Body found in river in search for missing Nicola Bulley
The partner of Nicola Bulley has expressed the pain his family is feeling following the discovery of a body in the river close to where she went missing three weeks ago. Paul Ansell shared a statement with Sky News in which he conveyed his current state of agony and lack of words.
Ms Bulley was last seen while walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire, and her disappearance had led to a large search effort.
On Sunday, Lancashire Police reported that they had “sadly recovered a body” from the River Wyre, but formal identification had not been completed at that time to determine if it was her. The police are treating the death as “unexplained” and are in the process of identifying the body.
Mr Ansell shared that they are all together and must be strong in his statement to Sky, and Lancashire Police said that they have informed Ms Bulley’s family of the recent developments and extended their condolences to them.
The former Lancashire Police chief superintendent Bob Eastwood defended the force’s investigation in the face of widespread criticism.
Why the body only a mile away?
It’s been three weeks since Ms Bulley went missing, and the discovery of a body only a mile away has raised questions as to why it hadn’t been found sooner.
Bob Eastwood told BBC Breakfast that despite the extensive river search, the river is tidal and fast flowing.
“The way the tide comes and goes…it is possible that the body could have flowed in and flowed out and has eventually been given up by the water”, he said.
“To jump in…and automatically assume that the body was there the whole time is a step too far.”
He also noted the horrendous misogynistic abuse detective superintendent Rebecca Smith – the senior investigating officer on the case faced during the three-week search.
Police had come under fire from media, so-called ‘experts’ and armchair detectives – who questioned the police theory that Nicola Bulley had fallen into the river.
Nicola Bulley case
Nicola Bulley worked as a mortgage adviser and was last seen walking her dog after dropping her children off at school on 27 January.
Her dog was found shortly after, along with her phone – still connected to a work conference call – on a bench by a steep riverbank.
Police had maintained their working theory was that Nicola Bulley had fallen into the river and that her disappearance was not suspicious.
A body has been found about a mile away from where she was last seen in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre. It is understood local dog walkers spotted the body and alerted the police.
