Police call in extra dive squad in river search for missing Nicola Bulley
Police have called in extra divers in their ongoing search for missing mum Nicola Bulley - despite reportedly initially refusing their assistance.
Nicola Bulley, 45, vanished on Friday, 27 January, whilst out on a dog walk along the River Wyre, in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.
The mortgage advisor had just dropped her two daughters off at school, and bumped into a number of other walkers in the area, before last being seen at 9.10am.
Sometime between then and 9.35am, when her phone was found on a bench and her dog off its lead, the mum went missing.
Police said their working hypothesis is that the mum fell into the River Wyre.
Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog
Peter Faulding, a forensics expert who runs Specialist Group International, offered his services to Lancashire Police in the ongoing search for the mum.
The mum has been missing for over a week now (Lancashire Police / SWNS)
Nicola Bulley and her partner out on a dog walkSPI already operates as the underwater search team for police forces across the south west, but had its offer rejected initially, he said.
After appearing on Sky News, he made the offer to use his men and resources to help find the mum.
But, he said Lancashire Police declined his offer, despite the family themselves pleading with him to find a way to make it happen.
Police have called in the extra specialist assistance to aide their hunt for the mum (PA)He wrote: "Unfortunately, Lancashire police have responded via the family declining my offer saying they will continue with their own river searches using their current resources let us know if we are required.
"This potentially adds further delay when all hands on deck are required to help Nicola’s grieving family, either to find her or definitively rule the river out. Time is of the essence and I would like to state that my offer to assist in the search is not in an attempt to take over or criticise what the police are doing. Its purely to bring extra valuable resources to this difficult search for the good of the family.
The last known movements of Nicola Bulley (Press Association Images)"We are the official underwater search team for Essex Kent Surrey Sussex Thames Valley and Hampshire police forces so therefore we are not amateurs and have a proven track record for locating missing persons quickly.
"Myself and my team will remain on standby for deployment to help this poor family should Lancashire Police change their mind. #nicolabulley".
However, just a few hours after that, he said his offer had since been accepted, and then said: "I have just had a long call with the Lancashire Police search adviser to discuss the search for Nicola. We will work closely with the police search teams who are working long hours to find Nicola.
The extra manpower will help police as they search the river for the mum (PA)"The team are leaving shortly from our base in Dorking on route to Lancashire to start tomorrow morning. #NicolaBulley".
Devastated parents promise to never stop looking for mum-of-two who vanished
This comes as this afternoon a pal of Nicola's released the last known images of the mum, as she packed her car readying to take her kids to school.
Images taken from a doorbell camera showed her getting ready to set off on the 3.8-mile journey from her home.
Dressed in her walking boots, and hooded raincoat, she is seen opening the boot of the family car as her dog Willow gets in the back.
Police have said their working hypothesis is that the mum fell into the river (PA)She then drove around 10 minutes from her home in Inskip to drop her two children at school in St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire.
After that, she went missing when out walking her family's dog, Willow.
Hundreds of volunteers joined the search for the mum-of-two today as police scoured a riverbank. Police believe she may have fallen into the water while out walking her dog.
Police are keen to sweep the river, as they revealed this week it was their belief that the mum fell into the River Wyre.
The last images of the mum captured as she took her kids on the school run
The images were captured from a doorbell camera on the morning she vanishedLancashire Police's Superintendent Sally Riley said today that their “main working hypothesis” is that she fell into the River Wyre and that “this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person”.
She told reporters at the village hall: "We have not found Nicola - but our search continues."
Supt Riley said their search had stretched 15 kilometres to the coast, officers have combed CCTV and dashcam footage and gone door-to-door to try and paint a picture of what happened.
She said from this they were able to determine that Nicola did not leave the riverside.
Inquiries so far have left a 10-minute window in which police say they cannot account for Ms Bulley's movements last Friday.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police confirmed to the Mirror they received SGI's offer and took it up after speaking to Nicola's family.
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