by Locals in a UK village where a mum went missing after taking her dog for a walk two weeks ago have lined the streets holding posters as mystery remains about what happened to her.
Police believe Nicola Bulley, 45, fell into the River Wyre near where she was walking her dog on January 27 and drowned.
Her phone, which was connected to a work call, and her dog leash, were found on a steep bank overlooking the river.
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But her body has not been found.
The search has now widened out from the small village of St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire, about five hours drive north of London, to where the river meets the sea.
Meanwhile police have been forced to take action as people travel to the town to try and get involved in solving the case.
They told people to leave last night.
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The case is attracting true crime fans from around the UK, with theories being posted on social media.
“Two dispersal notices were issued, and a number of other people were warned about their behaviour,” Lancashire Police said.
“We hope that will give people some reassurance that we will not tolerate criminality, including trespass and criminal damage.
“We are also aware of a number of grossly offensive comments being made on social media and elsewhere.
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“We are looking into these and will not hesitate to take action where appropriate.”
A friend said the wait for news on Bulley, who has two children – aged six and nine, is “almost like torture”.
Emma White told BBC Radio 4 they are just waiting for any new clues, with the poster blitz aimed at jogging somebody’s memory or uncovering new video footage.
“We just need Nikki home for her two beautiful girls who want their mummy,” White said.
“It’s just a rollercoaster, it’s almost like torture – just unimaginable frustration in the sense that everyone’s come together working so hard, from the police community to people on the ground looking, you expect to be rewarded for when you put hard work in.
“So we just need something, anything – a piece of information that can lead us down a different inquiry.”
Specialist divers who also searched the river ended their mission with no answers, saying the mortgage advisor was “categorically not” in the area of the river that police believe she fell into.
The river flows into the sea at Morecombe Bay with the search now moving towards there.
Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, has also pleaded for answers.
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Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s movements before disappearance
Lancashire Police have released a timeline of Bulley’s actions before her disappearance:
- 8.26am: Nicola leaves her home address with her children
- 8.40am: Nicola drops the children off at school and has a brief conversation with another parent
- 8.43am: Nicola walked along the path by the River Wyre towards the gate/bench into the lower field
- 8:47am (approximately): A dog-walker, somebody who knows Nicola, saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path
- 8.53am: Nicola sent an email to her boss
- 8.59am: She sent message to a friend
- 9.01am: She logged into a Teams call
- 9.10am (approximately): A witness, somebody who knows Nicola, saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow
- 9.20am: Her phone was back in the area of the bench
- 9.30am: The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on
- 9.33am (approximately): Nicola’s mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker
