Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley, 45, last seen walking her dog on footpath by the river, Inskip, Lancashire, 27 Jan 2023

[MsMiniSleuth]

This abandoned house... so the police haven't looked inside themselves? Or checked the owner out? Jesus!

Kev Camplin, of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue, jumped to action in the hours after she disappeared, leading a team of 25 trained volunteers to search the immediate vicinity that same day.

He told The Mirror: 'The abandoned house is right opposite the bench on the other side of the river, over a 10ft garden wall. It's quite posh.

We didn't go into the house, as a volunteer search and rescue team we don't actually go into buildings. We might go into a barn or something. We leave that to the police.

'While the team was searching the grounds, the owner was there for some reason, and we asked him to go in and he had a quick look around and she wasn't there.'

Search teams looking for missing dog walker searched abandoned house

Ms Bulley vanished five days ago while walking her dog, springer spaniel Willow, on a towpath by the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Grouse]

Took it off so it didn't get wet when the dog went in the river?

In the Sun article it says "The dog was not wet, ruling out any suggestion it may have entered the River Wyre, which eventually flows out into the sea near Fleetwood 13 miles away."

 

[Dcflag]

Put like that it sounds odd but is it correct? Did she take the dog to the school (minus the undiscovered lead/harness) or did she perhaps call the school and maybe then waited with the dog, perhaps calling out to try to find NB, and getting more and more worried, but not spotting the stuff on the bench?

In fairness I think you’re right, I’ve no idea if the finder phoned the school or took the dog to the school. In any case it’s weird enough the finder would think the school was an appropriate place for a stray dog.

 

[tedtink]

Has it changed now from lady finds dog and rings the school who rings NB partner - to lady finds dog and takes her to school, who ring him etc. The reporting keeps changing?

I wonder if the School tried to call NB's phone first, got an engaged tone, then called PA?

 

[Taskforce88]

Don’t take my word for it, but I believe conference calls on Microsoft teams means you can still accept regular phone calls.

Yep if you're on an app it shouldn't stop calls coming in

 

[Edinlass]

Don’t take my word for it, but I believe conference calls on Microsoft teams means you can still accept regular phone calls.

Yes this is true. No engaged line. Most mobiles go straight to answering machine if on a call but not when on a teams/zoom app call, totally different.

 

[Taskforce88]

This abandoned house... so the police haven't looked inside themselves? Or checked the owner out? Jesus!

Kev Camplin, of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue, jumped to action in the hours after she disappeared, leading a team of 25 trained volunteers to search the immediate vicinity that same day.

He told The Mirror: 'The abandoned house is right opposite the bench on the other side of the river, over a 10ft garden wall. It's quite posh.

We didn't go into the house, as a volunteer search and rescue team we don't actually go into buildings. We might go into a barn or something. We leave that to the police.

'While the team was searching the grounds, the owner was there for some reason, and we asked him to go in and he had a quick look around and she wasn't there.'

Search teams looking for missing dog walker searched abandoned house

Ms Bulley vanished five days ago while walking her dog, springer spaniel Willow, on a towpath by the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.

www.dailymail.co.uk

"'While the team was searching the grounds, the owner was there for some reason"

Is that suspicious? The owner was probably interested? But if it was 'abandoned'...

 

[Grouse]

In fairness I think you’re right, I’ve no idea if the finder phoned the school or took the dog to the school. In any case it’s weird enough the finder would think the school was an appropriate place for a stray dog.

I think what happened was she knew whose dog it was (knew NB) and contacted the school as she knew they'd have contact details for NB's partner, so presumably she did not have his number or would have rung him direct?

Edit: in fact, without having spotted the stuff on the bench, I'd have thought in that situation there's no reason to assume NB was even nearby (at least after calling out for her), and it would probably appear that the dog had run off from somewhere else?

 

[LemonMint]

I think it was a tragic accident although she was reported missing very soon (after Willow was spotted alone) compared to many other persons who have gone missing.

Yes, I agree it’s a bit strange Nicola hasn’t been found yet despite of the quick search efforts in the river. However, stranger things have happened involving water, too…

Fearing for the worst but hoping for the best. All this must be so devastating for Nicola’s daughters and loved ones I’m thinking about Willow, too.

 

[tedtink]

Don’t take my word for it, but I believe conference calls on Microsoft teams means you can still accept regular phone calls.

Depends, you can either call the meeting number on any phone directly to a meeting room, put in a pin code then #, announce yourself or use the app for a video call AFAIK.
Don't take my word for it either, I use either desk top for video calls or mobile for the phone meeting room, don't have the app on my phone.

 

[ShireChe]

Reporting in these sorts of cases, especially in the early period is often muddled.

The swift involvement of the police may suggest some current or past difficulties for NB that led to immediate concern for her wellbeing, but also we don't know a huge amount about the circumstances of the dog being 'spotted' and found and what that person said to the school and what they then relayed to the partner

 

[Edinlass]

All I can say is if I were a detective investigating this I would be concentrating on the following -

1) Did the school try and call NB first when alerted about dog.

2) Did PA call/text NB when the school contacted him first, before jumping to dial 999.

3) was the lead and harness clipped together or apart when found.

4) exactly who went to school that Friday morning. PA & NB or just NB.

 

[jiminy]

What if the dog was initially tied to the bench by the lead, could it eventually in time get out the harness by backing up on it? I have never owned a dog so I don’t have this answer.

Still catching up so apologies if already extensively covered but yes. Wouldn't take long at all if the dog were to be upset by seeing their person walk away. However I'd expect a springer spaniel to follow, at least some of the way, rather than stay in the vicinity IF she walked away. They've been bred specifically to sniff things out!

 

[elliefant]

If the dog-finder found Willow near the bench, she would surely ring NB/PA before contacting the school. Using either the number in her own phone because she is friends with them or using the number on Willow’s ID disc.

So she should hear NB’s phone ringing on the bench near her (unless on silent ring mode) and find the phone & harness, or she should get through to PA’s phone. So why involve the school?

Am I confusing this?

 

[Edinlass]

I think what happened was she knew whose dog it was (knew NB) and contacted the school as she knew they'd have contact details for NB's partner, so presumably she did not have his number or would have rung him direct?

Yes this is how I understand it also. I feel the phone and leash/harness must have been found by this person, maybe the ID on willow only had NB details on and maybe that is why the school never contacted NB and why PA never called/text NB because they all knew the phone wasn’t with her. Maybe this was the urgency.

Still catching up so apologies if already extensively covered but yes. Wouldn't take long at all if the dog were to be upset by seeing their person walk away. However I'd expect a springer spaniel to follow, at least some of the way, rather than stay in the vicinity IF she walked away. They've been bred specifically to sniff things out!

Maybe it did follow until lost the scent and then went back to the bench, last place to have seen NB.

 

[porkypies]

Yes I think it is because the police threw in the mix that it was asking for dashcam footage at the same time a witness was meant to have seen her. This has in turn raised suspicions of the sighting by said witness, if it was 100% reliable would they need dashcam…

How would anyone know whether or not a witness was 100 percent reliable?

 

[ShireChe]

If the dog-finder found Willow near the bench, she would surely ring NB/PA before contacting the school. Using either the number in her own phone because she is friends with them or using the number on Willow’s ID disc.

So she should hear NB’s phone ringing on the bench near her (unless on silent ring mode) and find the phone & harness, or she should get through to PA’s phone. So why involve the school?

Am I confusing this?

I suppose it depends what level of 'friend' we are talking. I know plenty of people who in similar circumstances might be called a 'friend' but they wouldn't know my contact details or how to get hold of me.

 

[Edinlass]

How would anyone know whether or not a witness was 100 percent reliable?

No idea I am not the police.

 

[Tanzanite]

I was saying this to my wife earlier.

First thing any normal person would do is expect the owner to be closeby when a dog runs over. Then my concern wouldnt be to take it to a school, it would be to hold onto the dog and maybe go on facebook and post in our local facebook group Ive found a missing dog.

Even if this happened - if someone rang me to say my dog had been found, I would say that my wife is walking the same route we always do, just go hang around at X place, or go find her here. I wouldnt call the police immediately - I wouldnt even do that until Ive driven down there myself and had a look. I know my wife would be absolutely furious if I just called the police and she was just stood talking to a friend and not realised the dog had gone missing. All I would of thought is that shes out there also looking for the dog as this dudes taken it to the school, or taken it in.

The timeframe it was from her last being spotted to finding the phone just seems completely strange the events that happened. Him calling 999 so fast also makes me think he knew something we are not being told - like suicidal, or hes recieved a message or something.

Yes. I agree. I think that the urgency in contacting the police was absolutely about NB's state of wellness at that point. <modsnip - not victim friendly> I assume that her partner must have been very worried, very quickly, and there will be good reason for this.

<modsnip>

 

[Sweeper2000]

But the phone would have been engaged if she was on a conf call.

Not necessarily true, I’m not sure we know but sh “logged on” to the conference call. Suggesting it was internet conference call. Phone would still ring but no answer if that.