05 February 2023 , 10:29
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A top forensic expert has claimed he doesn’t agree with police claims that Nicola Bulley fell into the River Wyre.
Mum-of-two Nicola hasn't been seen since the morning of January 27 and police are still unable to explain what happened to her as the search reaches its tenth day.
A close family friend said her loved ones and pals are "not willing" to accept the river bank fall as a conclusion.
Though police have said it's the most likely scenario, one senior officer said there's no evidence that she fell in.
Now a world-renowned forensics expert, who has been active on hundreds of cases across the southeast and works as a diver for police, echoed the superintendent's comments.
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Peter Faulding has conducted countless searches for missing people across the southeast (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)Peter Faulding said investigators should have found some evidence by now considering how long they've been searching the water.
He told GBNews: "The amount of searching that's gone on in this river, I would have thought she would have been found by now.
“Normally when a person drowns, if they are left a number of days they don't move very far.
Mum-of-two Nicola Bulley, who hasn't been seen since January 27 (Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS.C)"This is not a fast tidal river. So I would have expected her to be found by the police divers by now."
He said he understands that sonar has been used, but though it can be a high-tech and powerful piece of kit, it's "only as good as the equipment or the operator using them".
"We could have scanned this river with our equipment within the day and seen if there was a body there", the scientist added.
Police have still been unable to provide a conclusive conclusion (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)"It's as clear as that. And you know, none of this rings right to me. My belief is she's not in not in the river at all.”
Mr Faulding said there are a number of things that don't add up for him forensically, including a phone left on a bench, which he believes could be a "decoy".
Mr Faulding (holding a yellow box) at a crime scene (Daily Express)He explained: “I personally think this phone could be a decoy.
"We dealt with a drowning a couple of years ago where a gentleman went into a river and Ripley, his dog, was screaming by the riverbank when we got there.
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"When we arrived it was howling, and literally pointing exactly where he was. He stayed with his owner.
Nicola was walking her pet dog Willow when she vanished (Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS.C)“The phone on the bench, I mean, you have to ask, normally someone would have a phone in their hand especially if they were walking around."
“Even the clothing feels odd, no one spoke about how deep the water is actually at the bottom of the bank where it went in", Mr Faulding added.
Mr Faulding leaving a crime scene
He has written a book called What Lies Beneath about forensic investigations (Jonathan Buckmaster)"I've heard rumours it's 18 inches deep at the edge. I mean, the clothing she was wearing was not woolly clothing that absorbs water quickly."
He also wondered why no one heard "screams" and why "no marks" were left at the scene.
Mr Faulding, a veteran crime scene analyst, also criticised the fact that the location has not remained cordoned off.
Ms Bulley's last-known movements (Press Association Images)“What I am also surprised about is that the area hasn't been sealed off as a crime scene or for forensics.
“People have been walking past the bench. There's no police tape up. This would normally be sealed off as a crime scene so potentially crime scene investigators can go in and see if there are any microfibres, evidence, slip marks down the bank etc and I don't believe that has actually happened here.”