Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley Last Seen Walking Dog Near River - St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire) #11

[pineapple23]

I've always thought this is most likely an accident though of course nothing can be ruled out at this point.
One scenario is it's time to go home and Willow is running around. Maybe she's picked up a scent? Nicola grabs the harness and goes after Willow to put it on. She stumbles and trips over the edge falling into the water. I'm not convinced there had to be traces of her fall.
According to PA in the TV interview, the harness was found on the slope.
Maybe because the water isn't that deep, she bangs her head on the rocks on the river bed and is stunned. She doesn't sink immediately as speculated because she is still breathing and maybe her clothes give her a bit of buoyancy? So she shifts downstream.
By the time police and divers turn up she isn't visble or in the immediate area and has sunk below the water. It's an upsetting scenario but they all are imo.

 

[Just-a-random-girl]

If anyone has a British Newspaper Archive account there is some good research to be done there (my subscription has expired sadly).

Quite a few reports of drownings (and near-drownings) on the River Wyre at St Michaels and also about the conditions of the river over time (e.g. note my previous posts on this thread about a hole in a " clough" in 2022 and how the same thing has been reported historically).

Examples of the previews available below...

Home | Search the archive | British Newspaper Archive

Whether you are a researcher, historian or you simply want to know more about Britain's history, take this fantastic opportunity to search The British Newspaper Archive - a vast treasure trove of historical newspapers from your own home.

www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

If anyone can research the incident of Elizabeth Rawcliffe falling into the river in 1926 it seems to be similar to the police working theory. It happened at "Fiddler's Neck", do we know where this is and if it is the same location? Maybe previous colloquial name? She was spotted and the person who waded in to help said it was deeper than expected. She disappeared under the water in front of the rescuer but she stuck an arm out and he managed to grab it.

Update - just seen that the Rowanwater site refers to accessing the "Fiddle Neck" in its site rules so could be the same place.

 

[The Truth Is]

I've always thought the most likely scenario to be an accident though of course nothing can be ruled out at this point.
It's time to go home and Willow is running around. Maybe she's picked up a scent? Nicola grabs the harness and goes after Willow to put it on. She stumbles and trips over the edge falling into the water. I'm not convinced there had to be traces of her fall.
According to PA in the TV interview, the harness was found on the slope.
Maybe because it isn't that deep, she bangs her head on the rocks on the river bed and is stunned. She doesn't sink as speculated because she hasn't at that stage drowned and maybe her clothes give her a bit of buoyancy? So she shifts downstream.
By the time police and divers turn up she isn't visble or in the immediate area. It's an upsetting scenario but they all are imoThat

That part of the river is so still its like a pond almost...There is no way it would move a body downstream

 

[Miss_French]

Who was sent running?

No-one. I replied to a theory that someone known to Nicola got her away from the fields and up to the road by telling her there was a problem with the girls at school.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

IMO very plausible it could have been a simple trip when standing up from the bench. Once you are moving down a slope there is very little you can do to stop yourself.

I also haven't seen any information about what the weather had been like overnight. If the ground had frozen overnight it could have still been quite slippery, and a slip/fall might not have left many/any marks on the ground. But by the time police arrived 90+ minutes later the ground could have thawed.

 

[wackyw]

The divers were all helped out by at least one other person and they are fit individuals trained for the work not wearing winter clothing. Good point about the air bubble caused by the coat.

Nasty situation.

IMO very plausible it could have been a simple trip when standing up from the bench. Once you are moving down a slope there is very little you can do to stop yourself.

Some years ago I was walking down a pavement near Victoria station and tripped on a raised paving slab. I walk quite quickly and found myself running straight towards a plate glass window. Luckily I managed to stop.

Accidental trips must account for huge numbers of otherwise inexplicable accidents.

Sitting on a bench listening to the last 10 mins of a boring team meeting ... prob one of those 1-way style next months divisional targets type thing ...... a strange object floats into the bank .... what the devil is that? ... it looks like a baby .... wanders over .... leans over to get a better look .... ahh it's just a doooooooolllllll ......

Utter conjecture on my part, and no doll has been found or similar as far as I know .... just saying how easy it might be to go in face first.

 

[flysleuthD]

Best wild swimming spots in Lancs - and how to stay safe. This stretch of the river wyre features as a "great place to open swim in Lancashire", so this proves some parts of the river are much easier to swim in than other parts.

 

[Pinkizzy]

Nicola Bulley's next-door neighbour speaks for first time since mum disappeared

As the search enters the 18th day, next-door neighbour Charlotte Drake is trying her best to support Nicola Bulley's partner Paul and their devastated girls.

metro.co.uk

NB's next door neighbour

 

[Allabouttrial]

The divers were all helped out by at least one other person and they are fit individuals trained for the work not wearing winter clothing. Good point about the air bubble caused by the coat.

Nasty situation.

IMO very plausible it could have been a simple trip when standing up from the bench. Once you are moving down a slope there is very little you can do to stop yourself.

Some years ago I was walking down a pavement near Victoria station and tripped on a raised paving slab. I walk quite quickly and found myself running straight towards a plate glass window. Luckily I managed to stop.

Accidental trips must account for huge numbers of otherwise inexplicable accidents.

Yes easily done.

Man did it in a shop I worked in. Made a huge song and dance about it even though he was ok. Everyone was fussing over him whilst I had to peel myself up off the floor.

I can certainly imagine Nicola losing momentum down that slope.

 

[pineapple23]

That part of the river is so still its like a pond almost...There is no way it would move a body downstream

I'm not so sure that it wouldn't shift a little if initially floating, far enough to move from the immediate location and somehow evade the first divers on the scene. We'll see. Maybe...

 

[Miss_French]

Yes, blatently obvious if there was a genuine true emergency!
I'm surmising about potential predator - oddly (!) they're known to lie - but IF a person familiar to Nicole told her there was an urgent problem, like almost all of us she'd have believed them, left the dog, & went with them to their car to get to her children asap. (If it was a predator I suggest his car would be parked near the caravan park, where the cctv didn't capture everything and/or wasn't working)

I know you're summising, but who would that person be for it to be plausible? And wouldn't Nicola phone and check with the school, or call Paul too? Or hare off, going "OMG, my daughters," then someone has to catch up with her, and it gets messy and shouty when they have to stop her?

 

[Davieson]

That part of the river is so still its like a pond almost...There is no way it would move a body downstream

As the water does flow, then there must be an undercurrent.

 

[Cuko]

Meaning she took the keys on the walk rather than leaving them in the car as had been suggested

I don’t use a key for my car. Can unlock from an app on my phone.

 

[Mexx]

I know you're summising, but who would that person be for it to be plausible? And wouldn't Nicola phone and check with the school, or call Paul too? Or hare off, going "OMG, my daughters," then someone has to catch up with her, and it gets messy and shouty when they have to stop her?

No, I don't think she would double check with the school if she already knew & trusted the person & nor would most of us.
It's very difficult on this ultra-tight website, but she's a member of PTA, so, and I'm not for moment suggesting the predator is a member, but Nicola would be expected to trust them. And I don't think she 'hared off' after them either, I think she'd have walked quickly alongside them.

 

[wackyw]

That part of the river is so still its like a pond almost...There is no way it would move a body downstream

Have you got a link to a picture of the water on 27 Jan? better still at approx 9:30 ? and better still showing the river is below the level of the weir ?

 

[Fishwick]

Posh! I use a key as I'm a povvo

Do you not even pre-heat your car in the winter? I bet you don’t even have massage seats!

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

I still can’t get my head around possible abduction. Which road would a car be close enough and unobserved by residents/random dog walkers at mid morning to drag a grown woman to it with excitable dog in tow?

 

[Fishwick]

Have you got a link to a picture of the water on 27 Jan? better still at approx 9:30 ? and better still showing the river is below the level of the weir ?

If someone has a photo of the river at 9.30 on the 27th of Jan, I would hope their first mention of it wouldn’t be on WebSleuths…

 

[JimmyBets]

I don’t use a key for my car. Can unlock from an app on my phone.

 

[wackyw]

If someone has a photo of the river at 9.30 on the 27th of Jan, I would hope their first mention of it wouldn’t be on WebSleuths…

True !