Nicola Bulley disappearance: Timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of Lancashire mum of two who has been missing for 24 days

Ms Bulley was walking her dog, a springer spaniel named Willow, in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire, after dropping off her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school on Friday, January 27, 2023.

Timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of Nicola Bulley

Friday, January 27

Ms Bulley was leaving her home with her two daughters at 8.26am and dropped them off at school. She engaged in a short conversation with another parent around 15 minutes later.

She then took her dog Willow out for a walk along the path by the River Wyre at 8.43am, walking towards a gate in the lower field and was later seen by a dog walker who was familiar with her.

She sent an email to her boss at 8.53am, followed by a message to her friends six minutes after, before logging on to a Microsoft Teams meeting at 9.01am.

A second witness saw her at 9.10am, which was known as the last sighting.

Her phone was back in the area of the bench at 9.20am before the Teams call ended 10 minutes later, with her mobile remaining logged on after the call.

Another dog walker found her phone on a bench beside the river at 9.33am, with Willow running between the two.

Ms Bulley’s family and the school attended by her children were told about her disappearance at 10.50am.

Saturday, January 28

Lancashire Constabulary sent off drones, helicopters and police search dogs as part of the major missing person investigation.

They were assisted by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team and the North West underwater search team.

Sunday, January 29

Residents in the local area held a meeting at the village hall to organise a search, with police urging volunteers to remain alert.

Monday, January 30

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 her disappearance as suspicious.

Tuesday, January 31

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

Her family then 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

Ms Bulley’s parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, spoke to The Mirror about the “horror” they faced over the possibility of never seeing her again.

Thursday, February 2

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

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

Meanwhile, Ms Bulley’s family appealed to the public for help tracing her.

Friday, February 3

Lancashire Police said it was working on the theory that Ms Bulley may have fallen into the River Wyre.

Saturday, February 4

The force announced it wanted to trace a ‘key witness’ who was seen pushing a pram in the area near where Ms Bulley went missing on the morning of her disappearance.

Sunday, February 5

The woman described as a ‘key witness’ by police came forward. The force insisted she was “very much being treated as a witness” as it warned against “totally unacceptable” speculation and abuse on social media.

Reports were released that a private underwater rescue team was set to help police in the investigation into Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

Monday, February 6

Underwater search experts arrived to help. Ms Bulley’s friends said they hoped the help of a specialist underwater rescue team would give the family answers.

Her partner, Paul Ansell, said in a statement: “It’s been 10 days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back.”

Tuesday, February 7

Police rejected suggested that she could have been a victim of crime.

Lancashire Police said their extensive inquiries have so far not found anything of note.

A team of 40 detectives were working on roughly 500 different lines of inquiry, it was said.

The force urged the public to avoid “distressing” speculation about what may have happened to Ms Bulley.

Elsewhere, underwater search expert Peter Faulding, who was helping to find her, said he did not think the missing mother was in the water.

Wednesday, February 8

Mr Ansell spent 10 minutes on the riverbank near the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found.

He spoke of the “perpetual hell” of not knowing what had happened.

Mr Faulding said after three unsuccessful days of looking in the water, he was “baffled”.

Search teams were focusing on the 10 miles or so of river downstream of the bench, where the River Wyre empties into the sea at Morecambe Bay.

Thursday, February 9

Lancashire Police was granted a dispersal order to break up groups of people reportedly filming in the village.

Friday, February 10

Mr Ansell said the family was going through “unprecedented hell”, but that he would never give up hope of finding her.

Emma White, a friend of Ms Bulley, said the search for the missing woman in St Michael’s on Wyre had been “like torture”.

Meanwhile, police urged people to refrain from indulging in commentary and conspiracy theories online.

Saturday, February 11

Friends and family left yellow ribbons with handwritten messages on a bridge close to where she disappeared.

Ribbons with messages including “We need you home Nicola”, “praying for your safe return” and “I love you” were tied to a footbridge over the River Wyre.

A large poster with a photograph of Ms Bulley was also attached to the railings.

Sunday, February 12

Wyre Council removed councillors’ contact details from its website due to “inappropriate emails and phone calls” about Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

It also temporarily removed contact details for “parish and town council members”.

Monday, February 13

Two people were arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications.

Tuesday, February 14

Police were set to hold a press conference about the ongoing search.

Wednesday, February 15

A police press conference was held into Ms Bulley’s disappearance and has revealed the extent of the ‘unprecedented’ search for the missing mum of two.

The search continues as police are consulting with experts from the National Crime Agency and are still searching the River Wyre and the areas around it, including downstream and into the sea.

ACC Lawson said that search has used specialist services on the river and on land as well as police drones, horses, dogs and a police helicopter.

More than 40 detectives have done a deep-dive into hundreds of hours of CCTV and dashcam footage and hundreds of pieces of information handed to the police by the public.

The conclusion thus far is that there is still “no evidence to indicate a criminal aspect or third party involvement” in Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, Lancashire Police assistant chief constable Peter Lawson said.

So far police officers have visited more than 300 premises, spoken to nearly 300 people and received around 1,500 pieces of information.

The press conference was also the first time the press has heard from the detective superintendent, Rebecca Smith, leading the investigation.

Thursday, February 16

Senior officers on the force have disclosed that Ms Bulley was ‘vulnerable’ and classed by police as a ‘high-risk’ missing person immediately after her partner Paul Ansell reported her disappearance.

Police searching for her also revealed that the mother-of-two suffered “some significant issues with alcohol” in previous years, which had resurfaced over recent months. Lancashire Police revealed her issues with alcohol “brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause”.

This revelation has been strongly condemned by MPs and campaign groups. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that their actions were “very unusual”. She held back from criticising the police, but assured that she would speak to Lancashire Police in a bid to get answers about the decision.

Ms Cooper told Sky News: “I do have a lot of questions and concerns about that. I would want to speak directly to Lancashire Police about their reasons for doing so before commenting further, because I know there can be complicated reasons for police decisions. It’s very unusual and it does raise some quite significant concerns.”

Sunday, February 19

A body has been found in the search for the missing mum of two after a tip-off from members of the public on Sunday morning.

No formal identification has been confirmed, so Lancashire Police are unable to say whether this is Nicola Bulley at this time.

Monday, February 20

Nicola’s partner said he and her family are in ‘agony’ as they await identification of a body found three weeks after the mum of two’s disappearance.

The body was found by dog walkers in the River Wyre on Sunday (February 19) before being recovered from the water by Lancashire Police.