Mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared without a trace while walking her dog on Friday almost two weeks ago. She was connected to a team meeting with work, and never managed to log out.
No one knows what happened to Bulley. There is a ten minute time window from when she went down the footpath, until the dog and the phone were found. Then Bulley was gone.
The police have a theory that she has fallen into the river, and that it is not a criminal act. This causes many to react, including family and diving experts.
SEARCHING: Nicola Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, stands here with Peter Faulding of SGI hired by the family to scour the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. Photo: PA Video
For the last few days, an international diving team (SGI) hired by the family has combed the calm river. They have bent underwater cameras, sonars and other equipment.
– She is not here
– She is definitely not here, says SGI diving expert Peter Faulding Sky News Wednesday. He is absolutely certain that they would have found her if she had fallen where the police believe she disappeared.
– If she had been here, I can guarantee that I would have found her. At least she is not in this part of the river, he says further.
Faulding’s team is now withdrawing from the search.
– To be honest, I am completely amazed, says Faulding.
SEARCHING Nicola Bulley’s mobile phone was found on this bench. The area was never cordoned off as the police believe the woman must have fallen into the river by accident. Photo: Peter Byrne
The disappearance shakes Britain. All traces of Nicola Bulley end on the footpath along the river bank. Her phone was found on a bench – still connected to teams. Camera and microphone were off. Her dog sat calmly and waited.
Five details
Faulding mentions five details that make him stumped, according to The Independent:
- Her mobile phone is the only technical evidence the police have. The phone was left on a bench, but a third person could have left it there to divert the police.
- The police have previously claimed that the dog may have jumped into the river and that Nicola was either dragged along or jumped after it. But the dog was completely dry when it was found shortly afterwards.
The dog was calm when it was found. It neither barked nor seemed stressed, which would be a natural reaction in most dogs who saw something happening to their owner.
- No one has heard screams or calls for help. There were several people nearby when the woman disappeared, but no one has seen or heard anything suspicious. There are also no suspicious tracks in the ground at the site.
- The place where police believe Nicola Bulley disappeared from has not been cordoned off to secure any forensic clues.
- The fifth and last point is that no discoveries have been made in the river. There are no strong currents at the site, and divers have combed the bottom twice.
– Vanished into thin air
The family is living through what they call an endless nightmare.
– It’s as if she has disappeared into thin air, says Nicola’s sister to Sky News.
At home, there are two little girls who hope every day that their mother will come home again, and a roommate who doesn’t know how to comfort them.
– I can’t leave my girls without giving them an answer, said Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell in despair Sky News Monday.
