Nicola Bulley - latest news: Conspiracy theories ‘hampering search’ as partner ‘distraught’

Speculation, guesswork and “people descending upon St Michael's on Wyre” is “hampering” the search for missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, and “causing inordinate distress” to her family, a local MP has warned.

A private underwater rescue group has joined the search on its 11th day at the request of Ms Bulley’s family, with founder Paul Faulding pledging that his sonar equipment will be able to confirm or dispell the current police theory that the missing dog walker fell into the River Wyre within days.

“If Nicola is in there, we will find her. If she’s there, our sonar will pick her up straight away,” Mr Faulding said, describing her partner Paul Ansell as “extremely distraught”, adding: “It’s a horrible thing to be going through not knowing where your loved one is.”

Police searching for the 45-year-old said that a woman described as a “key witness” had also come forward, after announcing on Saturday that they were trying to trace a woman seen pushing a pram in the area close to where the dog walker vanished.

Key Points

• Speculation ‘hampering’ search and ‘causing inordinate distress’ to family, warns MP

• New images show Nicola Bulley leaving home on day she disappeared

• Private underwater rescue team to join search

• Police say 'key witness' has come forward

• Police say speculation on social media 'unacceptable'

• Friend shares ‘11 facts you may not know’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance

Diving team search near bench missing dog walker’s phone was found

07:42 , Thomas Kingsley

A specialist diving team has begun searching a part of the River Wyre near the bench Nicola Bulley’s phone was found on.

Specialist Group International (SGI) founder and CEO Peter Faulding said his search crew will be focusing the operation “upstream in the non-tidal section above the weir” after the first day of the operation on Monday.

He said in an update tweet: “Today, my team and I will focus our search upstream in the non tidal section above the weir, and about one mile upstream including past the bench where Nicola’s phone was found.”

‘Very surprising’ Nicola Bulley not found

09:45 , Liam James

The chief executive of a specialist dive team assisting in the search for Nicola Bulley said he is “very surprised” that she has not been found in river searches.

Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International told Radio 4’s Today programme: “The initial area where Nicola went in, where the bench is, the police thoroughly searched that the same day, and did it again days later.

“From all my experience, I would expect a body when it goes down and drowns, to go straight down to the bottom, and remain there until the body starts to decompose and then it will start moving.”

He added that there is not enough of a current in the River Wyre, where police believe Ms Bulley may have fallen, for her to have been moved downstream on the day she went missing.

Mr Faulding said of continued search efforts “today we’re going to concentrate again upstream in the non-tidal section of the river, including past the bench again, just in case”.

Nicola Bulley’s disappearance ‘is one of the most odd cases’

09:18 , Liam James

A diving expert leading the search for Nicola Bulley said her disappearance is one of the “most odd” cases he has seen in 25 years on the job.

Diving team will scan river bed with sonar

09:00 , Liam James

Peter Faulding, lead of the underwater search for Nicola Bulley, explained to ITV how his team will use sonar equipment to scan the bed of the River Wyre for the missing mother-of-two.

Search lead fears ‘third party’ involved if Nicola Bulley not found today

08:34 , Liam James

The lead of a diving team searching for Nicola Bulley said his instincts tell him if she is not found today in the river near where her phone was found, there was a “third party” involved in her disappearance.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast as his team set out to scan the River Wyre with sonar equipment, Peter Faulding was asked what his “gut feeling” was after more than one week of searching has failed to find the mother-of-two.

“If Nicola is not in that stretch of river today my view is that there could be a third party and that [the phone] was a decoy placed by the river,” he said.

Underwater search expert explains why he doesn’t believe missing dog walker is in river

08:10 , Thomas Kingsley

An underwater search for missing Nicola Bulley is continuing following a fresh appeal by her partner, who said her two daughters “desperately” miss her and “need her back”.

Ahead of the Specialist Group International (SGI) beginning its second day of searching the River Wyre on Tuesday, Peter Faulding said he did not think the missing mother was in the water.

Speaking with TalkTV, Mr Faulding – a leading forensic search expert and SIG’s founder – said: “I personally don’t think she’s in the river, that’s just my gut instinct at this point.”

He added that his team of divers would go back up the river on Tuesday, to search once again near the point where Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was found on a bench.

Read the full story below:

Underwater expert explains why he doesn’t think missing Nicola Bulley is in river

Broken CCTV camera ‘would have seen everything’ in Nicola Bulley disappearance

07:30 , Shweta Sharma

The only broken CCTV camera in the area where Nicola Bulley disappeared “is the one that would have seen everything”, a friend of the missing dog walker has said.

The 45-year-old vanished last Friday while walking her dog along the River Wyre after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school nearby.

A week into the intensive search for Ms Bulley, Lancashire Police said that they were working on the theory that Ms Bulley had fallen into the river, and the force has consistently stated that there are no signs of any third-party involvement in her disappearance.

Broken CCTV camera ‘would have seen everything’ in Nicola Bulley disappearance

Force is confident that Bulley did not leave field near water

06:45 , Shweta Sharma

After reviewing the CCTV footage, the force is confident Nicola Bulley did not leave the field near the river via Rowanwater - either through the site itself or the piece of land at the side.

They believe she did not return from the fields along Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road.

Officers are now focusing on the river path leading from the fields back to Garstang Road.

They have urged drivers and cyclists who travelled that way on 27 January, as well as anyone with CCTV or Ring Doorbell footage, to contact them.

Nicola Bulley’s partner reveals heartbreak after CCTV still released

05:45 , Shweta Sharma

Partner of Nicola Bulley Paul Ansell has said that she had to be found safe because he can’t put their daughters to bed again with no answers.

“This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola’s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support,” he said.

Lancashire Police released two new images of Ms Bulley on the day she went missing, when she dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, off at school and then went on her usual dog walk alongside the river.

“This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola‘s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support,” he said in a statement.

Private underwater search expert cast doubt on hypothesis that Bulley fell in river

04:45 , Shweta Sharma

A forensic search expert who is leading a private team of divers to conduct the underwater search for Nicola Bulley said he did not think the missing mother was in the water.

In a media interview yesterday, Peter Faulding, the head of the private diving team Specialist Group International (SGI) admitted he was “baffled” by the case.

“Police were there on day one diving where the phone was found on the bench,” he told the Daily Mail.

“Normally, if a person has drowned, they go down within a few metres if being searched for the same day.

“In another couple of days I will be confident she is not in that area at all. We have the best sonar you can buy. We have scanned a huge area today (Monday) and there is nothing there.”

He said: “A body will move after a time, but they searched that area and came up with nothing - that is what is weird here. We are baffled.”

The group, which is based in Dorking, Surrey, and has been volunteering its services free of charge, has been using specialist sonar equipment to look for Ms Bulley in the River Wyre.

After spending Monday searching “three or four miles” of the river until it grew dark alongside Lancashire Police, Mr Faulding told the PA news agency: “It’s a negative search, no signs of Nicola“.

Force working on hypothesis that Nicola Bulley fell into the river

04:00 , Shweta Sharma

Lancashire Police force said they are working hypothesis that Nicola Bulley fell into the river but they remain open-minded.

The mother of two was last seen walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire on 27 January.

Her phone, still connected to a Teams call for her job as a mortgage adviser, was found on a bench on a steep riverbank overlooking the water, along with the dog lead, with the dog harness on the ground.

“Our working hypothesis remains that Nicola sadly fell into the river for some reason, but we remain open-minded, and we are continuing to carry out a huge number of inquiries,” the force said.

Underwater search continues after family’s fresh appeal

03:36 , Shweta Sharma

An underwater search for missing Nicola Bulley continued with divers scouring the river and river banks all the way to the sear.

The underwater search ran into the second day with search teams using sonar, search dogs, drone, and helicopters.

The search for Ms Bulley, 45, is entering its 11th day after she went missing on 27 January in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

Her partner Paul Ansell made a fresh appeal, saying two daughters “desperately” miss her and “need her back”.

He thanked Peter Faulding, the founder of Specialist Group International (SGI), which is leading the underwater search.

“We are also really grateful to Peter and his team from SGI for coming up and helping support the work of Lancashire Police as they continue their investigation.”

Nicola Bulley: All the evidence released so far in the case of the missing dog walker

03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Nicola Bulley, a 45-year-old mother-of-two and mortgage adviser, is still missing a week after she disappeared while out walking her dog after dropping her young daughters off at primary school.

Ms Bulley, originally from Essex but now lives in Inskip, was heading east along the River Wyre in Lancashire with her brown springer spaniel Willow when she vanished near St Michael’s on Wyre at approximately 9.15am on 27 January.

She was seen by at least one fellow dog walker moments before disappearing.

Willow’s lead and harness and Ms Bulley’s mobile phone were subsequently discovered on a nearby bench, the device still connected to a work conference call.

The dog itself was also found shortly after being recognised by a member of the public and reportedly appeared distressed.

My colleague Joe Sommerlad reports:

All the evidence released so far in the Nicola Bulley case

Partner of missing Nicola Bulley says her two daughters ‘need her back’

01:50 , Eleanor Noyce

The partner of missing Nicola Bulley said her two daughters “desperately” miss her and “need her back”.

In a statement released through Lancashire Police, Paul Ansell, said: “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.”

Ms Bulley, 45, went missing on January 27 in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

Private underwater search experts, using specialist sonar equipment to look for Ms Bulley in the river, did not find anything on Monday.

Peter Faulding, the head of private diving team Specialist Group International (SGI), said his team of experts and divers, based in Dorking, Surrey, worked with Lancashire Police and searched “three or four miles” of river until it got dark.

Read more:

Partner of missing Nicola Bulley says her two daughters ‘need her back’

What is the underwater technology being used in hunt for missing Nicola Bulley?

00:50 , Eleanor Noyce

A private diving team has joined the search to help find 45-year-old Nicola Bulley.

The mother of two was last seen walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire on January 27. Police are working on the hypothesis that she fell into the river, though this claim has not been substantiated with any evidence and her family and friends have disputed it.

On Monday, a private team of divers led by forensic expert Peter Faulding were drafted in to widen the search for Ms Bulley.

Mr Faulding is a leading confined space rescue and forensic search specialist who has worked on high-profile missing persons and “no body” murder investigations, including the cases of serial killer Peter Tobin and five-year-old April Jones who was abducted and killed in 2012.

More here:

What is the underwater technology being used in hunt for missing Nicola Bulley?

The final email and an abandoned Teams call: Timeline of dog walker’s mysterious disappearance

Monday 6 February 2023 23:50 , Eleanor Noyce

The last known movements of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley have been revealed by police.

Nicola Bulley, 45, a mortgage advisor, was last seen on Friday morning at around 9.20am while walking her dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

She had just dropped off two her daughters, aged six and nine, at the local school in the village.

Ms Bulley’s phone was found, apparently still engaged on a work call, on a park bench nearby, along with the harness and lead for her dog, Willow, a springer spaniel.

Her parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, have since spoken of their “dread” at the thought of never seeing her again, and of hearing their grandchildren “sobbing” after being told “mummy is lost”.

Here we take a look at her last known movements:

Matt Mathers reports:

Timeline of Nicola Bulley’s mysterious disappearance

Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she disappeared revealed

Monday 6 February 2023 23:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she “vanished into thin air” has been revealed.

The 45-year-old was last seen walking her dog by the river in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on Friday 27 January. She was still logged into a Microsoft Teams call which had ended at 9.30am when her phone was recovered.

Just half an hour earlier, the mother of two had texted a friend to book a playdate. She sent the message at 8.57am shortly before logging into the Teams call, locals at a village meeting were told.

Ms Bulley had just dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school on Friday morning.

The last known sighting of Ms Bulley was at 9.10am. Some 25 minutes later, her phone and the dog’s harness were found on a riverside bench. Her springer spaniel, Willow, appeared distressed.

Her Strava account shows that the route where she was last seen was one she frequently used, as she often shared photos of her riverside runs with Willow.

Read more:

Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she disappeared revealed

Friends hope specialist rescue team will give Nicola Bulley’s family answers

Monday 6 February 2023 22:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Friends of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley say they hope the help of a specialist underwater rescue team will give her family answers.

Private diving team Specialist Group International, led by forensic expert Peter Faulding, will help police search for Ms Bulley, who vanished while walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire more than a week ago.

Police have been working on the theory the 45-year-old fell in the river but her family and friends have questioned that, saying there is still no evidence.

Speaking to broadcasters on Monday, Ms Bulley’s friend Emma White said the family asked Mr Faulding and his company for help.

She told BBC Breakfast: “Following the hypothesis of the police that Nicola was in the river, we need some evidence to back that up either way and I feel Peter and his amazing bit of kit … is going to come and sweep the river bed and give us answers.”

Read more:

Friends hope specialist rescue team will give Nicola Bulley’s family answers

Nicola Bulley's friend hopes crews can rule out river theory after search of Wyre

Monday 6 February 2023 22:20 , Eleanor Noyce

A friend of Nicola Bulley is hoping that crews searching the River Wyre will be able to rule out the theory that she fell into the water.

Police have said that their “main working hypothesis” is the mother fell into the river, and it is “not suspicious but a tragic case.”

Underwater rescue crews are using a state-of-the-art sonar device to search the water.

“We hope they uncover nothing ... we hope Nicola is not in that river,” Emma White said.

She has been missing since Friday, 27 January, after she went for a walk with her dog.

Watch:

Nicola Bulley's friend hopes crews can rule out river theory after search of Wyre

“No signs of Nicola”, forensic expert confirms after first day of sonar searching

Monday 6 February 2023 21:55 , Eleanor Noyce

Peter Faulding, the head of private diving team Specialist Group International (SGI), said his team of experts and divers, based in Dorking, Surrey, worked with Lancashire Police and searched “three or four miles” of river until it got dark.

“It’s a negative search, no signs of Nicola,” he told the PA news agency.

He said his team will look through another stretch of river on Tuesday “towards where Nicola went originally missing”.

Lancashire Police “completely dedicated and determined” to find Nicola Bulley, says Detective Superintendent

Monday 6 February 2023 21:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Lancashire Police searching for 45-year-old Nicola Bulley, missing since January 27, have affirmed their dedication to finding Ms Bulley in a statement. Despite a private diving team assisting in the investigation from Monday morning onwards, the mother of two has still not been found.

Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, of Lancashire Police, said: “The team working on this investigation are completely dedicated and determined to find Nicola.

“As a mother myself, I can’t even begin to imagine what her two children are going through.

“Please be reassured that our sole focus is Nicola and that we are doing everything we can to find her.

“It is not possible to provide every piece of information to the public because to do so would detract from the investigation, but I’d like to thank everyone who has assisted us so far and for the support provided to Nicola‘s family at this extremely difficult time.

“They are being supported and updated throughout.”

Private divers scour river for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley

Monday 6 February 2023 21:20 , Eleanor Noyce

A private diving team has begun scouring the River Wyre as the desperate hunt for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley entered its tenth day.

Underwater search experts have arrived to help look for the missing mother-of-two who vanished on a dog walk in Lancashire.

Peter Faulding, head of the private diving team Specialist Group International, said it could take up to three days to conduct a thorough search of the river where police say she may have fallen in.

But the diving group said if she is in the river, they will find her “in minutes” if she has fallen into the water.

“If she’s there, our sonar will pick her up straight away,” said Faulding.

Martha McHardy has more:

Private divers scour river for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley

What is the underwater technology being used in hunt for missing Nicola Bulley?

Monday 6 February 2023 20:50 , Andy Gregory

The new team of divers, from Specialist Group International (SGI), are using sonar technology to try to locate Nicola Bulley.

Sonar uses sound waves to “see” under the water, sensing the location of objects in the ocean and on riverbeds. It is typically used to develop nautical charts, locate underwater hazards, search for and map objects on the seafloor, including shipwrecks.

The piece of equipment that Mr Faulding’s team specifically is using is an 1800-kilohertz specialist side-scan sonar.

In 2013, police officers in southwestern Oklahoma used the technology to probe a decades-old unsolved case, identifying a 1968 Camaro and a ’52 Chevy 100 feet offshore at Foss Lake. Both cars were tied to a missing person case that went cold in the 1970s, with divers dispatched to recover the vehicles also finding six bodies.

My colleague Eleanor Noyce has the full report here:

What is the underwater technology being used in hunt for missing Nicola Bulley?

Specialist search shows ‘no signs’ of Nicola Bulley on first day

Monday 6 February 2023 20:13 , Andy Gregory

Underwater search experts, using specialist sonar equipment to search for Nicola Bulley in the River Wyre, say they have not found anything today.

Peter Faulding, the head of private diving team Specialist Group International, said his team of experts and divers, based in Dorking, worked with Lancashire Police and searched “three or four miles” of river until it got dark.

“It’s a negative search, no signs of Nicola,” he told the PA News Agency.

He said his team will look through another stretch of river on Tuesday “towards where Nicola went originally missing”.

Nicola Bulley’s partner thanks specialist rescue team in new statement

Monday 6 February 2023 19:41 , Andy Gregory

Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell has expressed his gratitude to the specialist rescue team who have joined the search today.

“We are also really grateful to Peter and his team from SGI for coming up and helping support the work of Lancashire Police as they continue their investigation,” he said in a new statement issued via Lancashire Police.

“If anyone has any information which could help find Nicola, I urge them to get in touch with the police and help us provide the answers we all so badly need.”

Nicola Bulley’s daughters ‘miss their mummy desperately’, says partner

Monday 6 February 2023 19:10 , Andy Gregory

Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell has spoken of the toll her disappearance is taking on their two daughters, aged six and nine, as he issued a new statement via Lancashire Police.

“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,” Mr Ansell said.

“This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola’s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support.”

Cold water shock could have hampered Nicola Bulley’s ability to swim, says rescue specialist

Monday 6 February 2023 18:37 , Andy Gregory

Rescue specialist Peter Faulding has explained that if Nciola Bulley had fallen into the river while conscious, cold water shock could have taken her breath away, sapping her energy, which means she would eventually drown.

Even if she was fit and healthy, and a strong swimmer, she could have been dragged down, he suggested.

Private divers scour river for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley

Monday 6 February 2023 18:04 , Andy Gregory

A private diving team has begun scouring the River Wyre as the desperate hunt for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley entered its 11th day, reports Martha McHardy.

Peter Faulding, head of the private diving team Specialist Group International, said it could take up to three days to conduct a thorough search of the river where police say she may have fallen in.

A team of six divers has been drafted in to help with the search effort, with Faulding offering to assist free of charge.

Private divers scour river for missing dog walker Nicola Bulley

Stretch of river being searched is ‘very dangerous’, warns local angling representative

Monday 6 February 2023 17:30 , Andy Gregory

A representative of the St Michael’s Angling Association, which manages the riverbank in the village, has described the stretch of river where rescuers are searching for Nicola Bulley as “very dangerous”.

“The combination of the depth and how cold it is at this time of year makes it very dangerous,” the representative, who asked not to be named, told The Times on Friday.

“I certainly would not want to fall in there and I’m a very strong swimmer.”

Government minister urges public to respect family’s privacy

Monday 6 February 2023 17:01 , Andy Gregory

Members of the public must respect Nicola Bulley’s family’s need for privacy, a government minister has warned.

Speaking during Home Office questions, minister Chris Philp said: “It’s important that the public respect the family’s need for privacy at what is obviously an extremely difficult, upsetting and unimaginably distressing time. It’s important they let the police get on with their work, and the local authority as well.

“If anyone has any information at all, however minor or innocuous it may seem to them, please do come forward and share it with the local police, but anything at all could help them get to the bottom of this.”

Speculation ‘hampering’ search and ‘causing inordinate distress’ to family, warns MP

Monday 6 February 2023 16:29 , Andy Gregory

Speculation and people turning up at St Michael’s on Wyre is “hampering” the investigation into missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, Conservative former minister Paul Maynard has warned.

The MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys told the Commons: “Would the minister join me in imploring people to avoid the speculation, and the gossip, and the guesswork that has been going on, people descending upon St Michael’s on Wyre?

“It’s actually hampering this investigation and causing inordinate distress to Nicola’s family.”

Watch: Private search firm chief ‘confident’ team will find Nicola Bulley if her body is in river

Monday 6 February 2023 16:04 , Andy Gregory

Here is footage of Specialist Group International founder Paul Faulding’s comments as he arrived in St Michael's on Wyre today:

Private firm’s search will continue today until team runs out of light or fuel, staff member says

Monday 6 February 2023 15:33 , Andy Gregory

A member of the private rescue team joining the search for Nicola Bulley has told a reporter that they will continue to work today until they are physically unable to.

The team will scour the riverbed today until they run out of fuel or light, the SGI staff member told GB News, in a report posted to the rescue company’s Facebook page.

Friends of Nicola Bulley hope private search team can provide ‘answers'

Monday 6 February 2023 15:06 , Andy Gregory

Friends of Nicola Bulley have expressed hope that the new help from a specialist underwater rescue team will give her family answers.

Emma White told broadcasters this morning that the family had asked for help from Peter Faulding, who said his team will use high-tech sonar, which can see “every stick and stone lying on the riverbed”.

Ms White told BBC Breakfast: “Following the hypothesis of the police that Nicola was in the river, we need some evidence to back that up either way and I feel Peter and his amazing bit of kit ... is going to come and sweep the river bed and give us answers.”

Watch: Private underwater search team begin trawling River Wyre

Monday 6 February 2023 14:37 , Andy Gregory

Private dive team must be allowed to confirm or deny river theory, says founder

Monday 6 February 2023 14:01 , Andy Gregory

Forensic expert Peter Faulding, founder and chief executive of Specialist Group International, has said that his team must be allowed to “confirm or deny what’s in” the River Wyre, calling the discovery of Nicola Bulley’s belongings on the river bank the “only clue at the moment”.

Speaking to reporters shortly after arriving in St Michael’s on Wyre, Mr Faulding said: “If Nicola is here, I’m happy we will find her, if she’s in the river.”

He said his specialist equipment, a high-tech sonar which will scan the riverbed, has a “very high hit rate”, adding: “I can find anything with that.”

He said: “The clear evidence is the phone was by the river, the dog harness was by the river, so that’s their (the police’s) only clue at the moment and we’ve got to be allowed to eliminate this river, so we can either confirm or deny what’s in here today.”

‘If we can’t find Nicola Bulley in next three to four days, she’s not here,’ says rescue firm chief

Monday 6 February 2023 13:31 , Andy Gregory

The head of the specialist diving company joining the search appears to have sought to temper expectations somewhat, shortly after appearing to suggest that his team’s sonar equipment could find Nicola Bulley within minutes if her body is in the River Wyre.

“We are dealing with about 10 drownings every summer. We always locate within the hour,” Peter Faulding told the paper.

But shortly after arriving in St Michael’s on Wyre, Mr Faulding told reporters that it was a “particularly long” stretch of river to search and that his team was bringing a "back-up resource" for the police.

He added: “If we can’t find her in the next three or four days in this river, if she’s not here, then I’m confident that she’s not in this stretch of river. I’d be very confident of that.

“We are going to be working our hardest, we’ll probably be working under darkness tonight for a while and that’s my intention to help the family.”

Monday 6 February 2023 12:55 , Lucy Skoulding

The founder of an expert diving squad that is now assisting Lancashire Police with the investigation into missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley says she will be found “in minutes” if she is in the river.

“If Nicola is in there, we will find her. If she’s there, our sonar will pick her up straight away,” founder of Specialist Group International Paul Faulding told the Mirror.

He continued: “Nicola wouldn’t have gone far if she was in this river because it’s got shallows and she would get lodged.”

Mr Faulding said the expert group deal with around 10 drownings every summer and always locate people “within the hour”.

The sonar can highlight “every stick and stone on the bottom”, the expert explained.

He went on to say that if Ms Bulley had fallen into the river while conscious cold water shock could have taken her breath away, sapping her energy, which means she would eventually drown.

But he said if she was fit and healthy, and a strong swimming, she would have have been dragged down.

Mr Faulding added that while the police probably do have sonar technology, it’s likely not as powerful as his teams. They may also not have the expertise or resources to focus on it as much as they can.

Specialist Group International is assisting the police in the investigation to find Ms Bulley for free.

Map shows timeline on morning Nicola Bulley went missing

Monday 6 February 2023 12:15 , Lucy Skoulding

A map shows a timeline of Nicola Bulley’s movements on the morning she went missing on 27 January.

The mother-of-two dropped her two children off at school, left her car in the car park and took her dog, Willow, for a walk by the River Wyre.

She followed a route she always walks with Willow along the towpath next to the river. Police believe she disappeared in a 10-minute window.

How the new private diver team will help in the search for Nicola Bulley

Monday 6 February 2023 11:30 , Lucy Skoulding

Private diving team, Specialist Group International, which is led by forensic expert Peter Faulding have joined the search for missing Nicola Bulley. They will assist police in looking for the missing mother-of-two.

Speaking to Sky News about how the team will work, Mr Faulding said they will use high tech sonar which will be able to see “every stick and stone lying on the riverbed”.

He said: “Let’s get this water searched so it can be either confirmed or denied if Nicola is actually in the river.”

“This is a particularly long stretch of river for them (police) to do because they’re doubling up as a dive team as well, so this is a huge task for the police,” he added.

Friend explains why Nicola Bulley’s partner has never been a suspect

Monday 6 February 2023 10:41 , Lucy Skoulding

Sharing 11 facts she feels the public need to know about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, Tilly Ann, a close friend, said “there is a reason why Paul has never been a suspect”.

Ms Ann confirms that both Ms Bulley and her partner, Paul Ansell, mostly work from home which explains why he was there the day she went missing.

There is CCTV lining their house, which Ms Ann says explain why he has never been a suspect.

“Family and friends need these accusations to stop immediately”, she wrote. “That fact that I’ve had to write this is disgusting.”

Friend shares ‘11 facts you may not know’ about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance

Monday 6 February 2023 09:41 , Lucy Skoulding

A close friend of missing 45-year-old Nicola Bulley has shared a plea online in an attempt to dispel misinformation about the case.

Tilly Ann, a close friend of the missing mother of two, has outlined 11 pieces of information she feels the public should know about the investigation. Amid rampant online discussion about the case, Ms Ann has said it is “disgusting” that she has had to issue this statement to curb online sleuths.

With the permission of Ms Bulley’s “incredibly close” family before posting, she notes that the only CCTV camera “that would have seen everything” is not working.

Read the full piece by reporter Eleanor Noyce.

Monday 6 February 2023 09:14 , Lucy Skoulding

Emma White, a friend of Nicola Bulley’s, hopes that a new private underwater rescue group, which will assist the police, will bring answers to the theory that the missing mother fell into the river.

Ms White, who has known the mother-of-two for 10 years, told Radio 4’s Today programme: “The hypothesis is based on limited information – I’ve said before it’s a theory – and we sadly can’t base life on a theory.

“I came across one of the interviews with Peter Faulding, CEO of Specialist Group International. They’ve got expertise equipment and manpower and they search rivers in extreme detail, so the quest to bring Peter to St Michael’s began.”

The expert team arrived in St Michael’s on Wyre, where Ms Bulley went missing, on Sunday night and will co-operate with Lancashire Police to search the River Wyre.

Ms White added that Ms Bulley’s two children are coping “remarkably well” but added: “They ask every day where Mummy is.”

Nicola Bulley’s friend has asked private rescue team to rule out falling in river theory

Monday 6 February 2023 08:50 , Lucy Skoulding

A friend of Nicola Bulley’s said she has asked a private underwater rescue team to completely rule out the possibility that the missing mother fell into the river.

Emma White told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We hope they uncover nothing, like the police have done for the last 10 days, and we hope Nicola is not in that river.”

She also said she is pleased that Peter Faulding’s team from Specialist Group International, with their £52,000 piece of equipment, will be able to support and assist the police.

Ms White said that police’s theory that Ms Bulley fell into River Wyre “is based on a theory, with no actual evidence to support it”.

She also thanked the public for their continued support to try to find Ms Bulley, saying everyone was motivated by “two little girls who want their Mummy”.

Nicola Bulley’s final text before she disappeared revealed

Monday 6 February 2023 07:00 , Katy Clifton

Missing dog walker Nicola Bulley’s final text before she “vanished into thin air” has been revealed.

The 45-year-old was last seen walking her dog by the river in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on Friday 27 January. She was still logged into a Microsoft Teams call which had ended at 9.30am when her phone was recovered.

Just half an hour earlier, the mother of two had texted a friend to book a playdate. She sent the message at 8.57am shortly before logging into the Teams call, locals at a village meeting were told.

Eleanor Noyce reports.

‘Vile’ theories over missing mother ‘incredibly hurtful’ for family

Monday 6 February 2023 06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

“Vile theories” over missing Nicola Bulley that are being shared online are “incredibly hurtful” for her family, a friend has said.

Heather Gibbons said that while it is “human nature” for people to speculate, some may not realise that Ms Bulley’s family can see and read their comments.

“Everyone is going to have their thoughts and theories. Everyone will be speculating,” Ms Gibbons told BBC North West Tonight.

Read more here.

‘Vile’ theories over Nicola Bulley ‘incredibly hurtful’ for family, friend says

Broken CCTV camera ‘would have seen everything’ in Nicola Bulley disappearance

Monday 6 February 2023 05:04 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The only broken CCTV camera in the area where Nicola Bulley disappeared “is the one that would have seen everything”, a friend of the missing dog walker has said.

The 45-year-old vanished last Friday while walking her dog along the River Wyre after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school nearby.

A week into the intensive search for Ms Bulley, Lancashire Police said that they were working on the theory that she had fallen into the river, and the force has consistently stated that there are no signs of any third-party involvement in her disappearance.

Andy Gregory reports.

Broken CCTV camera ‘would have seen everything’ in Nicola Bulley disappearance

Underwater forensics expert calls police investigation a ‘mess’

Monday 6 February 2023 03:38 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A leading underwater forensics expert has branded the police investigation into Nicola Bulley’s disappearance “a mess”.

The 45-year-old mother-of-two disappeared while on her regular dog walk in the quiet village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire on the morning of 27 January. Despite an extensive search, Ms Bulley is yet to be found.

Lancashire Police revealed on 3 February that their main working hypothesis was that Ms Bulley “fell” into the river and was not suspicious but rather a “tragic case of a missing person.”

Eleanor Noyce has more.

Forensics expert brands police investigation into missing dog walker a ‘mess’

Private underwater search team will join operation ‘free of charge'

Monday 6 February 2023 00:22 , Thomas Kingsley

Specialist Group International (SGI), led by forensic expert Peter Faulding, will begin aiding the search for Ms Bulley in the waterways of St Michael's on Wyre village in Lancashire from Monday morning.

The team has offered its services "free of charge". The news was confirmed to Sky News by Lancashire Constabulary.

In a post on Specialist Group International's Facebook page, Mr Faulding said his team will “work closely” with police.

“I have just had a long call with the Lancashire police search adviser to discuss the search for Nicola,” he said.

“We will work closely with the police search teams who are working long hours to find Nicola.

“The team are leaving shortly from our base in Dorking en route to Lancashire to start tomorrow morning.”

It comes as new images have been released of Ms Bulley from the day she disappeared.