Witness questioned in hunt for missing mother
Development comes as search teams scour the area where dog walker disappeared on Friday
POLICE searching for a missing dog walker in Lancashire were last night speaking to a “potentially key” witness, who was in the area at the time she disappeared.
Nicola Bulley, 45, a mother of two, was last seen walking the family dog, a brown spaniel named Willow, along the footpath by the River Wyre in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre on Friday morning.
Police believe the witness, described as a well-built, 6ft man in his 70s who was walking a white fluffy dog, spoke to a woman who raised the alarm after finding Ms Bulley’s dog running loose near the river.
Officers dispatched to the scene discovered Ms Bulley’s phone on a bench. It was still connected to a work conference call.
Resource-intensive searches have been carried out since Friday, involving specialist police teams using helicopters, drones and dogs, with support from the Coastguard, Bowland Mountain Rescue and Lancashire fire and rescue service.
Hundreds of volunteers scoured a 12-mile stretch of the Wyre yesterday, from the village where Ms Bulley disappeared to where the estuary meets Morecambe Bay.
The search, organised by concerned friends of Ms Bulley and Lancashire Police, was launched from St Michael’s on Wyre Tennis Club.
Nancy Cleason, the club secretary, said they had been extremely busy. “We’re very fortunate with the community here,” she said. “People from Fleetwood and beyond have come up to help, even from outside Lancashire.”
Heather Gibbons, a friend of Ms Bulley’s, insisted the search would continue until she was found. “People are coming from further afield now to help look for Nikki.
“One lady turned up because it really resonated with her. She is 45, has two daughters and her dog is also called Willow.
“Nikki is a good swimmer and she knows the stretch of river well where she was last seen. She had walked Willow there many times.”
Volunteers, with dogs, scanned a QR code before they chose a stretch of the meandering river to walk beside and then had to log out after the walk to inform Lancashire Police that they were safe.
Ms Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, who has been in a relationship with her for 12 years, said the family were living through “perpetual hell”.
The family said in a statement: “We have been overwhelmed by the support from our community and would like to thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to help us find Nicola. The girls are desperate to have their mummy back home safe with them and your ongoing efforts have provided comfort to them whilst we await news on Nicola.
“We ask for anyone who thinks they may have any information that may help the police find Nicola to please come forward and help them with their inquiries.”
Officers say they remain “extremely concerned” for Ms Bulley and are doing everything to try and find her, but stress the case remains a missing person inquiry.
“There is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance,” said Superintendent Sally Riley. “We appreciate there is also a great deal of concern in the local community, and we appreciate people want to help.
“However, parts of the riverbank are treacherous, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.”
Ms Bulley is described as white, 5ft 3in tall, with light brown shoulderlength hair. She speaks with an Essex accent. She was reportedly last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive-green ankle wellies. Her hair was said to be tied into a ponytail.