As police look for a “critical witness” who was walking her dog at the time of her disappearance, a missing mother was muted and didn’t have her camera on as she listened to a team meeting just before she vanished, according to her employer today.
Nicola Bulley, 45, vanished on Friday morning at 9.15 a.m. Her phone was later discovered on a bench not far from where she was last seen, which was on a towpath by the River Wyre in St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
Director of Exclusively Mortgages Ben Pociecha reported that at 9.01am, Ms. Bulley logged into a team meeting. It seems that she was muted and that her camera was off. He informed MailOnline that she was listening in while out walking her dog.
According to Lancashire Police, they are interested in speaking with a guy who was seen on Friday morning walking a little white fluffy dog along the River Wyre in St. Michael’s on Wyre, the same time and location that Ms. Bulley vanished.
The guy, who was described as being in his 70s, Caucasian, 6 feet tall, and well-built, chatted to a nearby lady before heading in the direction of Rowanwater, according to the police.
Ms. Bulley was nearby walking Willow, her springer spaniel. Her cell phone was subsequently discovered on a bench by a river, and the dog was discovered running wild between the bench and the river.
Stephen Cunningham, Nicola’s brother-in-law, said that “the entire family” is “struggling to grasp what’s occurred and scared beyond words.”
The family of Ms. Bulley stated in a statement that they were “overwhelmed” by the community’s support and wanted to thank everyone for their continuous efforts to assist in the search for Nicola. The girls are anxious for their mother to return home to be with them, and your continuous efforts have given them solace as we wait for updates on Nicola.
“Please come forward and assist the police with their enquiries if you believe you may have any information that might help them locate Nicola,” the statement reads.
It happened shortly after Ms. Bulley published photos on social media of herself walking her cherished dog Willow near to the area where she went missing on January 27.
She stated: “This morning’s stroll was really gloomy and chilly; don’t forget your gloves!” Quite eerie, too! Willow had the finest fun, however, and she set me up for the day.
If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, please contact the police. White, 5 feet 3 inches tall, and with light brown shoulder-length hair, Ms. Bulley is characterized.
She was dressed in a long, hooded, black gilet jacket, black trousers, and olive-green ankle wellington boots at the time of her disappearance. A ponytail held back her hair.
A resident found Willow, and Ms. Bulley’s phone was recovered on a seat next to a dog leash.
Police said they are keeping a “open mind” regarding what transpired but do not think Ms. Bulley was assaulted in a Monday update.
The dog, a springer spaniel named Willow, was discovered wandering between a bench and a river.
Paul Ansell, Ms. Bulley’s boyfriend, claimed he spent the whole day Sunday looking for the mother of two while speaking to reporters from the family home in Inskip, Lancashire.
It is just continual agony, said the engineer who has been in a relationship with Ms. Bulley for 12 years. It is pure and simple unbelief.
Although we are experiencing this, it doesn’t seem real.
All we can say is that we must track her down. She has two tiny daughters that need their mother to return home.
“We need to hear some positive news right now.”
The children, who are nine and six years old, would be dropped off at the neighborhood primary school by Mr. Ansell or Ms. Bulley, also known as Nikki, before Willow was taken for a stroll along the river.
On Friday, Ms. Bulley ran her children to school before going for a dog walk, according to the police.
Mr. Ansell, who immediately called 911, said, “I received a call from the school reporting someone who had located Willow, Nikki’s phone, and the dog leash and harness on the bench.”
“Either myself or Nikki takes the kids to school and takes the dog down there almost every day.”
Mortgage advisor Ms. Bulley, who has a southern accent and has resided in Lancashire for 25 years, is originally from a region close to Chelmsford, Essex.
According to authorities, she was last seen by a member of the public at about 9.15 am.
Ms. Bulley’s phone was still on a live call when it was discovered, according to Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley, who spoke to the Mirror. It was still linked to the conference call, which was still active.
At a news conference, the officer said that worries regarding Ms. Bulley are intensifying with time.
The police are maintaining an an open mind about what may have occurred, but we do feel that the probability is that Nicola has disappeared, and this is not a criminal investigation, she added.
We have launched a fairly thorough search for Nicola.
We have a vast area to search.
People do go missing, but it’s obvious that as time passes, our concerns about Nicola grow.
But we really hope that we may find a way to attempt to return her home soon and in good health.
We make an appeal to anybody who may have been passing through the hamlet of St. Michael’s last Friday morning at about 9.15am, who may have dashcam film that might be helpful to us, or who may have seen anyone walking their dogs nearby or on the tow route.
They are able to call 999 or 101 if they have seen Nicola.
With assistance from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team, and the North West Underwater Search Team, searches have been conducted by Lancashire Police using a helicopter, drones, and dogs.
Additionally, locals in the region have organized searches.
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