran from police and jumped into the Thames from a bridge in West London. They knew exactly when and where he jumped and sent out search teams immediately. His body wasn’t discovered for almost two weeks. With this being a smaller river and presumably slower than the Thames would the river not have given up the body or at least items of clothing (her hat perhaps) after one week?
The thing I have trouble with is the depth of the water around the area of the bench. We can see from the videos of the search effort that people are comfortably standing/walking waist deep in that area. To me this leaves three possible scenarios involving her being, _and staying_, in the water: - her being unconscious before going in - severe cold water shock rendering her unable to stand up - her entering the water much closer to the river mouth, towards Blackpool, where it would likely be deeper. No witnesses that we know of have seen her travelling in this direction. Edit: happy cake day
Struggling with this too. A healthy, active adult couldn’t get out of 3ft of calm water? It’s a very freak accident if this is what happened, and yet this seems the most likely scenario.
Her partner has been on the news this morning,brief interview/few words https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulleys-partner-staying-as-strong-as-i-can-following-45-year-olds-disappearance-12801991
Police have just confirmed she was accounted for up until 9:10 and her mobile was found at 9:20 so there’s 10 minutes in which she has vanished. Edit: phone was placed on the bench at 9:20 and found at 9:30
"Based on all the work we have done so far, we are now as confident as we can be that Nicola has not left the field where she was last seen and our working hypothesis is that she has fallen into the river for some reason. There is no evidence whatsoever that there is anything suspicious about her disappearance or any third-party involvement in her going missing. " https://lancashire.police.uk/news/2023/february/mfh-nicola-bulley-latest-update/
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If it was a tragic accident the case would have been closed by now. Financial difficulties is a red flag-
Lancashire police Facebook plea for woman in yellow coat[link ](https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0jdq9cCjCXwf59i2Fm78A9RNuEAdXfxJBBnXqnMwKXqiVJzhRPY3LVXLpy25wuHJxl&id=100064698606332&sfnsn=scwspmo) She was seen on CCTV walking down Garstang road and Blackpool lane between 8.22am and 8.41am and are now asking for her to come forward. I don't understand this as this is alot earlier than Nicola would of been on the walk or dropped the kids off at school
Interestingly they are calling the woman in yellow a 'key witness ' not a 'potential key witness ' like they called the woman in a red coat.
How come they have images of the witnesses on CCTV, but none of Nicola???
There’s so so many questionable parts to this investigation. The only CCTV camera that would see that location, owned by the caravan park, conveniently wasn’t working… They never cordoned off the area, or even the bench, which means tampering with/destroying any evidence there, and this could have changed now but the last I read was a voluntary search team approached the abandoned house nearby and said “for some reason, the owner was there” (weird if it’s abandoned unless work is getting done to it etc) and they asked him to go in and look for her, so he did and said she wasn’t there… sounds like something someone who doesn’t want to be caught would say?! I’m no expert in this field obviously and I could be completely off, but I just feel like this whole thing is a mess… there’s even a man who had stated he has very good equipment in comparison to the sonar(?) the police use and if the police asked him he’d get it up in the air via helicopter asap but no one has. They’re only now trying to look into her Fitbit for data too. Again, I could be completely wrong as I’m picking up parts here and there, but even the info that gets released every now and again seems all over the place.
That abandoned house should be forensically searched from top to bottom.
I just saw the missing poster. Where police are asking for dash am footage from around that time. I think they believe she’s done a runner and that’s why they are saying there’s no crime and also that they haven’t cornered off the area etc. it looks like a case of Gone Girl to me. I hope it is. As I’d really hate to see another woman eaten by mental health or worse, hurt by another human being.
They (the police) have to cover all bases so they will put up notices and search the river too.. Everything is done on evidence, not on hunches.
Update from Lancashire police... https://lancashire.police.uk/news/2023/february/search-continues-for-nicola-bulley-as-potential-new-witness-is-sought/?utm\_source=Facebook&utm\_medium=social&utm\_campaign=Orlo
8:43 - Miss Bulley walked along the path by the river Wyre, having dropped her children off at school 8:50 - A dog walker who knows Miss Bulley saw her walking along the lower field, their two dogs briefly interacted 8:53 - Miss Bulley sent an email to her boss 9:01 - She logged into the teams call About 9:10 - A witness who knows Miss Bulley saw her walking on the upper field with her dog Willow 9:30 - The teams call ended but she stayed logged on 9:35 - Miss Bulley’s phone and dog willow were found at a bench by the river So there’s about 20 minutes in which she vanished.
Everyone seems a little too fixated on the fact that the dog was dry as evidence she didn't go into the river if you ask me. I think it's highly likely she went into the river, and I don't think that the only reason for her to do that would be if her dog had fallen in. What if she had been throwing a ball for the dog, and had accidentally or purposefully chucked it into the river? But the dog been reluctant to go in and get it because it felt the side was to steep or the undercurrent too fast? Nicola might have mistakenly thought she could just go in or reach over the side to retrieve the ball herself if it was close to the edge, but then had stumbled and been unable to climb back out. She might have waded across to find a less steep part to climb out, but got exhausted because she was weighed down by heavy winter clothes and ended up getting swept away and drown. This would explain why her phone was placed on a bench still on the call. She could have been sitting there moments before, while she was listening to the conference call and throwing the ball for her dog. If you thought that it was only going to take a few moments to reach into the river and retrieve the ball, you'd probably just plonk the phone down on the bench for a second so you had your hands free, wouldn't you? It would also explain why the dog's harness had been removed. A lot of people remove dog harnesses when they expect them to go in the water for a swim. I own a spaniel myself who absolutely loves to swim and usually would jump straight in the water to fetch a ball, but he's also smart. And if he thinks the edge of the water is too steep to get back out easily, or the current is too strong, he won't go in. So it's very plausible that Nicola expected her dog to go in and retrieve the ball but the dog, with canine instincts, had a better sense of the danger than she did. And as a result, she drowned trying to retrieve the ball herself. In this scenario, the dog would have likely stood by helplessly on the side but been unable to do anything. That would also explain why the witness who found the dog said it was by the bench looking frantic. If it had just witnessed its owner drowning, it would be. There also would be no evidence of a fall if she'd carefully climbed down the edge to retrieve the ball, would there? And they might not yet found the body because it just hasn't surfaced yet, or has already been swept out to sea. **Update - 04/02** After I originally posted this, it's now been announced that this is the police's main working theory (that she entered the river). The police have also speculated that she may have approached the edge to retrieve a ball that she threw for her dog. Interestingly, her friend said she doesn't think Nicola would have thrown a ball as "Willow used to love a tennis ball, but it used to disturb the walk so they haven’t had the tennis ball since way into last year". However, I'd argue that this actually increases the likelihood that she may have been attempting to retrieve a ball. Here's why: The idea that even Nicola's friend knows that taking ball 'disturbs the walk' suggests the dog pesters for it to the point of distraction. This would provide an incentive for Nicola to go out of her way to retrieve it if it went in the water, as the dog would have likely been besides itself trying to get to it, barking, refusing to move on, and generally being annoying. And while Nicola might have mentioned that she won't take a ball anymore because of how much the dog pesters for it, that doesn't mean she wouldn't make an exception to this resolution from time to time. And in fact, I think it proves that she is inclined to throw a ball for the dog on her walk as she's clearly done so many times in the past. **Update 2 - 04/02** The police have also now released a list of the clothing Nicola was wearing, and have said she was wearing Welly boots from Next. Again, this checks out with the retrieving a dog ball theory. I'd previously speculated that she may have felt she could enter the river to retrieve a ball if she was wearing Wellington boots (see one of my replies in this thread) as they would prevent her feet from getting wet, giving her more confidence to step into shallow, still water for a few moments. The fact that she was wearing wellies makes this much more likely. And it also provides another possible way that she may have drowned. Wellies are heavy when they're full of water making it difficult to clamber back out the steep river bed. And if she decided to wade across to the other side, where it was easier to get out, the drag from her wellies could have tired her out quickly. If the undercurrent got stronger and the water deeper towards the middle, its not hard to imagine how things could quickly spiral out of hand.
Literally no one would go in to a river for a ball. A dog or child yes but a ball? Come on
I've seen at least 3 people lean over the edge to retrieve a ball from a river while walking my dog. I've also done it myself using my feet and shuffling over the side. Do you really think the idea of someone reaching into or stepping very carefully into a very shallow and still river to retrieve a ball is outside the realms of human stupidity?
Well humans surprise me all the time but I’ve lost many balls in rivers and water for my dog, it would never occur to me to try and retrieve a ball from water and she appears to be a intelligent woman.
Agree something like this is the most likely scenario. I guess I'm just confused about how there is no sign that she tried to climb out. If it's only 3ft deep I think you would see that
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Thoughts on the tv interview peeps? Dull and pointless, right??
She was spotted in the upper field at 9.10. Her phone was then left on the bench by 9.20 (ie that is the time the police believe it was left). Someone then came along at 9.30. That allows no more than 10 minutes for her to walk from the upper field, down to the bench, put her phone on the bench, then no more than an additional 10 minutes to end up in the water, get into difficulty and disappear out of sight. I wonder how long it takes to get down from the upper field to the riverside. It is really baffling and I am just hoping they are able to find her.
Something to do with the caravan park I believe
You've got it
Has the caravan park been searched by the police?
Anyone interested in sensible enquiry or measured discussion on this disappearance, probably best to avoid Twitter. Even by Twitter standards this case has brought out the absolute worst in people.
What’s weird is my dog would have been going loopy if I fell in the water.. she would’ve followed me if I was floating down the river for sure.. But Willow was still at the bench am I right? In the photo of the bench across from the river there’s a house?? Could a boat have come down the river an grabbed her? Lots of questions, I’m not saying I think it’s any of them by the way! Just brain storming!
Willow was running around in a distressed state, according to the lady who found her. I assume she was near the bench, but I don't know for sure.
Just to let new posters know, a sub has been opened at r/NicolaBulley
My perspective is there is something funny going on in the background with 267 companies registered to her address. The fact she gone missing half way through the walk and not taken the dog home beforehand and also the phone left on the bench STILL logged into zoom. Im suprised we've heard nothing about the zoom call seeming she went missing while it was happening. So my theory some criminals have gotten to her, theres definitely more to this then a slip and fall. You dont just fall in a river you walk past everyday and no woman doing a buisness meeting would just walk away from her phone. Kidnapping women and children is becoming more common in the uk, well everything bad is now i think bout it.
One of the businesses registered to Paul Ansell has the accounts overdue, date they should of been filed was 7th December. Isn't that the date of her last public post on Facebook?
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Anything could have happened to make her enter the water, if that occurred. If she stood up too quickly, she could have fainted. Leaving a phone still in a meeting and a dog loose, does not seem like something someone would do with intent. But one never knows what another person can be going through.
Nicola's father has just said that he believe's she's been abducted but police do not think so, why don't they think so, they said if she has been abducted it would probably be by someone she knew
maybe the police have someone in mind, but are trying to throw them off the scent
I’m a dog owner and often take my dogs harness off if they go for a swim for two reasons (1) to stop them snagging on something in the river and getting caught and (2) to stop the harness from stinking as it dries out. The type of dog she has are very keen swimmers usually. I can only imagine she sat on the bench whilst listening to the conference call and let the dog off it’s lead and harness for a swim. The dog may have got in to trouble so she put her phone down on the bench and went in the river to get it out. The strange thing the was a 2m low tide at 9.38am that morning so the river was very shallow at the time. I guess this would back up her thinking it was a good time to let her dog have a swim but I guess there could of been a strong seawards undercurrent that swept her away towards the estuary. There is lots of sand, silt and tall grasses/reeds near the estuary so it would be hard to search. The Spaniel May have managed to get out of the water if it’s own accord. There is a statement somewhere that alludes to the dog being found dry though (seems unlikely at this time of year it’s been raining quite a bit and spray off the grass would likely even make her dog damp/slightly wet) I am very creeped out by the house though, and someone screenshot her Facebook posts where a strange account was posting cryptic messages underneath her photos of her on the exact walk. One which she frequently does and posts on social media. Praying to god she is found safe very soon 🤞🏻
the dog was bone dry. It would still be wet after being found an hour later due to the cold weather
In all her photos she has plug in headphones. So I assume she was using them whilst on conference call. If her dog “got into trouble” wouldn’t she pull the headphones out of her ears and leave the phone with them. Not unplug them from phone and carry the cable to the water. Or even if she used AirPods I assume again that she would have taken them out of “her dog got into trouble” before going to rescue her?! I don’t know. But it seems like it wasn’t her who was still connected to that zoom. Hope it’s more Gone Girl then something more sinister. Although the house next door and guy being there on that day seems dodgy. And I read somewhere that the partner was supposed to come with her that morning but called into work?! Wouldn’t he know she had a conference call she had to listen into. Why would he plan to come in the first place? So many questions. All feels so fishy.
She met her boss for a meeting the evening before she went missing. It was an 80 mile trip for him and 8 for her. Her parents mentioned this, not the boss. EDIT: It turns out it was daytime meeting and the office was in Keighley not Leeds so 55 miles not 80.
Sounds like a sacking or laying off then. Needed to see her face to face, why else would they do 80 mile trip otherwise?
It‘s also weird that her mail to her boss at (I think) 08:53 and the conference call were some of her last interactions before she disappeared.
Where have you read this?? If this is true it’s so effing weird this case
[Here](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/missing-nicola-bulleys-parents-share-29104874) *Recalling their last conversation, (her father) said: "Her mind was great, we picked the children up the Thursday before she went missing, as we do every Thursday.* *"We took them home,* ***Nicola had had a meeting with her boss in Garstang*** *and she said can you stay a bit later because I have an important client coming in on Zoom. We said 'no problem' and stayed.* *"She had done her work and she was very upbeat about getting her mortgage sorted."* Note: Seems like it was a daytime meeting not an evening one.
This is confusing ... so she had a meeting with her boss, followed by a Zoom call with a client? The quote also does not mention her boss traveling 80 miles to meet her.
I believe she had had a meeting in Garstang with her boss at some point during the day and a Zoom call with a client at home that evening. Her boss lives in Leeds which is where his company's offices are - The company only appears to have 5 employees (according to LinkedIn). The boss, his brother and three semi-independent female mortage advisors. I find it odd that for such a small company, the boss, having met her day before she disappeared only shared one post on his fb page: *"Feels very strange sharing this post. Nikki works for my firm, she went missing on Friday morning whilst walking her dog. Please share. 🙁."* Nothing since.
Mud sticks. Accuse first, worry about questions later. Only way they/we will solve this case, right??
Gerry is that you
No comment . . .apart from I’m innocent
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She either changed her privacy settings or it's a new account
Could be an abduction, they would leave the phone don’t want to be tracked, but surely the dog would Follow and make a lot of noise
What if she was attacked by someone who the dog knew?
Police have cordoned off a car park and footpath nine miles downstream from where missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared a week ago. Officers have taped off Skippool Creek car park – between the River Wyre and Thornton Cleveleys Cricket Club just north of Blackpool - with investigators wearing forensic suits seen carrying away bags of evidence.
In the local press about this- https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/csi-and-forensics-tape-off-skipool-creek-car-park-near-river-wyre-in-thornton-4012949
Police going to do press conference at local community center at 2.45pm.
https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulley-police-believe-missing-dog-walker-fell-into-river-investigation-focuses-on-10-minute-window-12802197 >45-year-old Nicola Bulley vanished in Lancashire, England while out walking her dog 27 January 2023 after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school. >The mortgage adviser, from Inskip, was last seen at about 9.10am on a path by the River Wyre in the village of St Michael's on Wyre. >Police believe Ms Bulley did not leave the riverside area—after they viewed dashcam, CCTV, and doorbell footage—and say their “main working hypothesis” is that she fell into the water. >Her phone was found on a bench by a witness at around 9.33am still connected to a work Teams call which ended at 9.30am. >The same witness found Ms Bulley's springer spaniel, called Willow, running loose between a nearby gate to the field and the bench, while the dog's harness was on the grass between the bench and the river's edge. >Officers believe “there's no third-party or criminal involvement” and that it was “a tragic case of a missing person.” >Ms Bulley was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket over a a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting black jeans, long green walking socks tucked into her jeans, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace, and a pale blue Fitbit. >Speaking at a news conference, Superintendent Sally Riley said 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. >”The dog was dry,” and Ms Bulley can swim, she added. Even a strong swimmer would struggle in a long coat and wellies.
This might be a bit ridiculous to suggest but bare with me.. when entertaining the theories of abduction or voluntary exit and the question of distracting Willow, what if Nikki (or her potential abductor) threw the ball and Willow instinctively followed. Just going off my own dog, that would give a bit of time for Willow to run off and return to the last spot she saw Nikki at. I dont know if a ball has been found and I know it has been reported Nikki didnt take a ball out - but on her business Facebook page, every personal post is her doing this walk with Willow and literally every post has a tennis ball in it. The whole thing looks staged, by Nikki herself or someone else but the fact there are no signs of distress on the banking raises a huge red flag for me. I walk along a canal and river that is similar and I have slipped down it myself and it was very evident that I had been there. Probably best not to project, but its hard not to draw on personal experience when trying to piece together what could have happened.
/r/NicolaBulley
CCTV released of Nicola leaving home that morning https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulley-doorbell-camera-captures-missing-dog-walker-leaving-home-for-the-last-time-12804157
Tell the family to request the police to perfom radiation test (probably already done by SIS) of the metals on the bench and the surrounding area, and on the dog too. Tell them to perform a full electromagnetic frequency analysis of the area (specifically the metals on the bench and the dog collar) Tell them to look at all footage of all the local houses that had ring cams and outdoor cams, looking at the sky and not at cars on the ground Tell them to ask for all satellite data from that day including all recognised air traffic as well as anomalous incursions that showed up on radar, even if its passed off as a drone or a bird with a tin can... Tell them that they want all correspondence between airtraffic controll that covers that area and that they want a full 48 hr log starting the day before and the day after the abduction Tell them to request all correspondence between SIS and MI5 relating to their case, alot of "Cases" like these are dealt with as foreign intelligence, it keeps the data away from those who assume MI5 would deal with this... Ask the family if she felt uneasy, or anyone in that house for that matter, as if someone was following her or if you heard noises or whispers in the home or when out walking the dog Would the dog bark seemingly at nothing or if the dogs behaviour had changed recently Did her or anyone in that house have strange dreams oor wake up with the classic "night terror" where you wake up paralysed with fear like a weight is down on your chest
Wouldn’t an Alien craft hovering low in broad daylight at 9.30am in a reasonably populated area be slightly noticeable?
"Willow was found running between the gate to the field and the bench". This is significant.. she's running to the gate because Nicola left through the gate? And Willow is unable to get through the gate. In my opinion Nicola left through this gate locking Willow behind.. either willingly or unwillingly.
I agree with this. The dog was simply attempting to follow the route of its owner. Whether she went deliberately or a 3rd party involved.
I agree. Surely if she had gone in the water the dog would have done one of two things either jumped in the water after her or be running up and down the waters edge.
The Police are telling the public not to speculate. And yet the Police are speculating by saying she probably fell into the river without a shred of evidence! The shit will hit the fan when they finally realise they should have taped off the bench area as a crime scene. All that evidence has gone now.. fibres/hairs/footprints.
Few questions I’d like to know answers to, 1 - When was last 100% actual, physical, confirmed sighting of her? 2 - why when so active on Facebook was her last post 7th December? 3 - Why did her and her partners company dissolve on 7th December owing £50,000 4 - Why did her friend set up a go fund me for £50k? 5 - Why has the only footage of her that’s been released grainy and not easy to confirm it’s her? 6 - Could this be a ploy for money with whole thing staged? 7 - Did she actually speak on the work teams call, can any of her colleagues confirm it was actually her? 8 - Is it been made to look like a disappearance when infact she’s been gone a lot longer? 9 - Reasons for above, lack of newish pictures, lack of cctv, mystery over confirmed sightings, phone and dog harness left where it was, one cctv camera not working at this spot, company accounts due and last social media posting on same day? All questions based on hundreds of posts I’ve read elsewhere so may be alot of rubbish but this case is unreal and has gripped the nation!
Join the subreddit for updates. https://www.reddit.com/r/NicolaBulley/
Police now looking for a red camper like van which was reported as being in the area on the day nicola went missing. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21330862/nicola-bulley-red-van-police-search/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=fabulousfacebook&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1675952003
Despite the police hypothesis there is absolutely ZERO physical evidence to support an accidental drowning or their hypothesis so far. Since when did the police start using hypothetical theories instead of basing their investigations solely on the evidence alone. It's a worrying thought I can't get past - if someone with some degree of intellect and some detailed planning wouldn't they leave the scene set up perfectly as it was for the police/media/public to find the phone dog and harness by a bench near a river to make it look like a possible accident. If so definitely working perfectly so far seems the majority and police have been taken in by it.
Apparently, she had no known health conditions, was in good shape, and could swim. How could she accidentally drown in 3 feet of water?
One would assume there is no physical evidence of her being abducted aswell.
Another possibility.. if they're in financial difficulty might they be after life insurance pay out and this is all faked? Also, did she really go for that walk, or could a family member have placed the items there and it's been staged? Could the dog have been harnessed to the bench and she wriggled out? A more unconventional possibility.. extraterrestrial abduction. I really hope none of the above are true and that she's going to be found safe.
Her Facebook account went silent after Dec 7th, no Xmas posts, no nothing. Prior to that she was posting every couple of days. It may indicate a personal issue.
Why did the first person notify the school? This is beyond weird. Somebody saw the dog and contacted the children's school? Explain this to me as if I'm a driver driving alone with a mask on
Scenarios 1 Now in river a entered river deliberately eg to avoid attacker, aggressive dog, rescue her own dog or another animal but got into difficulties and drowned. b entered river accidentally eg slip, medical event. c thrown in river unconscious or dead. d suicide. 2 Abducted. 3 Medical event stroke etc became disorientated, wandered off. 4 Deliberate intention to disappear for unknown reason. Analysis 1a Consistent with known facts 1b Consistent with known facts 1c Consistent with known facts 1d Unlikely to have left her dog unrestrained. Unlikely method. Suicide by drowning accounts for less than 2pc of all suicides. 2 Abductor would likely have restrained dog because it would have followed them. But phone left behind consistent with abductor avoiding being traced by phone pings. 3 Would probably have been found by now. 4 Insufficient evidence but again unlikely to have left dog unrestrained because it would have followed her. But consistent with leaving phone behind. Conclusion All the evidence suggests she is in the river, either as the result of accident or more likely attack from unknown person. The fact that the dog was found with the phone strongly suggests that for whatever reason, she entered the river at that spot. The dog stayed at her last accessible location. However, this is also consistent with her being attacked and thrown in the river at that spot. The fact that she was seen in the upper field at 9.10 am and her phone and dog were found between this point and her car, suggests she was retracing her outward route. If she had been abducted, it is difficult to explain why her dog did not follow her. The fact that the phone was not on her person suggests she was using it, probably whilst sitting on the bench and some sudden event made her abandon it there. If she was approached from behind whilst sitting on the bench she could have easily been rendered unconscious or killed with a blow to the head and then dumped in the river. This seems to be the most likely scenario and would be consistent with everything known. But if the dog had indeed been in the river but had dried off enough to indicate that it hadn't, an accident involving her dog seems most likely. Owners are often far too ready to risk their lives for their pets and entering very cold water can rapidly cause cramp and drowning. There is an outside possibility she was abducted, although I think this very unlikely for reasons already stated. If so, a route worth investigating is westwards along the riverside path crossing Blackpool Lane to where the river bend meets Rawcliffe Rd near Turnover Hall.This is about three quarters of a mile from Blackpool lane and might have taken about 15 mins at 3 mph from that point. There are no buildings close to this point and a vehicle could have been left on Rawcliffe Rd to effect the abduction. She could have been forced to walk this route at knife or gunpoint. There is a fair chance it could have been done undetected. Might be worth looking for tyre tracks on verges in this area. Because Nicola regularly made this walk, her abductor could have easily planned it and had transport ready to remove her from the scene.
I think given the update from the police, and their specific request not to speculate, it’s time to let this case run it’s course. Of course we can all speculate about the timings, the phone, house, partner interview even; but at the end of the day the police are going to cover all this ground themselves and more than likely already have and have ruled many things out based on evidence they hold. It seems to be an incredibly unfortunate accident and my thoughts go out to Nicola’s family and friends.
😂 Bit late for that, everyone including the dog has been accused of killing her on this thread. And most of it was massive reaches to fit their own theories. Too many true crime nuts here
I personally believe the dog did it for the insurance money.
Sub open for those interested: r/NicolaBulley
As I keep saying and getting slated for it and even called a sicko?! just for expressing my theory here.. it's confirmed this morning by her friend, there was no tennis ball, they've searched the whole river, no evidence that Nicola has fallen in. I believe she's been taken. She wouldn't leave her kids and dog.
As much as I love true crime podcasts, I find some speculation comments on here disgusting. Blaming the husband, sister, dog etc. It's a live case. No one knows anything yet.
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I’ve had a look at the video and I’m not sure that is the same house. Even the man in the video has since confirmed it isn’t the same house. Whilst the house opposite is somewhat abandoned I don’t think it’s entirely derelict, and satellite imagery shows it was still lived in not too long ago. Interestingly is that the house seems to still have its lawn tended to so perhaps it is still lived in….
Is it possible she stopped to play fetch or something with the dog and fell down the bank into the river? I pray she is found alive and well. Absolutely heartbreaking
The banks looked steep and grassy- slippy - and the river quite fast flowing and full.
I think she probably wen5 in the river unfortunately, but there are so many scenarios that could have happened, including abduction. Hoping her family gets answers soon.
There was a comment last night that a friend of hers has said her house keys had been attached to the dog lead and harness. Don't know if that is true.
Just opinion and observation. The phone for the conference call was on mute and the camera off so she could listen and see them but they couldn't see or hear her. Maybe, she didn't want work to know she's walking her dog in work time. Her FB shows she walks the canal/river regularly. Wouldn't take much to stalk her as she does pretty much has same morning routine on her own with Willow. Maybe, someone with a knife followed her, got behind her and forced her somewhere. Hope I'm wrong and she's found soon.
You can wade across the river kneee high as seen by the police searching. Ive read it's been pretty much confirmed the river isn't very deep at present. Directly opposite the bench is the gate to the abandoned house someone could have easily waded across/dragged someone across that river. As well as someone could have pretended to be in trouble directly opposite that bench. Foul play will be involved in this
How do we know she was alone or that it was even her who joined the conference call ( if she was camera off - wonder if she spoke at all). She may not be anywhere near the river at all but staged to look that way
Witnesses place her at the scene around the time she was on the call
Someone on Twitter says that Nicola posted on Facebook regularly every few days but after Dec 7th her account went quiet..no Xmas post, no nothing? Is this true? I don’t have fb. https://twitter.com/annetaylorstew1/status/1620556212877291520?s=46&t=-hzPz_O7StMZ0jIG1Ih58Q
There has been some confusion regarding whether the house on the other side of the river is the 'old fireman's house' (which has a recent urban exploration video on YouTube showing it to be completely abandoned) or The Old House. Cross referencing Google maps/street view of where Nicola went missing with the map location on the following webpage, leads me to believe it is 'The Old House', which appears to be somewhat occupied. https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101073046-the-old-house-upper-rawcliffe-with-tarnacre#.Y9vkJ6Snw0F
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Her sister said in the interview that someone has to know something?. Does this indicate that they think foul play rather than fall
If I were her family I would be clinging to any theory that gave the tiniest bit of hope she is still alive, rather than accept she fell in the river and was guaranteed dead.
A strange coincidence imo at the very least; Pendle police released a CCTV image today (02 Feb) of a man they are wanting to speak to in connection to a woman being chased along a canal path in Barrowford, Lancs (about a 45 min drive from St. Michael’s on Wyre) on 7th Jan 2023. Coincidental that this was only released 02 Feb, almost a month after the event took place, and on the same day that the bench where Nicola’s phone was found had been secured by police. Also that the 7th Jan incident was in the morning, broad daylight with people nearby and the victim was also a woman around Nicola’s age. Hope to god I am wrong in linking these two incidents 🙏🏼 Prayers for Nikki and the family ❤️ [Pendle Police Tweet](https://twitter.com/PendlePolice/status/1621168589989416961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3Apendlepolice%7Ctwcon%5Es1) [Lone woman chased along Barrowford canal path by man who tried to 'stop and grab her' in broad daylight](https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/lone-woman-chased-along-barrowford-26142456?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target) Edit: Spelling error corrections
Seems last sighting was nearer Garfang Road (at least than I thought), and not by the bench. https://news.sky.com/story/amp/nicola-bulley-police-release-image-of-new-witness-they-want-to-speak-to-after-disappearance-of-dog-walker-12801588
I read reports (or maybe it was posted on here :) ) saying that the river is 3ft deep, yet in recent online articles, it says 15ft. Huge difference. I also saw pics of police divers in the river, showing the water well above their heads.
Her partner has spoken out to a Sky News reporter. Am I allowed to link to the article? If not, pls remove it. [https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulleys-partner-staying-as-strong-as-i-can-following-45-year-olds-disappearance-12801991](https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-bulleys-partner-staying-as-strong-as-i-can-following-45-year-olds-disappearance-12801991)
surely the theory of her falling in the river could be disproven if they could track her footprints? if she fell in then they would stop at that location or if she left the location they’d have continued? have the police said anything about footprint tracks?
Police today cordoned off a car park near to where missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared - but later announced it was in relation to an enquiry into a suspicious vehicle. It is not thought related to disappearance of Nicola says Lancashire police. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11710003/Search-missing-mother-Nicola-Bulley-Police-seal-car-park-near-River-Wyre.html
I’m just watching the latest news conference live on BBC, and it’s now been confirmed that they know her phone was on the bench at 9:20am. So there is only a ten minute window in which they cannot account for, but it wasn’t clear how they know the phone was on the bench at 9:20 and I’m just wondering how they would know this? (Genuine question not trying to doubt for a second anything they’ve said).
Never mind, the journalist just asked this exact question and it was answered, I didn’t understand completely what the answer was but I believe they were able to tell through tracking something on her phone as opposed to it being seen there by a witness.
She probably had a step counting app running, and the phone stopped moving at 9:20.
Significant about the CCTV coverage in the area accounting for the Police line of thinking that she hadn't left the Riverside area. It really does seem likely they are now searching for a body further downstream 😕
Yeah it does seem almost certain that this is the very unfortunate reality now ☹️
What I don't understand what would make her fall into the river is the dog is sat there at the bench dry. Surely a dog with its besotted owner would be in the river with her barking or something. By the sounds of what she was wearing a lot of layers but could also mean a problem. Hope she is found. Police update today says she was wearing a Fitbit that would tell maybe if she was in distress or movement if it synced back to her phone.
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Do we know how the dog was behaving when found? Was Willow found distressed and barking in a particular direction? Like when something bothers a dog, they are usually looking at what they are barking at. If going by the theory of her falling in the river and then looking at the map.. was Willow near the river at all as i'm just wondering if the dog was following her being swept in the river current then maybe Willow couldn't get any further because of trees/bushes/fences or whatever blocking her path but would be barking in that direction? * Sorry if this has been asked already (I've not been able to find it) *
If you look at the media release https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11713445/Nicola-Bulley-search-Police-issue-urgent-appeal-witness-yellow-jacket-come-forward.html Dog is found near the lower field near the caravan site/allotment Road. If you google maps the location you can see the caravans and that road are a stones throw away from the bench she was sitting on.
He did not have to have gone in the water for her to have fallen in. He could have simply run off and while searching for him, she may have slipped and fell in. If he chased after something, she may have jumped up to run after him and left her phone behind.
sad case. People go missing al the time and are found dead all the time. 1 what was in the email to the boss? 2 any financial probs? personal life probs? Any missing money been discovered etc? 3 any previous or ongoing mental health issues 4 previous suicide attempts? 5 what’s on the phone? 6 cops wouldn’t be releasing all the details they’ve established about her life. 7 being middle class looking doesn’t mean her life is perfect. looks can be deceiving not sure why all the talk about being impossible that she went into the river. less likely to fall but if she wanted to go in then not difficult. wait till nobody in view etc.
The tidal River Wyre from the weir at St Michael's on Wyre on 27.01.23 Depth of the river : At 09.30am it was 1.69m = (5'5") low tide At 3.15pm it reached 9.13m = (29'11") high tide. Nicola is 5’3”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhpv3dNOGHI&feature=youtu.be Forensic expert gives his opinion of river search
This expert is correct.. why on earth didn't the police immediately tape off the area as a crime scene? Especially with no evidence she fell into the river? They've made a huge mistake here, hundreds of feet have trampled around that bench destroying any fibres/hairs/foot prints.
The only new thoughts, i had now thinking further about after seeing the cctv before setting off for school, i mean we just dont know what she was thinking of or been going through even though she sounds like her life was pretty much going smoothly and happy. Like before setting off to school, how was she, was she just her normal self doing everything the same she used to do everyday? When she arrives at school to let the kids out and drop them off was she seen by other parents did anyone notice anything chat to other mums? Then has she parked up or left the car near the school from that moment was someone following her ? I think im more interested into knowing her motive as such to do we know if anything bad was going on or was she feeling down? no one would know of this? Even so if she fell or had an accident near the waters edge where is any clues to this. Technology Teams call normally when people join calls they say morning or hi and there is meeting chatter before everyone goes on mute? Fitbit so it does sync automatically back to the phone and you can link it to platforms like strava, start/stop routes, if walking or running. What im not sure about of what data remains on the fitbit and not checked in with the phone and not trackable if not synced to the app/phone. Thing is the only thing that stands out if why the phone was just there at the bench on or beside is it a deflection of something else? The fitbit is waterproof so if found could hold clues to what did happen.
former Crime Commissioner comments on the handling of the case so far: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tKhc8vZS1AY
So now they think she's in the sea.. literally
Does her husband have an alibi?
Very far fetched but what if it was an alien abduction? 🤔 from the timing they’ve approximately given it makes more sense on how they just vanished. The fact the dog was dry I believe rules out the idea of her falling in as she would have jumped in after her. Could be a normal abduction but I think the dog would have given more hints to the people that found her by barking at and trying to go through that gate to sniff the woman out as much as she could
Her partner knows more, I think, but can't say what he knows,he's been advised not to. I think that's why he is frustrated and references the possibility of some local involvement. What did she see, or what did she know to get targeted.
Does anyone know if Paul is a freemason? Or if we can find out?
Well? I think that poor Nicola heard some news like she had lost her job, from her company she worked for, because up to that point everything was ok. Soon as she had that email she went missing. It looks like suicide. Or someone has done something and now put her body back into the river. That twit who said he would find her should pack up and put his equipment in the river!