Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movements

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Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movements
Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movements

Along the main road through St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire, local people have lined the street holding huge placards with Nicola Bulley's face.

Above it in ominous red text is the word 'MISSING'.

It's difficult to imagine how different this same road would have seemed when Nicola herself walked down it just a week ago.

Seven days after she disappeared without a trace, the Mirror followed the footsteps Nicola, 45, took last Friday morning.

She had dropped her children at school in the car and left it parked up before setting off to walk her dog Willow, along a stretch of the River Wyre.

Nicola Bulley's children 'cried their eyes out' after being told 'mummy's lost' qhiukiqrihtinvNicola Bulley's children 'cried their eyes out' after being told 'mummy's lost'
Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsThe Mirror’s Hollie Bone recreates the last known minutes before mum-of-two Nicola Bulley vanished (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

It was a cold but clear day.

Today the skies are grey and a biting wind rips through the air.

At 8.43am Nicola, a mortgage advisor, was seen walking on the towpath by the river after dropping her daughters at school.

Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsNicola Bulley, 45, has been missing for a week (Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS.C)

Seven minutes later she was seen by another dog walker in a field next to the river and their dogs interacted briefly before they went separate ways.

At 8.53am she sent an email to her boss.

At 9.01am she logged into a Teams call and was spotted again by a fellow dog walker in the neighbouring field at around 9.10am.

Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsThe Mirror retracing Nicola's final known steps near the River Wye (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

This was the last known sighting of Nicola.

By 9.30am the Teams call had ended but Nicola remained logged into the meeting.

Just five minutes later her dog was found in an agitated state, free from its lead, and Nicola's phone was found on a bench close to the river bank.

Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsNicola had been walking her dog on the day she disappeared (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsNicola Bulley's last journey before vanishing (Lancashire Police)

The woman recognised Willow and Nicola's screensaver and raised the alarm.

Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dogMum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog

Police began searching immediately.

The bench is around 200 metres from the upper field where Nicola was last seen.

Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsPolice are continuing their search after Nicola's sudden disappearance (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

It is impossible to know at this stage what happened in the 25 minutes, between Nicola's last sighting at approximately 9.10am and when her phone was found was found at 9.35am.

But her family are desperate for answers to understand where this "doting mum" who "lived for her children" went in such a short space of time.

On the day of Nicola's disappearance, locals say that the water was flowing very gently over a nearby weir.

Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsNicola's phone was found on a bench, still connected to an earlier Teams meeting (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Walking past that same weir today and the moody river is racing over.

Police say they have searched a large stretch of the river, leaving St Michael's.

Friends of Nicola have been organising independent walks along the river out to Knott End on Sea where it meets the coast.

Last known steps of missing mum Nicola Bulley as Mirror retraces final movementsThe Mirror’s Hollie Bone walks the same path as Nicola just one week on (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

They say volunteers have come from all over the UK to do anything they can to help.

At the scene this morning uniformed officers have continued to scour the fields where Nicola walked before she disappeared.

As the search enters a new week, it is clear that family, friends and the community here will never stop looking for Nicola.

Hollie Bone

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