Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley Last Seen Walking Dog Near River - St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire) #3

[Potato80]

If the dog had been wet I would be inclined to believe that NB fell in, perhaps because the dog was in difficulty.

If NB fell in or someone pushed her into the river the dog would have gone in after her unless it was tied up for a period.

The dog wasn't wet, and not all dogs would necessarily follow their owner into water - some would do exactly what the dog was found doing: barking and looking distressed.

The river is definitely deep enough for a person to be submerged, and it remains the most likely scenario.

However, even if she is in the water, the lead and phone didn't end up in the water with her, so something sudden must have happened before that for them to be on the ground.

For me, the position of the lead and - particularly - the phone are the most interesting things.

If you have a mooch close to the river bank ("faffing around" as someone said in a report), you wouldn't leave your phone on the ground.

You might hurl or drop your phone to the ground if you suddenly had to get your dog who had strayed too close to the edge.

Equally, you might drop your phone on the ground if suddenly attacked.

I think the phone and lead were found by witnesses. It would be interesting to see their exact position when found.

 

[MachoFantastico]

Her disappearance is bizarre. Usually, when I've followed disappearances they typically look for water sources and I still can't help but wonder if she fell into the river. I hope she is found safe, I can't imagine the pain Nicola's family must be going through, especially with two young children. But I'm sure law enforcement are keeping all possibilities in mind as there's no clear indication as to what happened to her so far.

 

[Badgerette]

Two totally unrelated thoughts..MOO...is it possible the dog wasn't waiting at the river edge for her, but instead waiting at the kissing gate edge? Like the last place the dog had seen her was through the gate?

Mirror Article

I have seen very little discussion about the second abandoned house mentioned in this article. Not the house directly across from the bench, but instead an abandoned home that PA searched 'between the village hall and the Ivy Dene Alpacas". Google maps makes that area look populated and well traversed and I didn't see any eerie looking abandoned homes that would immediately make me think to search there before the riverside. It struck me as odd and perhaps there's some backstory to this other house.

 

[geddis]

Yes, the forcible separation of NB and her dog lies at the heart of this mystery. The dog owners on this site have been very helpful in establishing the close relationship this type of dog has with its owner.

They can only have been separated in two ways so far as I can see. NB fell into the water and the dog did not follow: but that flies in the face of all I have learned on here; the dog would have jumped into the water presumably thinking it was part of some game.
The second possibility would be NB and her dog being separated by dint of the metal gate. But that surely points to the involvement of a third party.

 

[Beginnersleuth]

The dog wasn't wet, and not all dogs would necessarily follow their owner into water - some would do exactly what the dog was found doing: barking and looking distressed.

The river is definitely deep enough for a person to be submerged, and it remains the most likely scenario.

However, even if she is in the water, the lead and phone didn't end up in the water with her, so something sudden must have happened before that for them to be on the ground.

For me, the position of the lead and - particularly - the phone are the most interesting things.

If you have a mooch close to the river bank ("faffing around" as someone said in a report), you wouldn't leave your phone on the ground.

You might hurl or drop your phone to the ground if you suddenly had to get your dog who had strayed too close to the edge.

Equally, you might drop your phone on the ground if suddenly attacked.

I think the phone and lead were found by witnesses. It would be interesting to see their exact position when found.

Imagining what I would do if I was walking the dog while on a teams call, feels like NB put the phone down on the bench carefully, rather than in pocket etc, so as to stay on the call while she did something. Maybe even pick up a dog poo or something, or maybe felt unwell and sat down for a moment and then became seriously unwell (natural or otherwise) when standing up & has fallen into the water.

 

[Lincoln34]

Having followed many missing cases over the years on here, its down to the Police person in charge of the investigation as to what they investigate. If that person holds fast that the logical thing is the water then everyone has to follow that. Even if the public are saying 'I would consider two possibilites and one of them is nefarious'. It also could be down to money as something more sinister involves a lot of police personnel. JMO MOO ps it gets really frustrating for us. Also when people have ended up in water it can take months for them to be found so that is frustrating too. Nothing we can do about it. I followed one case recently in the states where a woman went missing. Body found soon after. Straight away police stated they were looking for a perp. In the end they said no-one else was involved. Not sure we all believed that, but that's how it works all over the world. I just hope for NB's sake and all her loved ones this case is solved a lot faster. MOO.

Edited to add the word: Police, for clarity.

Very true. In law the police have a very restricted duty of care for public policy reasons and one of those reasons is to avoid defensive policing ( police not acting in public interest in investigation and suppression of crime but rather with an eye to avoid litigation) It us up to the police how they conduct an investigation unless they have assumed responsibility for a particular individual - which in this case they had not. They have a relatively free hand .

 

[_rain24]

First-time poster here. Been following the case and cannot for the life of me figure out where the phone was found. One witness says they saw it on the bench, but the second says it was on the floor. Do we know? or has it not been confirmed?

 

[ginnyw]

It is such a strange, baffling case. Like everyone I keep thinking about the last known movements and what happened around the bench etc. Then something says to me that these things all need to be put in context with the wider circumstances of Nicola's life. I just don't really know what that is, but it's troubling me.

 

[Taskforce88]

Two totally unrelated thoughts..MOO...is it possible the dog wasn't waiting at the river edge for her, but instead waiting at the kissing gate edge? Like the last place the dog had seen her was through the gate?

Mirror Article

I have seen very little discussion about the second abandoned house mentioned in this article. Not the house directly across from the bench, but instead an abandoned home that PA searched 'between the village hall and the Ivy Dene Alpacas". Google maps makes that area look populated and well traversed and I didn't see any eerie looking abandoned homes that would immediately make me think to search there before the riverside. It struck me as odd and perhaps there's some backstory to this other house.

The only issue with the 'abandoned' house is that it is on the other side of the river.

 

[Kassanddra]

Yep, did they speak to her, or just knew it was NB from a distance. Both witnesses apparently knew her.

Yes but like you say, saw from a distance or ??

 

[CSIAngus]

Her disappearance is bizarre. Usually, when I've followed disappearances they typically look for water sources and I still can't help but wonder if she fell into the river. I hope she is found safe, I can't imagine the pain Nicola's family must be going through, especially with two young children. But I'm sure law enforcement are keeping all possibilities in mind as there's no clear indication as to what happened to her so far.

Sadly, I think she has most likely ended up in the water either accidentally or by choice. <modsnip - not victim friendly> There's a decent flow in the river at that point so a body could have traveled quite a distance in 6 days, and with the winter water temperature a body might not surface for 3 or 4 weeks.

 

[Grouse]

Two totally unrelated thoughts..MOO...is it possible the dog wasn't waiting at the river edge for her, but instead waiting at the kissing gate edge? Like the last place the dog had seen her was through the gate?

I for one have been certainly been assuming that the gate would prevent the dog getting beyond it, but now as I looked again at the area on google maps there don't seem to be many fences around those fields, or any sheep/cattle, so I'm wondering if the kissing gate is just to stop cyclists using the path? In which case a dog could probably easily get round if no fences.

 

[Newforestdetec22]

The points I can’t reconcile about this case as the current facts stand are…

<modsnip - not victim friendly>
Scene of phone/harness/lead/Willow and bench feels off or somehow staged
As a daily dog walker, I can’t imagine any reason NB would voluntarily enter the water unless to save her dog in trouble - but Willow wasn’t wet so hadn’t been in the water
<modsnip - not victim friendly>
Surely if in the water nearby, NB would have been found by now
I don’t remember another case where all the witnesses/potential witnesses were so reluctant to either come forward or to be identified.

All of this makes me wonder if another person was present to cause her to leave the area or enter the water and somehow arrange the bench items/keep Willow at a distance.

Just a few thoughts

 

[Doobiesis]

Lancashire Constabulary - Search continues for Nicola Bulley as potential new witness is sought

The latest news and information for Lancashire Constabulary

www.lancashire.police.uk

This could have been brief (do we know what time it ended).

The call end at 9:30am but she stayed connected.

 

[shamzyk]

Sadly, I think she has most likely ended up in the water either accidentally or by choice. <modsnip - not victim friendly> There's a decent flow in the river at that point so a body could have traveled quite a distance in 6 days, and with the winter water temperature a body might not surface for 3 or 4 weeks.

I just can't picture the latter being the case having looked at the timeline established. The time of day/being on a work call/having the dog with her...Its too much of a chaotic mixture for that to be the case MOO. An accident is always possible though considering how steep the bank is.

 

[Taskforce88]

The call end at 9:30am but she stayed connected.

Stayed connected because NB was not able to disconnect since at that time whatever had happened?

 

[Beginnersleuth]

I just can't picture the latter being the case having looked at the timeline established. The time of day/being on a work call/having the dog with her...Its too much of a chaotic mixture for that to be the case MOO. An accident is always possible though considering how steep the bank is.

Do you think the bank is steep enough that if NB had had a serious incident like brain bleed or seizure that she would end up in the river? Ive not been able to tell from the picture.

 

[jackal67]

I just can't picture the latter being the case having looked at the timeline established. The time of day/being on a work call/having the dog with her...Its too much of a chaotic mixture for that to be the case MOO. An accident is always possible though considering how steep the bank is.

possibly following normal routine was planned so as not to raise Suspicion. ? Likewise if she has gone missing of her own accord.

 

[Spoony]

Yes, I think they did. If they do a reconstruction with Willow, I suspect two things will happen:
1. She will make straight for the place where she last saw Nicola.
2. She will show clear signs of distress/agitation at that place.

There's nothing to lose in trying it. If only dogs could talk.

 

[IKnowNowt]

The wife of the first potential witness (the man with the fluffy white dog) is reported to have said her husband told her "In the field there were about 3 people" including her husband. Have they been traced and spoken to? It sounds like there were a number of walkers around, so I'd be surprised if there was any foul play.

Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog

Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her brown cocker spaniel Willow near the River Wyre in Lancashire after dropping her two daughters off at school on Friday morning

www.mirror.co.uk