Nicola Bulley one year on - a timeline of her disappearance and tragic death
On the morning of January 27, 2023, Nicola Bulley dropped her two young daughters off at their primary school in the pretty Lancashire village of St Michael's on Wyre, before walking her spaniel Willow along the River Wyre.
This, tragically, would be the last time the mother-of-two would be seen alive. The last known sighting of Nicola was at 9:10, shortly after she logged onto a Microsoft Teams call with work. The alarm was soon raised, sparking an enormous missing person's investigation.
One year on from Nicola's disappearance, we take a look at the timeline of events that ensued, including parts of the investigation that sparked debate and controversy.
Nicola's phone was found on a bench overlooking the river (PC Matthew Thackray)January 27, 2023
Thanks to a combination of witness statements, CCTV, and phone records, officers were able to piece together a picture of Nicola's final walk. Nicola dropped her two children, then aged just six and nine, off at their village school at 8.26am, and spoke briefly with another parent around 15 minutes later.
At 8.43am, she walked Willow along the path that runs by the River Wyre, crossing paths with a dog walker at approximately 8.50am. At 8.53am, the professional mortgage advisor emailed her boss about a client. Six minutes later, she texted a friend to arrange a playdate between their children, finishing her message off with a smiley face emoji.
Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog
Just after 9am, Nicola joined a work call on her phone, staying on mute. Phone notifications suggest she was sat on or stood near a bench facing the river, while further analysis showed that she used her volume buttons at 9.18am. It was during this call, at approximately 9.05 to 9.10am that Nicola was last seen alive by a second dog walker.
At 9.30am the conference call ended, but Nicola stayed logged on. Approximately five minutes later, Bulley's mobile phone and Willow were found at the bench by another dog walker, with the spaniel's harness and lead left halfway between the bench and the freezing river. It was clear something was wrong.
At 10:50am, Nicola's family and her children's school were informed of her disappearance. A police investigation was launched that same day, with officers appealing for witnesses to contact them.
January 28, 2023
A desperate search began the day after Nicola's disappearance, with drones, helicopters and police search dogs all deployed as part of the major missing person operation. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team and the North West underwater search team also all joined the efforts to find Nicola.
Sunday, January 29
A local residents meeting was held at the village hall to organise a search, with approximately 100 volunteers coming forward to help. Officers warned people to be careful, as the river was 'extremely dangerous' and any activity in this area would pose 'a genuine risk to the public'.
Local residents banded together to search for Nicola (James Maloney/Lancs Live)Monday, January 30
Superintendent Sally Riley stated that her colleagues were 'keeping a really open mind about what could have happened', clarifying that they weren't treating Nicola's disappearance as suspicious.
On this day, Nicola's partner Paul Ansell, who had spent the previous day joining the search, also addressed reporters from their family home in Inskip, Lancashire, describing his family's grief.
Tuesday January 31
Nicola's family issued a statement describing how they were 'overwhelmed by the support' from the community, adding that her two young daughters were 'desperate to have their mummy back home safe'.
February 1
Nicola's parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, spoke of their 'dread' at the thought of never seeing their daughter again, sharing how their grandchildren had been 'sobbing their hearts out' after being told 'mummy is lost'.
During an interview with the Mirror, Ernest and Dot described Nicola as having been in good spirits, adding that her disappearance was completely out of character. Ernest said: “There was no sign of a slip or falling in, so our thought was ‘has somebody got her?’ I asked the sergeant from Fleetwood a few days ago, ‘Is there any chance of her being taken?’ and she said, ‘I don’t think that’s the case’."
Devastated parents promise to never stop looking for mum-of-two who vanished
February 2
Officers issued a timeline of Nicola's last known movements, in the hope that it might jog the memory of any individuals who'd been in the area that day.
February 3
During a press conference held by Lancashire Police, Supt Riley confirmed that their main hypothesis was that Nicola had fallen into the River Wyre. While urging against speculation, she did add that it was 'possible' an 'issue' with dog Willow might have led her to the edge of the water.
During a press conference, Supt Riley confirmed their main hypothesis was that Nicola had fallen into the river (SWNS)February 4
Nicola's friend, Emma White, expressed doubts regarding the police theory that she fell into the river, telling Sky News it was based on 'limited information'. In a Facebook post shared that same day, Nicola's sister Louise Cunningham urged people to 'keep an open mind' stating that there was 'no evidence whatsoever' that her sister had fallen into the river.
February 5
Leader of underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI), Peter Faulding, began three days of searching the river at the request of Nicola's family, but didn't find anything.
February 6
Nicola's partner Paul issued a statement through Lancashire Police which read: "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."
February 10
Members of the public were urged by police against indulging in commentary and conspiracy theories about Nicola's disappearance amid widespread online speculation.
Police came under criticism after sharing personal information about Nicola's private life (Phil Harris)February 15
At a press conference held at force HQ, it was revealed that Nicola had been classed as a 'high-risk' missing person immediately after she went missing due to 'vulnerabilities'. They later went on to 'clarify' these vulnerabilities, stating that Nicola had struggled with alcohol and perimenopause.
February 16
Lancashire Police released a statement from Nicola's family that said the focus had become 'distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her private life', calling for this to end.
On this same day, Home Secretary Suella Braverman demanded an 'explanation' as to why Nicola's private information had been publicly disclosed by the force, following widespread criticism of this decision.
February 17
Lancashire Police announced it was carrying out an internal review into the handling of Nicola's disappearance and the Information Commissioner stated that he would question the force about the disclosure.
February 18
Braverman met with police leaders to discuss how the investigation was being handled after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed 'concerns' about the revelations into Nicola's private life.
February 19
At 2.32pm, Lancashire Police revealed a body has been found in the river after officers were called to an area of the River Wyre at 11.36am, with the tragic discovery made about one mile from where Nicola had first disappeared.
February 20
Officers confirmed the body in the river had been identified as Nicola. In a statement, Nicola's family said she was 'the centre of our world'.
June 26
A two-day inquest into Nicola's death began at County Hall, Preston. Senior coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley ruled Nicola's death as a tragic accident that occurred after she fell into cold water and drowned. After ruling out natural causes and suicide, Dr Adeley told the court: "The only remaining conclusion is accidental death and this is what is recorded."
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