What happened to Nicola Bulley? Search for missing mom intensifies along river banks

On January 27, 2023, 45-year-old Nicola Bulley was reported missing while walking her dog near the River Wyre in St Michael's Lancashire, United Kingdom.

A week after Bulley's mysterious disappearance, authorities said that they suspect she fell into the river, though the body has yet to be recovered.

However, authorities maintained that this is a missing person's case. They are currently pursuing the hypothesis that Bulley, a mortgage adviser from Inskip, Lancashire, fell into the river, as they do not have any evidence to believe an insidious involvement in her disappearance.

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Authorities have constructed a timeline around Nicola Bulley's disappearance to be between 8.45 am and 9.30 am

As the search intensified for the missing mother-of-two, Nicola Bulley, Lancashire Police said that they are working on a theory that she slipped into the river while walking her dog, Willow, around 9.30 am on 27 January 2023.

Authorities said that Bulley was last seen at around 9:10 am by a witness in the area with her dog after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school. Police were alerted to Bulley’s disappearance when her dog was spotted running loose around Garstang Road for about 25 minutes when a witness last saw her.

Police, who have constructed a timeline around Bulley's disappearance, said that she was first spotted near the river with a dog around 8.45 am. Around 8:50 am, a dog walker and an acquaintance of Bulley saw her with the dog in the area. Ten minutes later, the missing mother reportedly logged into a team call at 9 am and remained online, even though the call ended at 9.30 am.

Five minutes later, her phone and the pet were found on a bench near the river by another dog walker who alerted the authorities. Shortly after, Lancashire Police combed the area and checked the surveillance footage to lead them to a clue on the disappearance of Nicola Bulley. However, authorities who have checked the surveillance footage said they have no reason to believe that Bulley left the area. They further noted that she might have fallen into the river.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that divers were seen searching the River Wyre, where Bulley’s belongings were found on the bench.

Nicola's father, Ernie Bulley, said her young daughters still believed that their mother would return home:

“There are two young children there waiting for their mummy to come back and we want her back obviously also, but if Nicola is out there if she’s watching this, then all we’d like to say is: ‘Come home, contact the police, contact ourselves and we just want you back."

He further added:

"And they know that Mummy’s missing but they know that she’s going to be coming home and everyone is looking for her so it’s only a matter of time before they’re thinking in their minds, that she’s going to walk through that door.”

Police have asked people with information on the disappearance of Nicola Bulley to contact law enforcement.