Nicola Bulley

Paul Ansell told Sky News that he can't get his head around what has happened after his partner went missing last Friday. Ms Bulley was last seen on a towpath ...

It’s like a dream, I can’t get my head around it.” Just half an hour earlier, the mother of two had texted a friend to book a playdate. Christine Bowman, 67, who was out walking her dog Snowflake along the River Wyre last Friday around the time the missing mum vanished said she “didn’t see” Ms Bulley. Paul Ansell told Sky News that he can’t get his head around what has happened after his partner went missing last Friday. Christine Bowman, who was caught on CCTV walking her dog around the time that Ms Bulley went missing last Friday, told the Daily Mirror that she “didn’t see” the mum-of-two. She was still logged into a Microsoft Teams call which had ended at 9.30am when her phone was recovered. Christine Bowman, 67, had been identified as a dog walker who may have been one of the last people to see Ms Bulley before her disappearance last Friday morning as she walked her dog near the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. The possible second witness who was spotted on CCTV walking her own dog around the time Nicola Bulley went missing said she knows nothing of significance to help with the case. Every single one of them. The woman who police were trying to locate as a possible second witness in the case of missing Nicola Bulley has said women in the village are “scared to go out”. Mr Ansell added that he “can’t believe” it’s been a week since his partner vanished while walking the dog close to their girls’ school and the case is still “no further on”. Nicola Bulley’s partner has spoken out on how he “cannot get his head around” her disappearance as everyone is going “round and round and round” each scenario but they feel no closer to the truth.

It has been one week since Nicola Bulley 45, disappeared while walking her brown spaniel Willow along the River Wyre in the tight-knit village of St ...

[101](http://tel:101/), quoting log 565 of January 30th. They just desperately want her home." Her hair was tied into a ponytail. He’s trying to hold on to hope that she will be found and brought home to them. "He’s trying to be strong for the girls. I am just focused on the girls." [she was "laughing and joking" with them.](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nicola-bulley-seen-laughing-joking-29107497) Right now it's like she vanished into thin air. "We're never gonna lose hope, of course, we are not. Every single one of them. Speaking publicly for the first time, Paul told Sky: "I don't know how I am coping. "Every single scenario comes to a brick wall.

The 45-year-old mother-of-two disappeared last Friday while walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire.

“It’s been very difficult, it’s been so painful,” he said. “It has made local women fearful,” she added. “We’re a close knit family. Police know Ms Bulley dropped her young daughters off at school on the morning she disappeared, before walking along a path by the River Wyre in St Michael’s with her dog at around 8.43am. Around 9.35am, her mobile phone and Willow, who was in an “agitated state”, were found at a bench by the river by another dog walker. Police say Ms Bulley was last seen at 9.10am last Friday while walking her dog, and she had logged on to a work Teams call, which ended at 9.30am with her still logged on. Ms Bulley’s mobile phone - still connected to a Microsoft Teams work meeting - and the lead and harness for her dog, springer spaniel Willow, were found on a bench close to the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre on the morning she disappeared. “She booked a playdate,” the friend told “I just can’t believe that we’re a week on and as yet it seems like we’re no further - it just seems absolutely impossible, like a dream,” the engineer told Sky News on Friday, as he joined friends retracing her steps. [officers on Thursday identified a woman in a red coat who had been pictured walking in the area](/news/crime/police-searching-for-missing-nicola-bulley-in-lancashire-appeal-for-potential-witness-in-red-coat-to-come-forward-b1057540.html) around the time Ms Bulley disappeared, and who detectives hoped may have been a key witness. he partner of missing mum-of-two Nicola Bulley says it is “as though she has vanished into thin air” as he spoke of the nightmare her family is living through, a week on from her disappearance. In his first TV interview, her partner of 12 years, Paul Ansell, said the family was “going round and round and round” through every possible scenario, while describing the last week as “like a dream”.

The mother-of-two vanished one week ago in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.

Christine Bowman, 67, told the Daily Mirror: “It has made local women fearful. Her mobile phone and the lead and harness for her dog, springer spaniel Willow, were found on a bench close to the River Wyre in the Lancashire countryside. She was last seen at 9.10am and she had logged on to a work Teams call, which ended at 9.30am with her still logged on. The 44-year-old said his “whole focus is my two girls” and that he was “hoping to goodness” that people would come forward with new information following an interview with Ms Bulley’s parents and sister on Thursday. A potential witness, a dog walker, who was traced following a police appeal on Thursday, said she had spoken to officers and “doesn’t know anything”. Paul Ansell said he “cannot get his head around” how the 45-year-old had vanished, and said his focus was on staying strong for their two daughters.

It has been a week since mum-of-two Nicola Bulley went missing while out walking her dog. The 45-year-old's tearful family has been pleading for anyone with ...

We're getting on in life, and the grandchildren, and our own children, are more and more important to us as we're getting older. He said that his family hoped their interview would "spark a light" that would lead to finding Nicola. But at the end of the day we just want her back." Her father Ernie said: "This has just emptied our lives at the minute, we just feel so empty. We need her home, her children need her home. We just want you back." She added: "We just want her home. Her microphone and camera had been turned off for the call. The police have been brilliant, the local community has been outstanding. The 45-year-old mortgage adviser was last seen during a dog walk on Friday (January 27) in the Lancashire village of St Michaels on Wyre. She was walking a small white dog. Willow was found near the bench.

Christine Bowman had been identified as a dog walker who may have been one of the last people to see Nicola before she vanished.

Ms Bulley and her family are originally from Essex but moved to Lancashire around 25 years ago. Ms Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, said earlier this week the family were living in “perpetual hell”. But after Ms Bowman, a retired teacher, was traced following a police appeal, she told the Daily Mirror she had already spoken to officers and “doesn’t know anything”. Ms Bulley, 45, a mother-of-two and mortgage adviser from Inskip, vanished while walking her dog after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school last Friday morning (January 27). Ms Bulley’s husband, engineer Paul Ansell, her parents and sister have pleaded for information. [had been identified as a dog walker](https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/second-nicola-bulley-witness-now-26142772) who may have been one of the last people to see Ms Bulley before her disappearance last Friday morning as she walked her dog near the River [Wyre](https://www.lancs.live/all-about/wyre) in St Michael’s on Wyre.

Searches have been carried out by Lancashire Police using drones and police dogs over the weekend, with support from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Bowland ...

Christine Bowman, 67, was one of them. Police had said the man, who was walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead, had spoken to a woman in the area who found Ms Bulley’s dog, before he walked in the direction of Rowanwater. Love a fellow dog walker.” On Tuesday, Lancashire Police had appealed to find a man who was believed to also have been in the area at the time Nicola was last seen. Police say Ms Bulley was last seen at 9.10am last Friday, while walking her dog and she had logged on to a work Teams call, which ended at 9.30am with her still logged on. Police said Nicola’s phone was discovered on a bench near the riverbank while the dog was found loose between a river and bench.

Mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared a week ago while on a riverside walk with her dog.

- About 09:10 - A witness who knows Ms Bulley saw her on the upper field walking Willow - About 09:35 - Ms Bulley's mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river - 08:50 - A dog walker who knows Ms Bulley saw her walking along the lower field. Ms Bulley's friend Emma White described her as "the most beautiful person" and "the kindest soul - she's thoughtful, she's caring. Every single one of them. Nicola Bulley's partner has said he was focusing on "staying as strong as I can" for their two daughters, a week after her disappearance.

Christine Bowman, 67, had been identified as a dog walker who may have been one of the last people to see Ms Bulley before her disappearance last Friday morning ...

Police say Ms Bulley was last seen at 9.10am last Friday while walking her dog, and she had logged on to a work Teams call, which ended at 9.30am with her still logged on. Her mobile phone and the lead and harness for her dog, springer spaniel Willow, were found on a bench close to the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre in the Lancashire countryside. Christine Bowman, 67, had been identified as a dog walker who may have been one of the last people to see Ms Bulley before her disappearance last Friday morning as she walked her dog near the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

Detectives say they are not treating the disappearance of mother-of-two Nicola Bulley as suspicious.

Ms Riley said the dog was dry and that Ms Bulley could swim. "She puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in," she said. Supt Riley said an "issue" with Ms Bulley's dog may have led her to the water's edge. "We believe that Nicola was in the riverside area and remained at the riverside area," Supt Riley said. Lancashire Police said its "main working hypothesis" was that she fell into the River Wyre and this was "not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person". Supt Sally Riley said the last confirmed sighting of Ms Bulley was at 09:10 GMT when she was seen on the upper field.

Officers say they are working on assumption that 45-year-old's disappearance is not suspicious, but tragic.

They said she was wearing an ankle-length black, quilted gilet and a black Vector coat underneath, which had long sleeves and came to her waist. Our investigation remains open and we will of course act on any new information which comes to light.” Police said searches of the river and nearby footpaths were to continue, aided by HM Coastguard, mountain rescue and Lancashire fire and rescue service.

Today marks one week since Nicola Bulley was last seen while taking her family dog Willow on a walk in the tight-knit village of St Michael's-on-Wyre in ...

[Paul Ansell](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-nicola-bulleys-partner-says-29122477) also spoke publicly for the first time today and said he's trying to be strong for his daughters. "As a mum I can’t begin to imagine the suffering they are going through. [101](http://tel:101/), quoting log 565 of January 30th. Right now it's like she vanished into thin air. She was last seen wearing a long, ankle-length black quilted gilet. “We have done a huge amount of work both in terms of searches of the area as well as extensive enquiries which have been going on behind the scenes and based on that work we are as sure as we can be that Nicola has not left the area where she was last seen and that very sadly for some reason she has fallen into the water. I am just focused on the girls." "We're never gonna lose hope, of course, we are not. Every single one of them. [Lancashire Police also appealed for a second potential key witness](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-potential-witness-comes-forward-29117150) to come forward, who was later identified but said she hadn't seen Nicola that morning. "Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. [mortgage adviser, 45,](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nicola-bulleys-daughters-want-help-29121353) was last seen while taking her family dog Willow on a walk in the tight-knit village of St Michael's-on-Wyre in Lancashire.

Police are still on the search for a missing mum-of-two who disappeared while taking her dog for a walk in St Michael's, Lancashire.

- Around 8.50am: A dogwalker who knows Ms Bulley saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. “There is absolutely nothing to suggest from all the extensive enquiries we have made that anything untoward has happened to her or that there is any third-party involvement in her disappearance. For immediate sightings please call 999. Police have today (Friday) said they believe she fell into the river and that there is 'nothing to suggest' foul play. We are supporting them as best we can and keeping them updated on our efforts to try and find Nicola. Around this time she was also spotted by a fellow dog walker who interacted with Ms Bulley. The mum-of-two's phone was recovered near a bench close to the river, however, there was no sign of Nicola. - Around 9.35am: Her mobile phone and dog were found at a bench by the river by another dogwalker. - Around 9.10am: Somebody who knows Ms Bulley saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow. - 8.43am: Ms Bulley walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her children off at school. This remains a missing person enquiry and we will continue to carry out searches and to do everything we can to find Nicola and provide her family and the community with the answers they desperately need. As a mum I can’t begin to imagine the suffering they are going through.

Nicola Bulley: Policecurrently thinks the case “is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person”.

- 8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. "As a mum I can’t begin to imagine the suffering they are going through. She was last seen wearing a long, ankle length black quilted gilet. For immediate sightings please call 999. Nicola is white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair. “This remains a missing person enquiry and we will continue to carry out searches and to do everything we can to find Nicola and provide her family and the community with the answers they desperately need. “We have done a huge amount of work both in terms of searches of the area as well as extensive enquiries which have been going on behind the scenes and based on that work we are as sure as we can be that Nicola has not left the area where she was last seen and that very sadly for some reason she has fallen into the water. “There may have been an issue with the dog that led her to the water’s edge, she puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in. She told the press conference: “I do have an update on the clothing that Nicola was last seen wearing, and this is something that the public who live in the area, or who walk their dogs on the river path near to St Michael’s or downstream of St Michael’s towards Morecambe Bay, can look out for. “Our main working hypothesis therefore is that Nicola has sadly fallen into the river, that there is no third party or criminal involvement and that this is not suspicious, but a tragic case of a missing person. Ms Riley said: “Our main working hypothesis is that Nicola has suddenly fallen into the river, that there’s no third-party or criminal involvement, and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person.” “We believe Nicola was in the riverside area and remained at the riverside area.

Nicola has been missing for a week after vanishing when she was walking her spaniel near a towpath off Garstang Road alongside the River Wyre in St Michael's-on ...

8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. This remains a missing person enquiry and we will continue to carry out searches and to do everything we can to find Nicola and provide her family and the community with the answers they desperately need. She was dialled in to a work conference call at the time of her disappearance. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. Police have today (Friday) said they believe she fell into the river and that there is 'nothing to suggest' foul play. "As a mum I can’t begin to imagine the suffering they are going through. Around this time she was also spotted by a fellow dog walker who interacted with Ms Bulley. For immediate sightings, please call 999. [Police believe the 45-year-old mother-of-two fell into the river ](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/nicola-bulley-search-update-police-26152346)while out with her dog on Friday, January 27, at around 9am, in a new update from Lancashire Constabulary this afternoon (February 3). [Nicola Bulley's](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/nicola-bulley-timeline-missing-mums-26152403) last known locations have been shown in a map issued by police today (February 3). She was wearing a necklace and pale blue Fitbit. “There is absolutely nothing to suggest from all the extensive enquiries we have made that anything untoward has happened to her or that there is any third-party involvement in her disappearance.

Ms Bulley's heartbroken family and friends had made desperate pleas for information during the week-long hunt after she vanished.

“There may have been an issue with the dog that led her to the water’s edge, she puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in. She said an “issue” with Ms Bulley’s dog may have caused her to place her phone on the bench and go to assist Willow. Ms Bulley, 45, might have been trying to deal with an “issue” with her springer spaniel Willow, causing her to go to the edge of the River Wyre and into the water, the officer in charge of the missing person investigation said.

In a new update from Lancashire Constabulary issued this afternoon (February 3), officers say that her disappearance is currently not being treated as ...

The police continued to say that based on the work done so far, they believe Nicola has not left the field where she was last seen and their "working hypothesis is that she has fallen into the river for some reason". People going out at night in the darkness could fall into the river and face other hazards. We are supporting them as best we can and keeping them updated on our efforts to try and find Nicola. 8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. She was wearing tight black jeans and had long green walking socks tucked into her jeans. We are grateful to the media for all their coverage and to the community for their help, information and support." She had a black Vector coat underneath which had long sleeves and came to her waist. She was dialled in to a work conference call at the time. She was last seen wearing a long, ankle length black quilted gilet. Police believe the 45-year-old mother-of-two fell into the river while out with her dog on Friday, January 27, at around 9am. - Several public appeals for information and to trace witnesses. “I’m scared that if I put focus into anything else it’s going to take my focus off that.

Superintendent Sally Riley today said investigators searching for Nicola Bulley are now working from the hypothesis that she fell into the River Wyre while ...

"We don’t believe the dog was in the river because the dog, we believe, was dry and the witnesses have not described the dog swimming or jumping into the river. "We don’t know why Nicola may have entered the water if she did," she added. "Anything could have happened with the dog whereby Nicola may have gone - and I don’t wish to speculate, we don’t know - but it is possible the dog was loose and off the lead that there may have been an issue with the dog that led her to go near to the water’s edge. She went on to say: "The dog was off the lead, this was normal for the dog to run about and Nicola was on a teams call, which again it would be normal for her not to participate in actively and just have the phone to listen in, effectively. "And therefore whilst I don’t want to speculate as to what may have happened, it is our working hypothesis that she has entered the water accidentally and that’s why there is no physical evidence on the field." [Police](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/police) searching for missing [Nicola Bulley](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/nicola-bulley) say something "could have happened" with her dog that caused her to approach the nearby river and potentially fall in.

Ms Bulley's heartbroken family and friends had made desperate pleas for information during the week-long hunt after she vanished.

“There may have been an issue with the dog that led her to the water’s edge, she puts her phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily, and Nicola may have fallen in. She said an “issue” with Ms Bulley’s dog may have caused her to place her phone on the bench and go to assist Willow. Ms Bulley, 45, might have been trying to deal with an “issue” with her springer spaniel Willow, causing her to go to the edge of the River Wyre and into the water, the officer in charge of the missing person investigation said.

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

"We don’t believe the dog was in the river because the dog, we believe, was dry and the witnesses have not described the dog swimming or jumping into the river. "Anything could have happened with the dog whereby Nicola may have gone - and I don’t wish to speculate, we don’t know - but it is possible the dog was loose and off the lead that there may have been an issue with the dog that led her to go near to the water’s edge. "We don’t know why Nicola may have entered the water if she did," she added. She went on to say: "The dog was off the lead, this was normal for the dog to run about and Nicola was on a teams call, which again it would be normal for her not to participate in actively and just have the phone to listen in, effectively. "And therefore whilst I don’t want to speculate as to what may have happened, it is our working hypothesis that she has entered the water accidentally and that’s why there is no physical evidence on the field." Supt Riley added: "At the point where the bench is located there is quite a steep drop to the river, albeit not high, it is steep.

Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary and other agencies are continuing to trawl the River Wyre and surrounding land near St Michael's on Wyre.

They have urged the public to look out along the river for the items of clothing that Ms Bulley was last seen wearing. She was seen by another dog walker at 9.10am – the last known sighting – and police traced telephony records of her mobile phone as it remained on a bench overlooking the river at 9.20am. Ms Bulley had logged in to a Microsoft Teams call at 9.01am, which ended at 9.30am with her phone still connected to the call.

Lancashire Police have hypothesised that a missing mum has fallen into the river Wyre and that there are no suspicious circumstances around the incident.

Police have been appealing to find one of the witnesses that saw Nicola in these last moments before her disappearance, and have now identified one of the dog walkers, a woman in a red coat. Nicola sent an email to her boss three minutes later, and at 9.01am logged into a Teams call. Superintendent Riley thanked the public for all their support in the search for Nicola, and issued an update on the clothes she was wearing last Friday morning. She was also wearing green wellies and long-green walking socks tucked into her jeans. The mum of two was originally from Chelmsford before moving to Inskip in Lancashire, where she worked as a mortgage adviser. Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her dog in St Michael's in Wyre on Friday, January 27 at around 9.20am.

Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary and other agencies are continuing to trawl the River Wyre and surrounding land near St Michael's on Wyre.

They have urged the public to look out along the river for the items of clothing that Ms Bulley was last seen wearing. She was seen by another dog walker at 9.10am – the last known sighting – and police traced telephony records of her mobile phone as it remained on a bench overlooking the river at 9.20am. Ms Bulley had logged in to a Microsoft Teams call at 9.01am, which ended at 9.30am with her phone still connected to the call.

In an update this afternoon, Lancashire Police said the main hypothesis is that the 45-year-old mother of two fell into the river while walking her dog at ...

We’ve had banners made, placards with her face, so the idea is that seven days on there might be someone that’s passing today that passed last Friday, that might be able to shed that glimmer of hope we need.” Mr Ansell said the support from the community had given the family “a great amount of comfort”. In its first update since Tuesday, Lancashire Police on Thursday (February 2) reasserted that officers have found no evidence of foul play, despite “keeping a really open mind about what could have happened”. 8:50am (approximately): A dog walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. The partner of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has said he will “never lose hope”, one week on from her disappearance. Superintendent Sally Riley told a press conference in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre where she disappeared that the last confirmed sighting of her took place at 9.10am that day, when she was seen on Upper Field walking her dog. Speaking near the scene where Ms Bulley was last seen, Mr Ansell told broadcasters: “Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Ms Bulley’s friend, Emma White, told the BBC: “Seven days on, such a tough milestone today for all the family and friends. The mother-of-two from Inskip, Lancashire, was last seen at 9.10am when she logged on to a work Teams call, which ended at 9.30am with her still logged on. Christine Bowman, 67, told the Daily Mirror: “It has made local women fearful. Her tearful father Ernie Bulley said Nicola’s young daughters still believed it is “only a matter of time” before their mother comes home. Nicola Bulley has now been missing for seven days, having vanished while walking her dog after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school last Friday morning.

Ms Bulley's partner Paul Ansell has said he will "never give up hope" and that his "whole focus is my two girls".

It's just insane," he said. The 44-year-old said his "whole focus is my two girls" and that he was "hoping to goodness" that people would come forward with new information. Police searching for missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley have vowed to "bring her home" as they called on members of the public to keep a look out for sightings of her clothes.

Chief Inspector Chris Barton, of Lancashire Police, says: "Nicola has now been missing for two days and we are extremely concerned about her. Firstly, if ...

8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. She told reporters at the village hall: "We have not found Nicola - but our search continues." He added he was focusing on looking after their two daughters and "didn't want to think" about how he was coping. Nicola's sister Louise Cunningham joins her parents Ernest and Dot for a TV interview in which they sobbed as they insisted her disappearance is out of character. Police divers return to the spot where Nicola was last seen to carry out an extensive new search of the area. They later update to say they have located the witness and are speaking to him. The friend said police advised them to search up river in a pincer movement. They are unable to unlock the phone and contact a friend who then called St Michael's-on-Wyre Church of England Primary School, where Nicola had dropped her two children earlier that morning. She had been looking forward to a spa day with her sister and getting her mortgage sorted. A friend tells the Mirror that residents met at the village hall, alongside Paul, at around 10.30am to organise their own search. Nicola, affectionately known as Nikki to friends and family, was on her mobile phone and dialled into a work call when she dissapeared. She said from this they were able to determine that Nicola did not leave the riverside.

Search teams from Lancashire Constabulary and other agencies are continuing to trawl the River Wyre and surrounding land near St Michael's on Wyre.

They have urged the public to look out along the river for the items of clothing that Ms Bulley was last seen wearing. She was seen by another dog walker at 9.10am – the last known sighting – and police traced telephony records of her mobile phone as it remained on a bench overlooking the river at 9.20am. Ms Bulley had logged in to a Microsoft Teams call at 9.01am, which ended at 9.30am with her phone still connected to the call.