Nicola Bulley latest: Timeline of events so far in missing mother case

It has been almost two weeks since the 45-year-old mortgage adviser went missing and so far, the police have been unable to find evidence that shines light on her whereabouts.

Multi-agency searches are continuing as her family and friends hold on to hope for a positive outcome.

Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary have trawled the River Wyre near St Michael’s, working on the hypothesis that Bulley, from nearby Inskip, may have fallen in.

The timeline of Nicola Bulley’s disappearance so far can be found below.

The search continues for Nicola Bulley (Image: Family handout/PA)

Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s disappearance

Friday January 27, 2023

8.43am - School run

Nicola dropped her children off at school and walked along the path by the River Wyre after doing so.

8.50am – Sighting

A dog walker - somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking with her dog in the lower field.

Their two dogs briefly interacted before the witness left the field via the river path.

8.53am – Email

Nicola sent an email to her boss.

9.01am – Work

Nicola logged into a Teams call.

9.10am – Sighting

A witness - somebody who knows Nicola – saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow.

9.30am – Call ends

The Teams call came to an end but Nicola stayed logged on.

9.34am – Phone discovered

Nicola’s mobile phone and dog, Willow, were found at a bench by the river by another dog walker.

10.50am – Family informed

Nicola’s family and the school that her children attend were made aware of her disappearance.

Lancashire Constabulary launched an investigation into Ms Bulley’s whereabouts on the same day and appealed for witnesses to contact them.

Saturday January 28, 2023

Major Missing Person Operation launches

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

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team and the North West underwater search team assisted the police.

Sunday January 29, 2023

10.30am – Residents help with search

Local residents held a meeting at the village hall to organise a search for Ms Bulley at 10.30am on Sunday, according to reports from The Mirror, and around 100 people joined the search.

Police urged volunteers to exercise caution, describing the river and its banks as “extremely dangerous” and saying that activity in these areas presented “a genuine risk to the public”.

Monday January 30, 2023

Police Supt shares update

Superintendent Sally Riley from Lancashire Constabulary said police were “keeping a really open mind about what could have happened”, and that they were not treating Ms Bulley’s disappearance as suspicious.

Tuesday January 31, 2023

Police speak with a potential witness

Lancashire Constabulary spoke with a potential witness, a man who had been walking a small white fluffy dog near the River Wyre at the time of Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

Her family released 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”.

Wednesday February 1, 2023

National Newspaper interviews family

Nicola’s parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, spoke to The Mirror about the “horror” they faced over the possibility of never seeing her again. Her father told the newspaper: “We just dread to think we will never see her again, if the worst came to the worst and she was never found, how will we deal with that for the rest of our lives.”

Thursday February 2, 2023

Police speak to second witness

Lancashire Constabulary spoke with a second witness who they had identified with the help of the public using CCTV but they told police they did not have any further information to aid their inquiry.

Officers from the North West Police Underwater and Marine support unit searched the area close to where Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was found, while police divers scoured the River Wyre.

Family speak to Sky News

Ms Bulley’s family appealed to the public for help in finding her.

Speaking with Sky News, her sister Louise Cunningham said: “There's got to be somebody out there that knows something.

“All we are asking is no matter how small or big, if there's anything that you can remember that just doesn't seem right then please reach out to the police. Please just get in touch and get my sister back.”

Friday February 3, 2023

Police share update

Lancashire Police said they were working on the hypothesis that Ms Bulley may have fallen into the River Wyre.

Ms 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.

She urged the public to look out for items of clothing Ms Bulley was last seen wearing, and gave an extensive list.

Ms Bulley’s friends also shared heartfelt appeals via television interviews, including Emma White, who told the BBC that Ms Bulley’s daughters were continually asking where she was.

Saturday February 4, 2023

Friend casts doubt on police theory

Ms Bulley’s friend, Emma White, casts doubt on the police theory that she fell into a river, telling Sky News it was based on “limited information”.

She said: “When we are talking about a life we can’t base it on a hypothesis, surely we need this factual evidence.

“That’s what the family and all of us are holding on to, that we are sadly no further on than last Friday.”

Sunday February 5, 2023

CCTV

Nicola Bulley’s friends share CCTV images of her on the morning of her disappearance.

Monday February 6, 2023

Private diving expert brought in to search

Peter Faulding, a world-renowned forensics expert and founder of Specialist Group International, has drafted in 'high-spec' sonar equipment worth around £55,000 that has a 'very high hit rate' and can 'find people within the hour'.

Video

Peter Faulding said he had offered the team's services free of charge to Lancashire Police.

Tuesday February 7, 2023

Police hold press conference

The search for Nicola Bulley continues and on Tuesday, Lancashire Constabulary held a live press conference which was broadcast on the force’s Facebook page and saw Supt Sally Riley update the public.

She said there is a lot of information to comb through as the police received “thousands of pieces of information” from the public, wider community as well as Nicola’s friends and family members.

Riley added that “there are around 500 active pieces of information and lines of enquiry that we’re working on to try and find answers for Nicola’s family”.

Wednesday February 8, 2023

Nicola Bulley's partner visits riverbank spot

Nicola Bulley's partner visits the spot where police believe she fell into the River Wyre.

On Wednesday, Paul Ansell spent 10 minutes on the riverbank near the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found, still connected to a work Teams call.