Nicola Bulley went missing in January 2023, and was found dead three weeks later (Image: Family handout)
The disappearance of Nicola Bulley was one that gripped the nation. The mother-of-two vanished in January 2023 while walking her dog, sparking a huge search and widespread public interest.
A major search for Ms Bulley saw specialist diving teams scan the River Wyre in Lancashire, with police heading all the way out to Morecambe Bay to investigate the possibility her body had been swept out to sea.
Now, one year on from her disappearance, Express.co.uk takes a look at how the tragic search unfolded.
Who was Nicola Bulley?
Nicola Bulley and her partner Paul Ansell (Image: Family handout)
Nicola Bulley was a mortgage adviser and mother-of-two who lived in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
The 45-year-old has been described as “fun”, “loving” and an “exceptional mum” by her partner Paul Ansell.
Nadia Fell, 39, a friend of the late mother, said Ms Bulley was “the most amazing mum ever” and added: “Anything that needed doing for the school – PTA stuff – she was always there for it.”
In the latter stages of the search, police controversially revealed Ms Bulley had been struggling with alcohol use and symptoms of the peri-menopause before her disappearance.
When did she go missing?
Nicola’s disappearance sparked a huge search (Image: Getty)
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The last known sighting of Ms Bulley was around 9.20am on Friday, January 27 when she dropped her daughters – aged six and nine at the time – at school in the local village.
She then went on a walk with her springer spaniel Willow along the River Wyre, when she sent an email and logged into a work call.
This ended 30 minutes later, though she remained logged onto the call. Both her phone and Willow the dog were later found by a bench by another dog-walker.
A major search was then launched, with specialist diving teams scouring the river across a huge area. The search went all the way to Morecambe Bay, with investigators believing she could have been swept out to sea.
When was she found?
Search teams scoured the River Wyre (Image: Getty)
Her body was found 23 days after she disappeared, on February 19, in a patch of undergrowth and branches by a river bend around one mile from the bench where her phone and dog were found.
In a heartbreaking statement, her family said they can let her “rest now”.
“We will never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us,” they said.
“We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.
During the lengthy search, Mr Ansell, 44, described the situation as “perpetual hell”. Ernie Bulley, Nicola’s father, said: “Every day is a struggle.”
What was her cause of death?
Ms Billey drowned after accidentally falling into cold water, an inquest at County Hall in Preston concluded.
Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, recorded her death as accidental as she fell into the river and suffered “cold water shock”, and said there was “no evidence” to suggest suicide.
He said: “Excluding a couple of comments over the Christmas period when she was acting out of character and were treated as throw away comments, there was no indication of any intention to take her own life.
“Her behaviour in the week before hear death was back to normal, she had restarted her HRT therapy, stopped drinking some time before, was making plans for play dates and spa days with several people, was becoming increasingly successful at her new career as a mortgage broker and behaved entirely normally during her parents visit of the night before and with Paul Ansell on the morning of her death.”
Police scrutiny
Lancashire Constabulary faced widespread criticism over its approach during the search for Ms Bulley.
The force revealed elements of her private life during the search, including her struggles with peri-menopause and alcohol, which sparked disapproval from campaign groups and MPs.An independent review has been carried out by the College of Policing into Lancashire Police’s handling of the case, and will be published on 21 November.
After police divers were spotted in the River Wyre again early in April, Lancashire Constabulary said: “We can confirm we are carrying out some work on the direction of HM coroner.”
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesperson said: “As previously stated, police divers were acting under instruction of HM Senior Coroner and had been asked to assess the riverbanks in the vicinity of where Nicola Bulley went missing.
“They had not been tasked either to perform any further searches within the river or along the banks or to locate any articles. This activity is to assist with the coronial process.”
