Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley Last Seen Walking Dog Near River - St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire) #12

[Fishwick]

It's possible NB never made it to the beach area that day.

I'd doubt she would take Willow into the river in January regardless? I certainly wouldn't let my dog in the river when it's so cold (plus so hard to clean them in winter!).

 

[ayrshireguy]

I'd doubt she would take Willow into the river in January regardless? I certainly wouldn't let my dog in the river when it's so cold (plus so hard to clean them in winter!).

Well yes there is this.

 

[Mandalas]

More about the two hooded characters in the area the day before NB went missing:

The witness, who did not want to be named, said the men were "carrying fishing rods" and "were trying to hide their faces". “It was very strange. It made me uneasy," the witness told The Sun.

The two men were spotted at around 7.45am on the day before Ms Bulley vanished. The witness said "they could just have been two normal fishermen" but "they seemed to want to hide their faces, which struck me as odd".

From The Independent this morning, although they seem to be referencing The Sun as the source.

 

[Mandalas]

Is there a link established between the two fisherman and the red "tatty" van, or are they two separate matters?

ETA: ... and Hello everyone, have been lingering for a few days and getting frustrated at the strangeness/lack of evidence in this case. As a woman myself, I also am compelled by the cases of missing women, mothers in particular. Keeping hope Nicola is found.

 

[kittythehare]

More about the two hooded characters in the area the day before NB went missing:

The witness, who did not want to be named, said the men were "carrying fishing rods" and "were trying to hide their faces". “It was very strange. It made me uneasy," the witness told The Sun.

The two men were spotted at around 7.45am on the day before Ms Bulley vanished. The witness said "they could just have been two normal fishermen" but "they seemed to want to hide their faces, which struck me as odd".

From The Independent this morning, although they seem to be referencing The Sun as the source.

Fishermen.

 

[Mandalas]

Fishermen.

Most likely. Although as it is such a close knit community, perhaps they stood out if they were not known in the area?

If it was cold/raining, it doesn't seem unusual to me that a couple of anglers were hanging their heads low to brave the elements and try to keep warm. Fairly typical pose, I would think.

 

[kittythehare]

Is there a link established between the two fisherman and the red "tatty" van, or are they two separate matters?

ETA: ... and Hello everyone, have been lingering for a few days and getting frustrated at the strangeness/lack of evidence in this case. As a woman myself, I also am compelled by the cases of missing women, mothers in particular. Keeping hope Nicola is found.

Unconfirmed by police but no doubt the media will have a few spins on it.

 

[Furore]

IMO LE are either going it alone and don’t need the publics help or, have hit a brick wall! They haven’t given a press conference since last week. No images of “red van” or “2 men”. They had this info and didn’t make it public, it was the witnesses that did, why? Either this info is relevant or it is not! Shouldn’t the public have been told so by now? Or is the case drawing too much public attention that they are being very hesitant to say anything and just getting on with it themselves? Maybe that IS what they are doing.

It was the media who raised the red van and two men - the police had requested CCTV days before anything hit the headlines.I think if they had to stop and negate everything the daily mail was coming up with, they’d be less available for finding Nicola and sorting through meaningful info on the tip line etc

As often happens, the quiet workhorse plods away behind the scenes only to attract criticism and harsh words.

This investigation is likely to cost upwards of £1 million, it is best to be using public funds in the most efficient way and that, IMO, is not keeping up a rat race with the media whose job at end of the day is clicking for advert revenues.

 

[Cluella DeVille]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

I believe I may have posted a link to this a couple of weeks ago, when the person who had witnessed these two guys with the fishing rods but carrying no fishing gear had spoken about what he saw on SM. <modsnip> He put the story out hoping that others who were in the area may be able to corroborate or expand on the sightings, because even he wasn't sure how relevant the sightings were and just thought he should report it in case it may help to find NB

 

[Sillybilly]

Okay folks, post nicely in here tonight and the thread will remain open. We can't have the Mods responding to literally hundreds of violations on just one case when they come on the board in the morning.

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[Furore]

I believe I may have posted a link to this a couple of weeks ago, when the person who had witnessed these two guys with the fishing rods but carrying no fishing gear had spoken about what he saw on SM. <modsnip> He put the story out hoping that others who were in the area may be able to corroborate or expand on the sightings, because even he wasn't sure how relevant the sightings were and just thought he should report it in case it may help to find NB

How is it a failure? The sheer volume of information to be gone through and checked is huge. Someone not receiving a response does not equal not looked into. <modsnip: Quoted post was modsnipped>

 

[Cluella DeVille]

How is it a failure? The sheer volume of information to be gone through and checked is huge. Someone not receiving a response does not equal not looked into. Your post was likely deleted because it discussed social media. Although at times social media may be proved relevant, at the time of its publishing it cannot be independently verified - many Twitter accounts aren’t even real people!, and therefore the main links allowed are mainstream media for details pertinent to the case itself.

Failure? I didn't say that

 

[4441]

Apologies if this has been raised before.

Several years ago a teenager disappeared whilst on a walk along river. Camera caught someone on a bike coming from opposite direction.

So police knew something happened. They searched the river for days and eventually found remains that had been covered by wood, sticks and other materials, weighing the body down. The perp was found hanged in trees nearby.


.

I remember that horrific case so well. It was a young girl walking down a canal towpath. Here in the U.K. it’s one that haunts me.

This is why we know that no matter how unlikely that something sinister has happened, there is always that possibility that NB could have been unfortunate enough to meet an evil person. They do exist.

I’m still of the opinion that she has had an accident and fallen into the water. Of course it’s the most likely scenario and bodies can take a long time to surface. However there is always the chance that someone else was involved and that’s got to be considered too. I think the police etc are looking at every possibility. I think it’s just that the most obvious work is to search the river.

If I lived in the area of NB I would be trying to search along the river and fields etc. I know it’s been done but I feel that she has to be there.

 

[DazN]

I saw a video where someone had retraced NB’s route in the fields and it finally revealed the position of the pedestrian gate into Rowanwater. It’s not clearly visible in the photo spheres that are on Google Maps but the video clearly showed it to be here:

Pedestrian Gate

 

[daisydew124]

Is anyone else quite surprised that nothing has been found yet? I thought this would be something that was solved easily/quickly regardless of the outcome.

But then you’ve got cases like leah croucher (GRHS) who was hidden in plain sight near enough right next to where she was last seen for what, 3 years?

 

[Lincolnshirelad]

Is anyone else quite surprised that nothing has been found yet? I thought this would be something that was solved easily/quickly regardless of the outcome.

But then you’ve got cases like leah croucher (GRHS) who was hidden in plain sight near enough right next to where she was last seen for what, 3 years?

The whole part about the keys not being found and the river being scanned in so much detail - just makes me wonder why the investigation is being treated the way it is.

 

[MsBetsy]

IMO LE are either going it alone and don’t need the publics help or, have hit a brick wall! They haven’t given a press conference since last week. No images of “red van” or “2 men”. They had this info and didn’t make it public, it was the witnesses that did, why? Either this info is relevant or it is not! Shouldn’t the public have been told so by now? Or is the case drawing too much public attention that they are being very hesitant to say anything and just getting on with it themselves? Maybe that IS what they are doing.

I think even in a missing persons investigation, LE needs to keep information close to the vest. They need to look for evidence of foul play and are probably not going share any potential evidence with the public. They may not hold another Press Conference until they have something significant to report, although they may give regular updates. Maybe this week they will release a statement. They did say they were aware of the red van, right? It's possible that it did not turn into a lead.

But yes, they do seem to be concerned about the harassment and speculation on SM, so they may be hesitant to reveal any more information. I hope they will at least say so if the red van and "two men" have nothing to do with Nicola's disappearance. So far we've seen no indication that any person is responsible.

It's only been a little over two weeks. Missing persons investigations can take a very long time.

Barbara Thomas went missing during a short hike in the desert. Her body wasn't found until over a year later, in the same area police searched extensively for two weeks.

I think locating a body in the water would be even harder, especially if it's buried under mud and silt, or traveled a long distance.

 

[daisydew124]

The whole part about the keys not being found and the river being scanned in so much detail - just makes me wonder why the investigation is being treated the way it is.

Absolutely, me too

 

[4441]

Is anyone else quite surprised that nothing has been found yet? I thought this would be something that was solved easily/quickly regardless of the outcome.

But then you’ve got cases like leah croucher (GRHS) who was hidden in plain sight near enough right next to where she was last seen for what, 3 years?

yes and the case i was commenting on above- the girl taken along a canal path- the perpetrator was found many days later (I can’t remember exactly but I know it wasn’t at first search) he was hanging in woods nearby. Woods that had been searched when looking for the missing child. So these things happen. Things are missed even by trained officers.

 

[Woodburnbay]

Pure speculation here, but a few questions I have...
1. Could someone have used a quad bike in the area?
2. I remember reading that Willow already had some string tied to the collar? Is this correct? Is it possible someone led the dog there with this string?
3. If a person is assaulted/murdered and no blood is produced (i.e strangulation) would a police dog detect anything?
4. Was the lead/harness found near the river? Was it thrown with an attempt to hide it in the river? Could it be an accessory?

Nicola walked the same route every day. Someone local or watching would know this route. I pray it's not as sinister as my mind is thinking.

I believe that a cadaver dog can only scent if the person has remained in a location for more than 30 minutes after death. However the experts will correct me if I am wrong. This was the situation in the McCann case. The dogs scented a cadaver even though MM was reported as an abduction.