Who Killed Nicola Bulley?

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Could Nicola Bulley be alive

Nicola Bulley drowned and ‘would have died in 10 seconds’, inquest told

• Mum-of-two Nicola Bulley died as a result of drowning and was alive when she entered the water in the River Wyre in Lancashire, a pathologist told the
• And one of two experts on drowning – described as ‘leading the world in terms of expertise’ – said she would have drowned in ‘one or two breaths’ of water.
• Professor Mike Tipton, from the University of Portsmouth, said in evidence to the inquest he believed Ms Bulley had a ‘gasp response under the water’ and ‘would have died in less than 10 seconds’.
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Dr Alison Armour, who carried out a post-mortem examination two days after Ms Bulley’s body was found, was asked by the coroner, Dr James Adeley, if there was any sign she had been ‘assaulted or harmed’ prior to her death. The pathologist replied: “No, there was not.” An experienced police diver, meanwhile, told the inquest it was his ‘belief’ that if Ms Bulley did ‘fall in’ to the water, she was ‘probably floating and being pushed along the flow’.

• PC Matthew Thackery, a police diver for eight years, said it was ‘very difficult to get out of the water’ at the spot where her body was found.
• Expert witness Prof Tipton said at the temperature the River Wyre was on the day she went missing, a person would lose consciousness within around 25 seconds.

“It is very rapid incapacitation,” he said. The stretch of the River Wyre involved (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror) Two breaths of water, he went on, would have been a ‘lethal dose’ for Ms Bulley. Prof Tipton said: “We estimate the temperature would have been around 3 to 5C, so there would be a particularly powerful cold-shock response.

For somebody of Nicola’s size, it would have taken one or two breaths in of water to be a lethal dose.” Dr Armour gave the cause of death as drowning and referenced water fluid found in Ms Bulley’s stomach during the post-mortem examination and her lungs showing ‘typical or classical features we have seen in cases of drowning’.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by “The presence of the watery fluid along with the lung changes, in my opinion confirm that Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water,” she told the hearing at County Hall in Preston on Monday morning. Tributes at the scene (Image: James Maloney/Lancs Live) Despite an extensive search there was no sign of the 45-year-old, from nearby Inskip, while Willow was found wandering loose close to the riverbank. The investigation into Nicola’s disappearance attracted widespread attention and speculation, which led police to take action against social media influencers and people ‘playing private detectives’ who visited the picturesque village.

• Her body was found in the River Wyre 23 days after she went missing.
• Ms Bulley’s parents, Ernest and Dot, her sister, Louise Cunningham, and her partner, Paul Ansell, were present as the two-day inquest got underway.
• Coroner Dr Adeley told them: “I am sorry that you are attending court under these circumstances.

You have my deepest condolences and I would be grateful if you would pass that onto the children, who are not in court for obvious reasons.” The family, meanwhile, told him they would like Ms Bulley to be referred to as Nikki. The inquest heard there was no ‘trauma’ to Ms Bulley’s neck and an internal examination found ‘classic signs’ of asphyxia.

1. Ms Bulley’s body was found around a mile and a half downstream from a bench where her mobile phone was discovered, still logged on to a Microsoft Teams work call.
2. PC Thackery, from the police’s north west underwater diving team, pointed out two areas of ‘sloping’ down to the river, with the second ‘much steeper’ than the first.

He said there would have been around a ‘one metre drop’ to the water at the time. Her body was found more than three weeks later (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror) The coroner asked him: “If you have fallen and gone over the edge of the steep section, are you going to stop before you hit the water?” PC Thackery replied: “No. You would just go into the water.” And he said of the area where Ms Bulley’s body was found: “There is nothing to grab hold of to help yourself back out.” The river near the bench was around four metres deep, the inquest heard, with sharp rocks on the bed.

1. PC Thackery said the riverbed does eventually slope up to allow a person to stand, but that was approximately 40 metres downstream from where Ms Bulley is believed to have entered the water.
2. The inquest heard it took the officer, who recreated possible scenarios, three and a half minutes to get to the location.
3. “That’s an awfully long time in very cold water,” coroner Dr Adeley commented.

The bench on the River Wyre (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror) Pc Thackery said: “I have attended a number of deaths where the water is chest deep, with a flat bottom with no flow to the water. “You could avoid drowning by keeping calm and standing up, however, it doesn’t happen like that when you suddenly enter cold water.

• You gasp and you breathe in water and these drownings could have been prevented if they had kept calm and kept your head above the water, but it’s never that simple.” Prof Tipton was asked how a person would respond psychologically to entering cold water.
• He said: “You are absolutely preoccupied with the challenge you are being presented with.

Those first seconds in the water, people really aren’t considering anything else. We have heard people talk about roots to grab onto and points of safety, but you would not be thinking about that. You are preoccupied with attempting to hold your breath and get back to the surface.

• In my opinion, given the nature of the likely entry into the water, at speed down a steep slope, I think Nikki had a gasp response under the water which initiated the drowning response very quickly.
• She would have died in less than 10 seconds.” Another expert giving evidence, Dr Paddy Morgan, said Ms Bulley would only have been able to hold her breath for one or two seconds at best.

: Nicola Bulley drowned and ‘would have died in 10 seconds’, inquest told

What was Nicola Bulley’s last text

Nicola Bulley, 45, vanished on January 27 after dropping her daughters at school then taking her usual dog walk along the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire Nicola Bulley, 45, went missing on January 27 this year ( Image: PA) The last text that Nicola Bulley sent before she went missing was read out during the first day of an inquest into her death. The 45-year-old was last seen walking her family dog Willow along the River Wyre on January 27.

1. But after she went missing, a desperate manhunt was launched which captured the attention of the nation.
2. For weeks, police and emergency services searched for the missing mum until they finally found her body a few weeks later.
3. She had tragically fallen into the water and died.
4. The inquest into her death opened yesterday, and heard from experts, police officers and a Home Office pathologist who revealed how the mum died.

Ms Bulley had been out walking her family’s dog at the time ( Image: PA) The court heard a complete timeline of the final hours before Ms Bulley vanished. One section of evidence focused on the last text she received, and sent, from and to her friend Lucy.

• The waitress had been texting Nicola to arrange a playdate between their two daughters.
• Nicola had texted Lucy the night before she went missing but Lucy only saw the text on the Friday morning, the court heard.
• The bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found, on the banks of the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre ( Image: PA) Lucy replied at 8.13am.

She told the court: “I said my daughter would love to come and play.” At 8.59am Nicola replied confirming a time and included a smiley face emoji. Lucy and Nicola were also due to meet up the following day. She said: “We were going to be meeting up, a group of mums, on the Saturday night for a few drinks.” Home Office pathologist Alison Armour, who carried out the post-mortem examination on Ms Bulley, said the evidence of water in her lungs and stomach led her to conclude the cause of death was drowning.

• The coroner asked Ms Armour to sum up her findings and conclusion.
• The location on the River Wyre near St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, where police recovered the mum’s body ( Image: PA) She said: “I conclude the cause of death as drowning.
• The lungs themselves showed classical features we see in drownings.

“In my opinion Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water.” Ms Armour said the presence of water in the lungs showed swallowing the liquid was an “active process” and therefore suggests Ms Bulley was alive at the time she went into the river.

There were no brain bleeds or natural diseases and only normal therapeutic levels of medication in Ms Bulley’s body, she added. Police activity outside County Hall in Preston, Lancashire, on the first day of the inquest into the death of Ms Bulley ( Image: PA) A low level of alcohol was consistent with the natural process of decomposition, the inquest heard.

Professor Michael Tipton, a world expert in drowning, said he agreed with the pathologist’s findings. A police underwater search specialist said he believes Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre before floating downstream. A video of PC Matthew Thackray in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire, where Ms Bulley is believed to have fallen in, was shown to the court yesterday.

What was Nicola Bulley suffering from

Nicola Bulley’s family says the missing mother-of-two suffered a “crisis” after she stopped taking menopause drugs – as her loved ones revealed details about her struggles before she vanished. Relatives also asked the public to end the “appalling” levels of speculation and “rumours” about her private life, as they spoke about the “significant” side effects she faced from the perimenopause.

The family said Ms Bulley suffered from brain fog and restless sleep and stopped taking hormone replacement drugs (HRT), commonly used to treat symptoms of the menopause, as it gave her “intense headaches”. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Why Nicola Bulley was listed as ‘high risk’ In a statement, they said: “Due to the perimenopause Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT to help but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis.” Lancashire Police have referred themselves to police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), regarding contact the force had with Ms Bulley prior to her disappearance.

Amid ongoing questions surrounding the force’s handling of the case, a source close to the home secretary said Suella Braverman “was concerned” by the disclosure of Ms Bulley’s personal information by the police and “asked the force for an explanation”.

Who found Nicola bulleys phone

Man who found Nicola Bulley’s phone on bench says he knew ‘something wasn’t right’

• A dog walker who found mobile phone on a bench before she had been reported missing that he “knew something wasn’t right”,
• The man, identified only as Ron, thought when he first spotted the phone that someone had left it there while they had gone to relieve themselves nearby.
• He had been walking beside the river in St Michael’s on Wyre,, close to the spot on the morning of 27 January.

Ron recognised Ms Bulley from her phone’s wallpaper But Ron said that when it became clear that nobody was returning to the mobile, he picked it up, at around 9.35am, and saw a wallpaper image flash up showing Ms Bulley with her partner, Paul Ansell.

1. The phone was apparently that she had logged in to for her job as a mortgage adviser.
2. Ron, who walks his own dog in the area most days, said he did not know the couple by name, but knew them as the owner of spaniel Willow, Ms Bulley’s dog.
3. He said he gave a full statement to the police after finding the phone.
4. He told : “I got to about this red brick building here and I thought ‘this is not right’.”
5. Another woman, called Penny, had intially spotted the phone but did not touch it.
6. He said: “Then it was just a progression of things happening, you know.

Ms Bulley stayed logged in to her work call when it ended

• “Because of the wallpaper on the phone, we found out who the couple were, and the school was contacted and Paul arrived.”
• Willow’s harness and lead were halfway between the bench and the river.
• Ms Bulley, who had her hair in a ponytail at the time, had been spotted 25 minutes earlier, by someone who knows her whose identity has not been made public.

Her mobile phone was traced to the bench area at around 9.20am. The Teams call ended at around 9.30am, but Ms Bulley stayed logged on. Another dog walker who had been in the area that morning, Christine Bowman, 67, has told police she did not see Ms Bulley and was unable to offer any new insights. : Man who found Nicola Bulley’s phone on bench says he knew ‘something wasn’t right’

What caused Nicola Bulley death?

‘Rebuild lives’ – “For these and many other reasons I discount a conclusion of suicide as there is no evidence to support this conclusion. “There was also no natural disease that contributed to Nikki’s death. The remaining conclusion is that of accidental death.” Image source, Lancashire Police Image caption, Nicola Bulley drowned after falling into cold water, Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire ruled Speaking outside Preston’s County Hall, Lancashire Constabulary’s head of crime Det Ch Supt Pauline Stables said: “I want to start by saying that first and foremost my thoughts today are with Nikki’s family and loved ones.

“They have been through the most unimaginable ordeal over the last six months and I can only hope that this inquest will help in some small way by answering some of the questions they had about what happened to Nikki on 27 January and will allow them to start the process of rebuilding their lives as best as they can.” She said she hoped the coroner’s conclusion would put an end to “ill-informed speculation and conspiracy theories” surrounding Ms Bulley’s death.

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What exactly happened to Nicola Bulley?

Nicola Bulley died accidentally after falling into cold water, coroner concludes

• Nicola Bulley died accidentally after falling into cold water, the coroner at her inquest has concluded.
• Ms Bulley, 45, vanished after dropping off her daughters, six and nine, at school, and taking her usual dog walk along the River Wyre in St Michael’s, Lancashire, on 27 January.
• Following her disappearance, the 45-year-old mortgage adviser from Inskip was immediately deemed a “high risk” missing person and her disappearance sparked an intensive search operation before her body was eventually found more than three weeks later in the Wyre.

Image: Nicola Bulley’s family released a new picture of her following the inquest

2. Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, recorded her death as accidental as she fell into the river and suffered “cold water shock”, ruling out suicide.
3. after the inquest, Ms Bulley’s family said: “Sadly, we feel the need to again raise and address the issue of social media.
4. “It’s upsetting that we’ve continued to receive negative targeted messages and still witness wildly inaccurate speculation being shared over numerous platforms.
5. “We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the Coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:11 Nicola Bulley’s family asks for time to heal

• Nicola was ‘looking forward to the future’
• Earlier, her partner Paul Ansell said that despite a “blip” in her mental health she was “back to herself” and had plans for the year ahead.
• Her family’s lawyer told the hearing at County Hall, Preston, they believed her death was “a tragic accident”.
• Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was still connected to a work Teams call when it was found on a bench overlooking the river on the day she went missing.
• Mr Ansell said: “She was still listening to that meeting, so I think she must have maybe put the phone on the bench and gone to put the harness back on Willow.”

2. He said she had been “looking forward to the future” before she disappeared, despite the “blip” the previous month.
3. “The blip over the Christmas period happened but in January she was back to herself, looking forward to the future and everything was on the up,” said Mr Ansell, who at one point during his evidence broke down in tears and had to leave the room.
4. He added: “She had a good day the day before (she went missing), came home full of beans, excited with work, with the meetings she had and plans for the year.”
5. On the day she disappeared, he sent her a text message saying: “Have you got lost?”
6. Asked if she had any suicidal thoughts, Mr Ansell said she had made “a couple of throwaway comments” the month before her death, “but nothing that gave me any concern”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:41 Inquest shown dive video

• ‘Nothing’ to suggest she took her own life
• Her former GP told the inquest there was “nothing” in Ms Bulley’s medical records to suggest she was suicidal.
• Dr Rebecca Gray said Ms Bulley had spoken to her about having a “low mood and anxiety” since 2018, and had later told her she was suffering from headaches, fatigue and lack of sleep.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:26 Police say thoughts are with Bulley family

1. But there was “nothing on the notes or records from 2012 where there’s been any mention of her feeling suicidal or of self-harm”, Dr Gray added.
2. Ms Bulley was sent to A&E on 11 January due to an injury to her head, Dr Gray said.
3. The mother-of-two attended a walk-in centre after a fall, complaining of increased drowsiness and vomiting, and was sent to A&E where a CT scan came back normal, the inquest heard.

Image: Police officers during the search

• A mental health clinician attended Ms Bulley’s house on 10 January along with a police officer and paramedic following concerns about her welfare.
• But Theresa Lewis Leevy told the inquest Ms Bulley did not appear depressed despite concerns over her increased drinking.
• Ms Bulley appeared intoxicated on her bed and spoke of having lost weight.
• However, when asked if she appeared depressed, Ms Leevy said: “No, no, not that I could ascertain at the time.”
• Sister speaks of pain
• Ms Bulley’s sister cried as she spoke during the inquest.

“Nikki was my big sister. very much a planner,” Louise Cunningham said. “She started her career again, a busy mum, as most people are, juggling a career and family life. She always had things under her control.” Image: A police diver searches the river

2. Ms Cunningham also commented on the “blip” in her sister’s mental state.
3. She said: “She had a blip over Christmas (2022) but she was back on the HRT medication in January and back to work and back to the normal Nikki.”
4. Ms Cunningham said her sister was drinking more heavily over that period.
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6. But she added: “She’s never confided in me about any suicidal thoughts.”
7. Ms Cunningham said she was planning a spa day shortly before Ms Bulley’s death.
8. She cried as she said: “I literally confirmed it was booked but she didn’t pick up the message.”

Image: Ribbons left on a bench near where Ms Bulley was last seen

• No evidence of harm before ‘drowning’
• On Tuesday, the inquest heard there was before she drowned.
• Expert Professor Michael Tipton said the temperature of the river was around 3-5C and it would have taken “one or two breaths” of water to kill Ms Bulley.
• Asked by Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, if there was any evidence of third-party involvement in Ms Bulley’s death, Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour replied: “No, there was not.”

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. : Nicola Bulley died accidentally after falling into cold water, coroner concludes

Did Nicola Bulley fall or was she pushed

Nicola Bulley was ‘alive when she entered the water’ and drowned Published: 12:04 BST, 26 June 2023 | Updated: 16:41 BST, 26 June 2023 Nicola Bulley was alive when she fell in the River Wyre – but the icy water in January this year could have killed her in just 25 seconds, her inquest heard today.

1. The mother-of-two had not been drinking and died by drowning with no sign of foul play or an attack by a third party, Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, was told.
2. Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell and her family attended the hearing this morning.
3. Mr Ansell appeared to be wiping away tears as he heard the evidence about the cause of her death.

Professor Michael Tipton, a world-leading expert on the effects of falling into cold water, gave evidence about how a typical response to plunging into a river where the temperature was 10C or below was to ‘gasp’ and inhale one or two litres of water.

Commenting on Ms Bulley’s build and the heavy outdoor clothing she was wearing on the day she went missing, he said: ‘It would only take one or two breaths to cross the lethal dose for drowning.’ Someone in that situation would have around 25 seconds before they lost consciousness, he said, experiencing ‘very rapid incapacitation’.

Police diver Matthew Thackray said photographs shown to the hearing of the riverbank above which Ms Bulley was last seen showed there was a steep ‘cliff edge’ into the water where she fell. The 45-year-old mother vanished while walking her dog next to the Wyre after the morning school run on January 27.

1. It became the most high profile missing person case of recent years.
2. Lancashire Police faced a furious backlash over its handling of the case and for revealing Ms Bulley suffered from ‘significant issues with alcohol’ in the past as well as battling the menopause.
3. Giving evidence at County Hall in Preston today, Dr Alison Armour said that there was ‘no evidence’ Ms Bulley was harmed before she fell in the Wyre.

She died as a result of drowning and was alive when she fell into the water, the pathologist then said. Ms Bulley had not been assaulted or injured before she died, Dr Armour added. Dr Adeley asked her: ‘At the time of her death she had no alcohol in her bloodstream?’ Dr Armour replied: ‘That’s my opinion.’ Mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, 45, vanished while walking her dog in Lancashire on January 27 Paul Ansell, Ms Bulley’s partner of 12 years, wiped away tears as he heard evidence about her death today A police diving team at the River Wyre near St Michael’s-on-Wyre in Lancashire on February 19 Ms Bulley’s friends Heather Gibbons and Hannah Swale arrive for the inquest today.

• Extra security is in place for the inquest into Nicola Bulley’s death due to the social media interest in the case, the coroner said.
• Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, said ‘additional security provisions’ have been put in place by police and the county council.
• He added: ‘This is to ensure the safety of everyone attending the inquest.’
• The coroner also warned attendees not to disrupt proceedings, following ‘unusual online commentary’ about Ms Bulley’s death.
• At the outset of the hearing, Dr Adeley warned that extra security had been imposed as a result of ‘substantial social media interest’ and ‘unusual online commentary’ around Ms Bulley’s disappearance.
• Addressing the hearing at County Hall in Preston, he said: ‘If anybody has the slightest idea of contemplating disrupting this inquest, or matters in the precinct of this court, they should be aware this may amount to contempt of court.’
• He said anyone who attempted to do so would be given a ‘short period’ to arrange legal representation before facing penalties which could include a fine or imprisonment.

While friends of Ms Bulley arrived through the same entrance to the building as media, members of her family avoided waiting photographers by using a different way in. Police patrolled around the building as the hearing went on, some of them on horseback.

1. A walker has described the moment she discovered Nicola Bulley’s phone and dog Willow next to the River Wyre.
2. Penny Fletcher, who runs a nearby campsite, St Michael’s-on-Wyre told the inquest: ‘I saw a springer spaniel loose, it was near the bench and going right towards the river where it drops down very steeply.
3. ‘I wouldn’t say it was acting chaotic at all, it was a bit giddy, yes.’

Ms Fletcher found the phone, as well as a dog harness, and tied Willow to the bench. She later found out it was Ms Bulley’s dog and heard that she had gone missing. She called her daughter-in-law who recognised the description of the dog as Ms Bulley’s and exclaimed: ‘Oh no, it’s Nikki’s dog and Nikki has gone missing’.

People who saw or had text contact with her in the hour before said Nikki had seemed herself. Ms Bulley had agreed to a playdate for one of her children and a night out with friends that Saturday. A mother who bumped into Nicola Bulley on the morning of her disappearance said there was ‘nothing of concern’.

Kay Kiernan, a receptionist, told the inquest she spoke to Ms Bulley about her dog Willow while dropping off her children at school at just after 8.30am. She said: ‘She was not happy, but who is on a Friday-morning school run? She wasn’t sad, just how I normally knew her.’

• Ms Kiernan went on: ‘There was nothing of concern.’
• A dog walker who saw Ms Bulley as she was walking Willow on the morning of her disappearance spotted a man dressed all in black at the end of a nearby lane.
• Heating engineer Richard Fife said the ‘stocky’, round-faced man appeared to be waiting for a lift beside the main road through the village.
• But he thought it was ‘odd’ that he was still there when he returned from exercising his Labrador, he said in a statement read to the hearing.
• By the time he drove that way in his van, the man had gone.
• After Ms Bulley was reported missing he contacted police about his sighting of the man, who he hadn’t seen before.

A PSCO walks towards an appeal poster for Ms Bulley in St Michael’s-on-Wyre in February Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson (left) and Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith (right) of Lancashire Police update the media in St Michael’s-on-Wyre on February 15 Mothers who spoke to Ms Bulley as they dropped their children off at the village primary school that morning told the hearing she had seemed ‘normal’.

1. The disappearance of Nicola Bulley led to intense public interest, a conspiratorial social media frenzy, criticism of police and media and questions in Parliament.
2. Her body was found in the River Wyre on February 19 around a mile from where the mother-of-two, aged 45, vanished, while walking her dog in St Michael’s on the Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
3. Here is a timeline of events after her disappearance:
4. – January 27

• 8.26am – Ms Bulley left her home with her two daughters, aged six and nine, dropping them off at school and engaging in a brief conversation with another parent around 15 minutes later.
• 8.43am – She then took her spaniel, Willow, for a walk along the path by the River Wyre.
• 8.50am – A dog walker who knew her saw her, and their pets interacted briefly before they parted ways.
• 8.53am – Ms Bulley sent an email to her boss, followed by a message to her friends six minutes later.
• 9.01am – She logs on to a work Microsoft Teams call.
• 9.10am – Last known sighting of Ms Bulley by a second witness.
• 9.20am – Her phone was back in the area of the bench before the Teams call ended ten minutes later, with her mobile remaining logged on after the call.
• 9.33am – Another dog walker found her phone on a bench beside the river, with her dog darting between the two.
• 10.50am – Ms Bulley’s family and the school attended by her children were told about her disappearance. Police are called and she is deemed a ‘high-risk’ missing person.

– January 28

Lancashire Constabulary deployed drones, helicopters and police search dogs as part of the major missing person operation.

– January 29

Around 100 locals meet in the village hall to organise a search party. Police urge caution, describing the river and its banks as ‘extremely dangerous’.

– January 30

Police hold first press conference. Superintendent Sally Riley, from Lancashire Constabulary, said officers were ‘keeping a really open mind about what could have happened’, and that they were not treating Ms Bulley’s disappearance as suspicious.

– January 31

Ms Bulley’s family release a statement saying they had been ‘overwhelmed by the support’ in their community, and that her daughters were ‘desperate to have their mummy back home safe’.

– February 1

Ms Bulley’s parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, tell the Daily Mirror of the ‘horror’ they face over the possibility of never seeing her again.

– February 2

Officers from the North West Police Underwater and Marine support unit search the area close to where Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was found.

– February 3

• Lancashire Police said it was working on the hypothesis that Ms Bulley may have fallen into the River Wyre.
• Supt Riley urged against speculation, but said it was ‘possible’ that an ‘issue’ with Ms Bulley’s dog may have led her to the water’s edge.

– February 4

• Ms Bulley’s friend, Emma White, cast doubt on the police theory that she fell into a river, telling Sky News it was based on ‘limited information’.
• In a Facebook post, Ms Bulley’s sister Louise Cunningham urged people to ‘keep an open mind’ as there is ‘no evidence whatsoever’ her sister fell in the river.

– February 5

Peter Faulding, leader of underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI), began three days of searching the river after being called in by Ms Bulley’s family – but nothing is found.

– February 6

Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell, in a statement released through Lancashire Police, said: ‘It’s been ten days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back.’

– February 10

Police urged people to refrain from indulging in commentary and conspiracy theories about Ms Bulley’s disappearance as speculation increases online.

– February 15

• Police hold a press conference at force HQ and reveal Ms Bulley was classed as a ‘high-risk’ missing person immediately after she was reported missing due to ‘vulnerabilities’.
• They later ‘clarify’ the vulnerabilities and disclose Ms Bulley’s struggles with alcohol and perimenopause.

– February 16

• In a statement released through Lancashire Police, Ms Bulley’s family said the focus had become ‘distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her private life’ and called for it to end.
• Home Secretary Suella Braverman demanded an ‘explanation’ over the disclosure of Ms Bulley’s private information by the force, following growing criticism of the move.

– February 17

Lancashire Police announced it was conducting an internal review into the handling of Ms Bulley’s disappearance and the Information Commissioner said he would ask the force questions about the disclosure.

– February 18

Ms Braverman met with police leaders to discuss the handling of the investigation after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also expressed ‘concerns’ about the revelations into Ms Bulley’s private life.

– February 19

At 2.32pm, Lancashire Police reveals a body has been found in the river after it was called earlier that day at 11.36am to an area of the River Wyre, about a mile from where Ms Bulley first disappeared.

– February 20

• The force confirmed the body had been identified as Ms Bulley.
• In a statement, Ms Bulley’s family said she was ‘the centre of our world’.

– June 26

Inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley begins at County Hall, Preston.

• Kay Kiernan, a receptionist, said her ‘mannerisms’ were ‘the same’ as normal.
• She said they spoke for two-three minutes during which Ms Bulley commented about how she couldn’t believe that at the age of seven her dog Willow was classed as ‘old’.
• Another, Claire Chesham, also went to walk her dog along the footpath following school drop-off and saw Ms Bulley exercising Willow between the two riverside fields.
• She described it as an ‘absolutely idyllic’ scene and recalled thinking she wished her dog was as obedient as Willow.
• Asked if Ms Bulley had a ball with her, she said she hadn’t seen one.
• Lucy Musella, a waitress, said she had been messaging Ms Bulley about her daughter going on a play date with her on January 28, the next day.

She said at 8.13am on the day of her disappearance she messaged Ms Bulley to say that ‘my daughter would love to come and play’. At 8.59am, Ms Bulley messaged back with a time for the playdate and a smiley face emoji. Dr Alison Armour said watery fluid and fragments of dirt found inside Ms Bulley’s body were ‘typical features we see in cases of drowning’.

1. Home Office pathologist Dr Armour, who carried out the post mortem after Ms Bulley’s body was found on February 19, concluded the cause of her death was drowning.
2. She said she based this opinion on the presence of ‘watery fluid’ in her stomach and lungs as well as fragments of dirt found in her throat.
3. ‘In my opinion I consider Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water as it is an active process to swallow water and inhale fluid into the lungs,’ she told the hearing.
4. Traces of alcohol found in her blood following toxicology reports were consistent with bacterial activity after her death, she said, while medication including paracetamol was within ‘therapeutic levels’.
5. Neither bruises found on her arms and legs nor any underlying disease had contributed to her death, she said.
6. Dr Armour said there was no evidence of ‘trauma’ to Ms Bulley’s neck.
7. Police diver Matthew Thackray said specialist divers searching the water for Ms Bulley had to be helped out of the river by colleagues.
8. The coroner asked: ‘If you were in the water trying to get a foothold, would it be possible?’
9. ‘Not at all,’ he answered.
10. He said water temperature on the day was 4C which would have felt ‘almost freezing’.
11. A key area of speculation during the search for Ms Bulley was whether it would have been possible for a casualty or a body to be pushed over a nearby weir by the current.
12. Beneath the weir, the Wyre becomes tidal as it flows towards the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay.
13. In a video, Pc Thackray could be seen floating easily over the weir, despite the lower water level compared to when Ms Bulley went missing.

He clarified the water temperature on January 27 as being 3.6C with the water flowing at around twice the speed as when he filmed the clip for the coroner. Nicola Bulley may have only been able to hold her breath for ‘one or two seconds at best’ in the river, an inquest into her death heard.

• ‘On the occasion that the individual has taken that initial gasp on the surface of the water and then gone below, the duration would be 10 seconds that you could hold your breath, and very likely one or two seconds at best.’
• Ms Bulley’s body may have sunk under the surface of the river after she fell in, an underwater search expert has said.
• Dr Lorna Dennison Wilkins told the inquest in Preston: ‘Nikki might have had some buoyancy in her clothing which would have dispelled.
• ‘Once that happened, she would have lost that buoyancy and her body would have sunk under the surface, was my assessment.’
• The 45-year-old mortgage adviser’s body was found in the River Wyre in Lancashire on February 19 – around a mile from where she vanished on January 27.
• Ms Bulley’s phone was found on a bench overlooking the water in the village of St Michael’s-on-Wyre, while still connected to a work Teams call.
• Large rocks in the river immediately beneath the bank where Ms Bulley was last seen had probably been placed there deliberately in the past to combat erosion, Pc Thackray said.
• The hearing was shown a video filmed by Pc Thackray in April as he floated downriver from the point Ms Bulley was last seen.
• He said it was not possible to stand up in the river until around 40m downstream – and its level was around half-a-metre lower than on the day Ms Bulley went missing.
• Speaking on the video about the water temperature, he said: ‘If you fell in accidentally, cold water shock would probably have taken effect and caused you to gasp and your muscles to seize so you can’t swim properly.’
• Police divers were seen back in the river in April in an operation which Dr Adeley’s office later said was intended to assess the stability and topography of the bank.
• Paul Ansell, her partner of 12 years, gave TV interviews appealing for help – saying their daughters wanted their mummy home.
• As the days passed and speculation continued online, Lancashire Police revealed Ms Bulley had struggled with alcohol and perimenopause.
• This prompted widespread criticism for disclosing her personal information, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak questioned about the police approach and the force facing investigation.
• An independent review of Lancashire Police’s handling of the case is currently under way by the College of Policing, ordered by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden.
• Part of the review will include inquiries made by the Information Commissioner’s Office over the force’s disclosure of Ms Bulley’s personal information.
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct also looked at a welfare check on Ms Bulley carried out by police 17 days before she went missing.
• Media watchdog Ofcom is also in contact with both ITV and Sky after criticism of the broadcasters by Ms Bulley’s family.
• The inquest, expected to last two days, continues.

Friends of Ms Bulley hold missing person appeal posters in St Michael’s-on-Wyre in February A search on the River Wyre in Lancashire after Ms Bulley went missing earlier this year : Nicola Bulley was ‘alive when she entered the water’ and drowned

Did Nicola Bulley leave a note?

Mum failed by Nicola Bulley cops left note saying ‘I hope my life saves another’ WARNING: DISTRESSING IMAGES Kiena Dawes, 23, was reported missing just hours before she was hit by a train and pronounced dead at the scene last July in Lancashire Kiena Dawes with her baby

• A mum who was allegedly failed by the same cops currently facing scrutiny for its handling of the case left a suicide note saying “I hope my life saves another”.
• Kiena Dawes, 23, was reported missing just hours before she was hit by a train and pronounced dead at the scene last July.
• Following her death, her family claimed she had been the victim of abuse which caused her to take her own life, and claimed she was “let down” by Lancashire Police.
• She was classed as “high risk” – the same as Nicola – when she was first reported missing in her hometown of Fleetwood, Lancashire.
• She was found five hours later, and her family claimed they feel repeatedly let down by the police.

Kiena Dawes’ family claim she was let down by police ( Kynan Dawes / SWNS) Kiena Dawes following an alleged assault ( Kynan Dawes / SWNS)

1. reported how the young mum left a note on her phone at a friend’s house that begged: “I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster.”
2. Lancashire Police confirmed a man had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting Miss Dawes, days before her death.
3. The man was released on bail pending further enquiries and no charges were brought against him.
4. Her heartbroken family claimed Miss Dawes had been living in fear and had repeatedly sought the help of police in the weeks leading up to her death.

Kiena Dawes died in July 2022 ( Kynan Dawes / SWNS) Kiena Dawes with her child ( Kynan Dawes / SWNS)

• They revealed shocking photos showing her looking bloodied and bruised following an alleged assault that happened after police had fitted panic alarms in her home.
• Kiena’s older brother Kynan told The Sun: “They let down Kiena in life — and failed her in her last moments.
• “She felt the police weren’t doing anything to help her despite countless reports of domestic violence.

“Her attacker was constantly bailed and she ended up with nowhere to turn. She lost hope.” He added: “That was the longest five hours of my life but poor Nicola Bulley’s family had to wait three weeks. That’s brutal.” At the time of her death, he said: “The police have let my sister down, they have.

• She wanted to go through the legal route to get justice.
• The girl is dead now, but it should have gone to CPS ages ago.
• She didn’t want to live a life the way she was living, so she ended it.
• They did not do enough.
• The head of CID is going to go through everything with a toothpick.
• They’re going to find out why nothing happened, and why it got to the point where she felt she wasn’t being looked after by the service, which she should be, and decided to take her life.” The police watchdog said an officer from the force now faced an investigation because a man was released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting Kiena 11 days before she died.

It added that it didn’t necessarily mean misconduct proceedings will follow.

1. The investigation is ongoing, but the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed the unnamed officer has now been served notice and faces potential misconduct proceedings, though proceedings are not guaranteed.
2. An IOPC spokesperson said: “Our investigation into the contact between Lancashire Constabulary and Kiena Dawes, before her death on 22 July is nearing completion.
3. “We have examined the police response to Miss Dawes being reported missing, as well as the police response to earlier reports that she had been the victim of assaults.

“Having obtained and reviewed a number of statements from witnesses, we have informed an officer that they are under investigation for potential gross misconduct in relation to their actions leading up to a man being released on bail earlier in July.

• “Our thoughts remain with Miss Dawes’ loved ones and all those affected by her death.”
• Lancashire Police later confirmed a mandatory referral had been made to the IOPC, which probed if the force acted sufficiently in response to reports of violence against Kiena and to locate her once she was reported missing.
• IOPC regional director Catherine Bates added: “The death of Kiena Dawes is a tragedy that has had a devastating impact on her family and friends.
• “Our thoughts remain with her loved ones and all those affected.
• “Our independent investigation will help establish the actions taken by police, both in response to reports of violence and to locate her once she was reported missing.
• “We have spoken to Miss Dawes’ family to explain our role and will keep them updated on the progress of our investigation.”
• A spokesman for Lancashire Police told The Mirror: “In relation to the ongoing Kiena Dawes case, a 29-year-old man from Fleetwood has been arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and coercive and controlling behaviour, and remains on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

“It would be inappropriate to comment on that case while criminal proceedings remain ongoing. We remain in regular dialogue with Kiena ‘s family and they continue to be supported by specially-trained officers. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.

We referred ourselves to the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) in July 2022 in relation to contact we had with Kiena before her death. The IOPC are currently conducting an independent investigation and as this remains ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time.” *If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123.

Alternatively, you can email or visit their site to find your local branch *For confidential support, call the 24-hourNational Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.ukIf you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse)can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy.

Who is Nicola Bully’s sister?

Nicola Bulley’s sister in tears recalling her last days before disappearing Nicola Bulley’s younger sister broke down in tears as she told the inquest her sister ‘always had things under her control’, and recalled that she had problems sleeping not long before her death Louise Cunningham described her sister Nicola at an inquest as someone who ‘always had things under control’

• Nicola Bulley’s sister could be seen in tears as she spoke during the inquest into her death today.
• Speaking at the County Hall in Preston on Monday, Louise Cunningham became emotional as she described her 45-year-old sibling as “very much a planner” who “always had things under her control.”
• She also described how two sisters had childhood nicknames for each other – Nicola was Clacker and Louise was Tosh.
• On the morning she disappeared, Louise text her sister on WhatsApp and they were talking about booking a spa day.

She had booked the trip that morning, text her at 8.52am and then signed off the text ‘Tosher’. Nicola with her partner Paul Nicola Bulley with her partner Paul Ansell at Centre Parcs in December Louise began crying as she said: “Literally I was saying it was booked but she never picked up the message.” The sisters were due to go to Ribby Hall for a spa day on March 18 using a voucher Nicola’s daughters had bought her for Mother’s Day in 2022.

1. The sister also admitted there has been a “blip” in the mortgage advisor’s mental state not long before her death in January this year,
2. Louise said: “She had a blip over Christmas (2022) but she was back on the HRT medication in January and back to work and back to the normal Nikki.”
3. Ms Cunningham said her sister was drinking more heavily over that period, but stated that Nicola had never confided in her about any suicidal thoughts.

Nicola would not have left her dog Willow on its own intentionally, her sister told the inquest ( PA)

• Louise said her sister had however spoken about having problems sleeping, and had discussed problems with her HRT medication in summer 2022.
• She said: “She was having, she couldn’t get the balance exactly right, she mentioned having struggles sleeping.
• “She was taking lavender spray, herbal tea, anything that would relax her before bed.”

A major search was launched along the River Wyre in Lancashire when Nicola went missing earlier this year ( PA) Earlier today, the inquest heard how there was “nothing” in Nicola’s medical records to suggest she was suicidal. Her former GP Dr Rebecca Gray, told the hearing at County Hall, Preston: “There is nothing on the notes or records from 2012 where there’s been any mention of her feeling suicidal or of self harm.”

1. Ms Bulley had spoken to Dr Gray about feeling a “low mood and anxiety” since 2018, later telling of headaches, fatigue and lack of sleep.
2. A major search was launched along the River Wyre in Lancashire when Nicola went missing earlier this year, with her body eventually found in the river 23 days later.
3. The location was around a mile downstream from a bench near where her dog Willow was found alone – but Nicola would not have intentionally left her unattended by the river, her sister said.
4. Louise Cunningham told the inquest: “Willow was like a third child, Willow is nearly eight and I’m not sure Nikki missed a dog walk.
5. “She would always find time in her day.”
6. She went on: “There’s no way Nikki would leave Willow unattended by herself.”
7. *If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email or visit their site to find your local branch

You can find this story in Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. : Nicola Bulley’s sister in tears recalling her last days before disappearing

Has Nicola Bulley had a funeral yet?

A no-fly zone had to be imposed for the funeral of Nicola Bulley to stop sick TikTokers from filming. Police were forced to issue a no-fly zone over the church where Nicola Bulley’s funeral was held to stop sick creeps using drones to film the service.

Was it the body of Nicola Bulley?

What happened to Nicola Bulley? All we know about her death

• Police who investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley issued a statement earlier this month to stamp out “speculation” after officers returned to the river where her body was found.
• Police returned to the River Wyre in Lancashire in early April, in the water, ahead of an inquest into her death which will be heard on Monday, 26 June at County Hall in Preston.
• Lancashire Constabulary issued a statement,,
• Ms Bulley, a mortgage adviser, went missing on 27 January after having last been seen walking her dog near the River Wyre.
• After an intensive search, which took detectives out to Morecambe Bay, Bulley’s body was found on 19 February around a mile downstream of a bench where her phone had been left.

Nicola Bulley was found after a weeks long search and an inquest is due to take place this summer

1. A diving team was seen in the river in early April, as Lancashire Police said officers were carrying out work “on the direction of HM coroner”.
2. However, a Lancashire Constabulary spokesperson said there had been “misinformed speculation” relating to police activity in the River Wyre.
3. The force confirmed that police divers were asked by the Senior Coroner to assess the riverbanks in the vicinity of where Ms Bulley went missing, and were not conducting any further searches within the river or along the banks.
4. Below we look at everything we know so far and her disappearance and what has happened since.
5. Nicola Bulley was a 45-year-old mortgage adviser and mother-of-two living in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire.
6. Paul Ansell, Ms Bulley’s partner, said she was “fun”, “loving”, “the most loyal friend you could ever have” and an “exceptional mum”.
7. Nadia Fell, 39, a friend of the late mother, said Bulley was “the most amazing mum ever” and added: “Anything that needed doing for the school – PTA stuff – she was always there for it.”
8. In the latter stages of the search, police controversially revealed Bulley had been struggling with alcohol use and symptoms of the peri-menopause before her disappearance.

Ms Bulley was last seen near the river at around 9.20am on Friday 27 January, after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at the school in the village. She was understood to have been walking her dog Willow, a springer spaniel, along the River Wyre.

• Her mobile phone and dog were later found by a bench by another dog-walker.
• A major search for Ms Bulley saw specialist diving teams scan the river, with police heading all the way out to Morecambe Bay to investigate the possibility her body had been swept out to sea.
• Her body was found 23 days after she disappeared, on 19 February, in a patch of undergrowth and branches by a river bend around one mile from the bench where her phone and dog were found.
• More than six weeks later, police divers were spotted in the River Wyre on 4 April and a brief clip was uploaded to YouTube.
• Lancashire Police said in a statement: “We can confirm we are carrying out some work on the direction of HM coroner.”
• An inquest into Bulley‘s death is to be held on 26 June.

Ms Bulley and her partner Paul Ansell had two children together

1. After Ms Bulley’s body was found, her family said they can let the mother-of-two “rest now”.
2. A statement released by the family read: “We will never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us.
3. “We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.

During the lengthy search, Mr Ansell, 44, described the situation as “perpetual hell”. Ernie Bulley, Nicola’s father, said: “Every day is a struggle.”

• Lancashire Constabulary faced widespread criticism over its approach during the search.
• MPs and campaign groups voiced their disapproval after the force elected to put elements of Bulley’s private life into the public domain during the search, including her struggles with alcohol and peri-menopause.
• A “full independent review” is set to be carried out by the College of Policing into Lancashire Police’s handling of the case, the county’s police and crime commissioner said.
• Conservative PCC Andrew Snowden said the public “understandably feel that there remain questions about the handling of elements of the police investigation, how it was communicated and the decision to release personal information”.
• The force said it “welcomes the independent review”, adding that it is “keen to take the opportunity to learn”.
• After police divers were spotted in the River Wyre again early in April, Lancashire Constabulary said: “We can confirm we are carrying out some work on the direction of HM coroner.”
• However, the force said there had been “misinformed speculation” relating to police activity in the River Wyre.
• A Lancashire Constabulary spokesperson said: “As previously stated, police divers were acting under instruction of HM Senior Coroner and had been asked to assess the riverbanks in the vicinity of where Nicola Bulley went missing.

“They had not been tasked either to perform any further searches within the river or along the banks or to locate any articles. This activity is to assist with the coronial process.” Ms Bulley’s disappearance sparked a huge search operation and intense media and public interest

1. The ICO, a public body that considers information rights, launched an investigation into the force on 17 February after the revelations of Ms Bulley’s personal information.
2. Lancashire Constabulary said the ICO concluded no enforcement action was needed, though the College of Policing has launched its own review which will consider the revelation.
3. Andrew Snowden, Lancashire police and crime commissioner, said the review will also look at the operational response to what was a high-risk missing person investigation, the force’s engagement with the press and decision-making surrounding disclosure of sensitive personal information.
4. The findings and recommendations are set to be made public in autumn.
5. A separate investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into a Lancashire officer’s contact with Ms Bulley prior to her disappearance found no misconduct but advised the force on guidance and the officer on body-worn camera protocol.
6. Police accompanied health workers in a multi-agency vehicle to Ms Bulley’s home on 10 January, little more than a fortnight before she was last seen, on a matter the force said was related to her “alcohol issues”.
7. The IOPC said it identified “two areas of learning” for the officer relating to when to activate his body-worn video and recording information on police systems.
8. The force should update its guidance documents for multi-agency vehicles, so officers better understand their role, the IOPC said, adding guidance could be better provided “for officers more widely when dealing with similar situations”.

: What happened to Nicola Bulley? All we know about her death

Could Nicola Bulley be in the sea

Nicola’s body ‘unlikely to be found in river & IMPOSSIBLE for it to reach sea’ THE head of a specialist dive squad searching for missing Nicola Bulley has claimed it is “impossible” that her body could have reached the sea. Specialist Group International (SGI) have been for 11 3 Nicola Bulley vanished eleven days ago on Friday January 27 3 Dive expert Peter Faulding claims her body could not have gone out to sea 3 Huge searches are being carried out on the river Credit: PA

• Lancashire Police said previously their “main working hypothesis” is that Nicola had,
• Supt Sally Riley claimed there may have been an “issue” with that led Nicola to the edge of the water.
• But extensive searches have been so far unsuccessful – and believes it is “ulikely” she will be found there.
• And he claims there is “no way” she could have reached the sea.

He told : “We’ve been using the high frequency side scan sonar in this stretch today and it’s so detailed I can even see every stone of it. She’s not in this stretch. “We also sonar-ed on the other side down yesterday in the tidal river. Now if you take a football on a tidal riverwhen the tide goes out the ball will go down the stream and then as soon as the tide turns it will come back in again.

1. “For Nicola to get out to the sea would be impossible, literally, it is such a long way.”
2. Lancashire Police confirmed on Tuesday they are keeping an “open mind” but said they still believe Nicola fell in the river.
3. Supt Sally Riley said the force has not yet detected a “suspicious” element in Nicola’s disappearance.
4. She added: “Every third party element or criminal element has been looked into and discounted.”
5. In a press conference on Tuesday, the officer also warned amateur detectives from trespassing in empty properties as the search reaches its 11th day.
6. And she urged the public not to “take matters into their own hands” and refrain from speculating online as it could “hurt” Nicola’s family.
7. Supt Riley added: “Nor is it helpful if people, particularly if they have come from outside of the area, take it upon themselves to take the law into their own hands by trying to, for example, break into empty property.

“They may mean well, they may want to help. But they can help in thinking back if they were in the area to what information they may have of relevance to the police and holding the family in their thoughts. “But we will not tolerate online abuse of anyone, including innocent witnesses, members of the family and friends, of local businesses, or of criminal damage or burglary.

• Supt Riley said the search is “complex” as the river can be fast-moving with parts of the water tidal.
• She added: “It remains our belief that Nicola fell into the river and that this is a missing person inquiry.
• “We are fully open minded to any information that indicates where Nicola is and what happened to her.”

: Nicola’s body ‘unlikely to be found in river & IMPOSSIBLE for it to reach sea’

How was Nicola Bulley’s body found

Police have returned to the scene where the body of Nicola Bulley was found. Divers are back in the River Wyre where the mum of two’s body was spotted by two dog walkers on 19 February, following a huge police investigation. Lancashire Police confirmed that they were carrying out some work at the direction of the coroner.

• The mortgage adviser disappeared after taking her dog Willow for a walk on the morning of 27 January.
• The springer spaniel was found shortly after, along with Ms Bulley’s mobile phone, which was discovered on a bench beside a steep riverbank.
• The phone was still connected to a work conference call.
• Her body was eventually found more than three weeks later.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Police confirm Ms Bulley’s body has been found An inquest into the 45-year-old’s cause of death is due to be heard on 26 June at County Hall in Preston. Read more TikToker filmed body being taken from river Independent review commissioned into disappearance Ms Bulley’s disappearance attracted massive public interest, especially from amateur sleuths and social media video-makers, who have been coming up with their own theories.

Who was Nicola bulleys first husband?

Devoted and loving mum – Just weeks ago the family had enjoyed a break together in Center Parcs filled with smiling faces and cozy cuddles as they got ready to celebrate Christmas. Weeks later the family is waiting for news. As well as being a dedicated mother, Nikki is a self-employed mortgage and protection adviser, according to her LinkedIn profile, so it appears she set her own agenda and didn’t need to be at her desk by 9am.

1. She was born in Thurrock in Essex, but moved to Lancashire 25 years ago, followed by her parents Ernest, 73, and Dot, 72, and sister Louise Cunningham.
2. She was briefly married to local businessman Simon Booth, who is now engaged to actress Jodie Prenger, who plays Glenda Shuttleworth in Coronation Street, before meeting her partner, Paul Ansell, in a pub 12 years ago.

On her Facebook page, she shared images from her life in the country as a family of four. Nicola with her children ( Image: strava) Her partner Paul is looking after the girls ( Image: Facebook)

Why did Nicola Bulley leave her phone?

Paul Ansell told the inquest that he believes she went to put a harness on her dog Willow before she went missing. Paul Ansell said: ‘She was still listening to that meeting, so I think she must have maybe put the phone on the bench and gone to put the harness back on Willow.’

Did Nicola Bulley drown by accident

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Death of Nicola Bulley

Location	St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, UK
Cause	Drowning
Reported missing	27 January 2023
Body found	19 February 2023

On 27 January 2023, British woman Nicola Bulley disappeared whilst walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, UK. Lancashire Constabulary said that there was no evidence of either suspicious activity or third party involvement in the disappearance and quickly stated that their working hypothesis was that she had fallen into the River Wyre,

• However, an extensive search of the river and surrounding land involving police divers, helicopters, sniffer dogs and drones found no body.
• On 19 February, Bulley’s body was found in the river by a man and a woman walking in the area, about one mile (1.5 kilometres) downstream of St Michael’s on Wyre.

The inquest, which concluded in June 2023, determined that Bulley’s death was due to accidental drowning, The police were criticised for their handling of the case, including releasing private details of Bulley’s health. Members of the public, particularly users of social media, were also criticised for travelling to the area during the search and for what the police described as ” private detectives “.

Did Nicola Bulley have bruises

The last text Nicola Bulley sent was read out at an inquest into her death. The 45-year-old was last seen alive taking her dog for a walk along the River Wyre on January 27. An inquest, which started on Monday, June 26, was told police believe Nicola had somehow fallen down the steep banking leading to the near-freezing water.

• With the temperature as low as four degrees celcius, two of the world’s leading experts on drowning concluded she would have been “rapidly incapacitated” from a phenomenon known as cold water shock.
• The court was told Nicola would have died within a matter of seconds.
• Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

A number of doctors and witnesses gave evidence at yesterday’s inquest and the court heard a complete timeline of Nicola’s disappearance. One section of evidence concerned the last text Nicola received, and to which she replied, from her friend Lucy. The waitress had been texting Nicola to arrange a play date between their two daughters.

• Nicola had texted Lucy the night before she went missing but Lucy only saw the text on the Friday morning, the court heard.
• Lucy replied at 8.13am.
• She told the court: “I said my daughter would love to come and play.” At 8.59am Nicola replied confirming a time and included a smiley face emoji.
• Lucy and Nicola were also due to meet up the following day.

She said: “We were going to be meeting up, a group of mums, on the Saturday night for a few drinks.” Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour who carried out a post mortem two days after Nicola was found, more than three weeks after she disappeared. Her body had made its way downstream around a mile and a half from where Nicola had entered the water. Nicola Bulley and her pet dog (Image: PA) The presence of water within the alveolar spaces in the lungs allowed Dr Armour to conclude the cause of death was drowning. Nicola was described as a “holiday swimmer” and Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley asked PC Thackery to give an account of his experiences of deaths by drowning.

He said: “I have attended a number of deaths where the water is chest deep and with a flat bottom with no flow to the water. “You could avoid drowning by keeping calm and standing up, however, it doesn’t happen like that when you suddenly enter cold water. “You gasp and you breathe in water and these drownings could have been prevented if they had kept calm and kept your head above the water but it’s never that simple.

In this case you can’t put your foot down, the river was moving and even if you got to the point of safety it’s difficult to climb out.” Furthermore, one of the world’s leading experts on what happens to an individual when they suddenly find themselves in cold water explained how that person would solely be focused on trying to take a breath.

• Professor Mike Tipton said that on entering cold water an individual would go into cold water shock and instinctively take a gasp.
• He believed that, given the depth of the river and the nature of her fall into the river, Nicola’s initial gasp would have happened underwater which would mean she would immediately swallow a quantity of water.

Prof Tipton said: “We have heard people talk about roots to grab onto and points of safety but you would not be thinking about that. You are preoccupied with attempting to hold your breath and get back to the surface. “There is no normal, logical cognition going on.

1. You are absolutely distracted and entering such water is a painfully cold experience.” Someone of Nicola’s build and weight would take in between one to two litres of water in that first breath underwater.
2. The amount of water needed to cause drowning is around two litres and Prof Tipton concluded: “It would only take maybe one or two breaths to cross the lethal dose.” Prof Tipton concluded her death “would have been almost instantaneous and certainly within 30 seconds” of her falling into the water.

Moreover, the estimate of 10 seconds before a person falls unconscious is the “upper limit”, and Prof Tipton said it would more likely have been one or two seconds. The inquest was attended by Nicola’s partner Paul Ansell as well as her parents, Dot and Ernest Bulley, and her sister Louise, who listened intently as several members of the public gave evidence.

Is it possible for Nicola Bulley to be in the sea

The head of an expert underwater forensics team drafted into the search for Nicola Bulley has said there’s “no way” she washed out to sea. Ms Bulley was last seen walking her dog next to the River Wyre in Lancashire at around 9:10am on January 27 and police are working to unravel the events of that day think she may have slipped and fallen into the water. Nicola Bulley, 45, who was last seen on the morning of Friday, January 27 (Image: Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS.C) And Peter has stated confidently that there’s no chance that strong swimmer Nicola was washed out into open waters. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “Nicola wouldn’t have gone far if she was in this river because it’s got shallows and she would get lodged. A helicopter above search teams in St Michael’s on Wyre (Image: PA) Mr Faulding believes if Nicola went into the river and drowned she would have likely got “snagged” within around 500 metres of the point of entry. He had earlier stated that his team would find Nicola “within minutes” if she did indeed fall into the river. Peter and his crew using a 18kHz side-scan sonar on the river in St Michael’s on Wyre (Image: PA) But he said if she was fit and healthy and a reasonable swimmer, she could have pulled herself out, if not at the point of entry further down the bank. He said: “She wouldn’t have been dragged down, no way,” he continued. Peter Faulding CEO of private underwater search and recovery company Specialist Group International (SGI) (Image: PA) The group has reportedly been using its ‘top of the market’ 18,000khz side scan sonar today, February 6, having joined the search effort this morning. Specialist Group International (SGI), led by forensic expert Peter Faulding, pictured (Image: James Maloney/LancsLive) In a new statement released today, Paul Ansell spoke of how their two children have been effected by the disappearance of their mother.

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Could Nicola Bulley body be in the sea?

Nicola’s body ‘unlikely to be found in river & IMPOSSIBLE for it to reach sea’ THE head of a specialist dive squad searching for missing Nicola Bulley has claimed it is “impossible” that her body could have reached the sea. Specialist Group International (SGI) have been for 11 3 Nicola Bulley vanished eleven days ago on Friday January 27 3 Dive expert Peter Faulding claims her body could not have gone out to sea 3 Huge searches are being carried out on the river Credit: PA

• Lancashire Police said previously their “main working hypothesis” is that Nicola had,
• Supt Sally Riley claimed there may have been an “issue” with that led Nicola to the edge of the water.
• But extensive searches have been so far unsuccessful – and believes it is “ulikely” she will be found there.
• And he claims there is “no way” she could have reached the sea.

He told : “We’ve been using the high frequency side scan sonar in this stretch today and it’s so detailed I can even see every stone of it. She’s not in this stretch. “We also sonar-ed on the other side down yesterday in the tidal river. Now if you take a football on a tidal riverwhen the tide goes out the ball will go down the stream and then as soon as the tide turns it will come back in again.

1. “For Nicola to get out to the sea would be impossible, literally, it is such a long way.”
2. Lancashire Police confirmed on Tuesday they are keeping an “open mind” but said they still believe Nicola fell in the river.
3. Supt Sally Riley said the force has not yet detected a “suspicious” element in Nicola’s disappearance.
4. She added: “Every third party element or criminal element has been looked into and discounted.”
5. In a press conference on Tuesday, the officer also warned amateur detectives from trespassing in empty properties as the search reaches its 11th day.
6. And she urged the public not to “take matters into their own hands” and refrain from speculating online as it could “hurt” Nicola’s family.
7. Supt Riley added: “Nor is it helpful if people, particularly if they have come from outside of the area, take it upon themselves to take the law into their own hands by trying to, for example, break into empty property.

“They may mean well, they may want to help. But they can help in thinking back if they were in the area to what information they may have of relevance to the police and holding the family in their thoughts. “But we will not tolerate online abuse of anyone, including innocent witnesses, members of the family and friends, of local businesses, or of criminal damage or burglary.

• Supt Riley said the search is “complex” as the river can be fast-moving with parts of the water tidal.
• She added: “It remains our belief that Nicola fell into the river and that this is a missing person inquiry.
• “We are fully open minded to any information that indicates where Nicola is and what happened to her.”

: Nicola’s body ‘unlikely to be found in river & IMPOSSIBLE for it to reach sea’

Did Nicola Bulley dog come back

Nicola Bulley’s friend says they ‘need some answers’ – Nicola Bulley’s dog may have been found near a bench as it is the last place he saw her, an expert has claimed. The 45-year-old was last spotted walking her springer spaniel Willow in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

• But the dog was found without his harness darting between the bench and the river.
• When questioned why Willow did not run off, dog trainer and expert Jo Sellers said dogs will often return to where they last saw their owner and where the “strongest scent” would be even if Nicola had “left the area”.
• Speaking to Express.co.uk, Ms Sellers said: “If they run off, then in nearly all cases they can trace back to where we last saw them as that is the spot of the strongest scent, even if the owner has left the area.

“They can follow where they have been using their scent traces left behind, then when they can pick up their human’s scent, they can follow it back to the main source. “This is often where they last saw their human and where we probably stood still for a while creating a large ‘pool’ of scent.” Willow appeared “bone dry” when she was spotted close to where Nicola went missing. Nicola Bulley was last spotted walking her dog (Image: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED) The mum-of-two was out walking her dog when she was last seen (Image: PA)

Was Nicola Bulley body moved

Why was the body found far from where she was last seen? – Nicola’s body was recovered from the river Wyre on Sunday, February 19 but formal identification was not confirmed until the following day. She was spotted by a member of public about a mile downstream from where disappeared and police along with specialist groups had already searched this area.