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

[MsMiniSleuth]

A WITNESS told police he spotted two men acting suspiciously — close to Nicola Bulley’s dog-walk route the day before she disappeared.

It came as cops took CCTV footage from a garage in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancs, covering the 24 hours before the last sighting of the mum.

A witness came forward after spotting the pair outside the local church.

Significantly, the same person told police he saw one of the men in the vicinity of her usual route on the morning she vanished.

Cops have also been handed new CCTV footage from a garage covering the 24 hours before Nicola was last seen.

[...]

Two 'suspicious' men spotted by witness near Nicola Bulley's dog-walking route

A WITNESS told police he spotted two men acting suspiciously — close to Nicola Bulley’s dog-walk route the day before she disappeared. It came as cops took CCTV footage from a garage in St Michael’…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[Springplease]

hello I’m new here,
Apologies if someone has already mentioned this but I’m reading through and have only got to thread 9. Anyway
I wanted to mention the public footpath that runs along the side of the grapes car park and leads to the fields and the river as a possible exit.
Its almost opposite the garage.

here is a screenshot from street view.

 

[zellner]

What would make you get up off a bench and leave your phone and dog harness etc behind?
If you thought you would get wet your coat and keys would have stayed behind.
If there was a person in a boat or canoe asking for help to land it this may encourage you to the rivers edge? They ask NB to grab a rope for instance. This would explain leaving certain items behind.

Looking at the swimming video, the small path at the side of the bench looks very well worn. That appears to run parallel to the tow path but would be far more discreet.

We really need the police to share some information and stop the speculation. I appreciate they have NB’s family to protect but are they still worrying about hindering a

What would make you get up off a bench and leave your phone and dog harness etc behind?
If you thought you would get wet your coat and keys would have stayed behind.
If there was a person in a boat or canoe asking for help to land it this may encourage you to the rivers edge? They ask NB to grab a rope for instance. This would explain leaving certain items behind.

Looking at the swimming video, the small path at the side of the bench looks very well worn. That appears to run parallel to the tow path but would be far more discreet.

We really need the police to share some information and stop the speculation. I appreciate they have NB’s family to protect but are they still worrying about hindering a conviction?

Interesting thoughts re the canoe. Pure coincidence but daughter in law of campsite owner who was the one to call the school appears to be into canoeing as a hobby and member of canoe club. Highly unlikely any connection. Doubt anyone out canoeing alone on the river there in late Jan.

 

[Springplease]

I’m not sure but possibly signposted Riverside path ?

 

[kittythehare]

hello I’m new here,
Apologies if someone has already mentioned this but I’m reading through and have only got to thread 9. Anyway
I wanted to mention the public footpath that runs along the side of the grapes car park and leads to the fields and the river as a possible exit.
Its almost opposite the garage.

here is a screenshot from street view.

A warm welcome to you.

 

[Beckxsy]

Interesting thoughts re the canoe. Pure coincidence but daughter in law of campsite owner who was the one to call the school appears to be into canoeing as a hobby and member of canoe club. Highly unlikely any connection. Doubt anyone out canoeing alone on the river there in late Jan.

Interesting was one actually spotted though. She is also on the pta of the school which likely why school was informed when they found the dog etc. They run the camping pods also which do not allow dogs on site. I do wonder which business have been targeted after nicola missing and reasons why.

 

[acutename]

Same. Which is why I assumed abduction. But if someone knew she was leaving they could make sure the dog was OK? Hr leaving it off the lead would suggest not going of her own volition.

The only way I see an abduction happening is that someone she knows comes up to her and says: "come to the school right away; there's been an accident" and the person only has a motor bike or a two seater car and the person says "leave Willow; we will call P and he can get the dog." So she rushes off.... something like that... something so concerning that in her haste, she leaves the phone behind as well...and it could have been a made up story about some other family member as well, such as "X has had a heart attack; hurry." And there is no discernble motive so....Not saying I believe this happened but that is the only way I see her traversing the distance to a vehicle and leaving
without some noise or fight IMO.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I'm increasingly open to most things but I do have trouble with the notion of Nicola willingly abandoning Willow.

Purely my opinion but I find it unfathomable that, barring a few exceptions such as mental illness or an attempt to escape criminal prosecution (neither of which would seem to apply here), a person who wants to leave their current life would allow the missing person search to go on for more than a day or so.

Nearly everyone in such a situation would just divorce and move toward the life they think they want, no mysterious vanishing needed.

Even a person escaping abuse (again, doesn't seem to apply here) would have no reason not to contact authorities once they are safe, to say "I'm alive but somewhere else, please stop searching for me."

When the missing person has young children and beloved pets, even less so.

Of course this is MOO.

 

[zellner]

This is a good clip if anyone wants to visualise the top field.

It's an American Youtuber but it's the clearest - and only - animated map I have seen which tracks NB's route. Better than some of the other maps imo

Quite short but useful. Starts around 2mins in, ends around 6mins

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Thank you. The “top field” as described in this video seems to span two actual fields and we don’t know exactly where in this fairly large area NB was spotted by the witness. Was it near the river or near the Rowanwater site? Google maps has some really useful 360 Street View style shots taken by Wyre Web Design that almost allow us to put ourselves in Nicola’s shoes. The close proximity of the Rowanwater properties and the steps leading from the field into the site are all visible. Heck, there is even a dog walker in a red coat captured in the shots! LE may have phone data that can confirm exact route that day. This video seems to suggest she returned to the bench, but it is possible that only the phone itself was returned as a decoy.

 

[ayrshireguy]

I've just thought of a completely new scenario...

NB would have had the chance to visit the River Wyre area after the meeting with her boss in Garstang the night before.

If we consider the possibility of a planned exit...what if she stashed a bag, change of clothes and bike somewhere near the riverbank for the morning the previous evening? (She could've bought a bike secondhand online or gumtree with cash, for example). Nobody would be looking for a woman on a bike.

IMO to rule out planned exit, police should also be checking CCTV the previous day/evening...

That would be the best-case scenario.

 

[UK Girl]

It has been explained before that the ‘Deep Hole’ warning sign attached to the tree by the bench is because the first few feet near the bank is shallow and rocky but in the centre of the river there it drops to 3-4 metres. My understanding from an interview with PF is that this hole has been searched more than once. It is possible that NB could have slipped or fell in for unknown reasons, lost footing on rocks and ended up struggling in the deep water. I still find it slightly implausible that the dog would not have gone in after her and also that the body would have then moved downstream fast enough for it not to be spotted. PF says that bodies tend to sink, in which case searching the hole and that area early on would have most likely found something but there’s nothing, so I am still of the view that an abduction from the top field is just as plausible a possibility as drowning.

the fishing swim known as Deep hole is the one by the bench?

 

[Allabouttrial]

The bench and location of the harness are red herrings, as discussed earlier.

In your opinion?

 

[Allabouttrial]

I've just thought of a completely new scenario...

NB would have had the chance to visit the River Wyre area after the meeting with her boss in Garstang the night before.

If we consider the possibility of a planned exit...what if she stashed a bag, change of clothes and bike somewhere near the riverbank for the morning the previous evening? (She could've bought a bike secondhand in a shop, online or gumtree with cash, for example). Nobody would be looking for a woman on a bike.

IMO to rule out planned exit, police should also be checking CCTV the previous day/evening...

You may be forgetting all the CCTV around and the dog walkers? Also, if she felt the area was becoming "spooky", in the daytime, I don't believe she would go there in the dead of night, alone.

 

[MadMcGoo]

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[cottonweaver]

hello I’m new here,
Apologies if someone has already mentioned this but I’m reading through and have only got to thread 9. Anyway
I wanted to mention the public footpath that runs along the side of the grapes car park and leads to the fields and the river as a possible exit.
Its almost opposite the garage.

here is a screenshot from street view.

Welcome.
It's mentioned in here Lancashire Constabulary - Missing Nicola Bulley - latest update

What do you think of the church sighting? Church isn't far and the grounds also overlook the river. It's just past this road sign.

Mentioned in the Sun's latest link:
'A witness came forward after spotting the pair outside the local church.' Two 'suspicious' men spotted by witness near Nicola Bulley's dog-walking route

Is that another path at the Inskip sign too? Google Maps




sign

 

[Dan Cooper]

The 'voluntarily disappeared' scenario is completely absurd. It doesn't work on any level; she's abandoned her entire family, who by now assume she's dead, she's got the police dredging rivers for her body, she wouldn't be able to use any forms of identification or payment without being tracked, and her face is on the front of every newspaper and website in the country. Were that not enough, we've heard nothing suspicious in terms of financial activity, suggesting NB would have no way of supporting herself independently.

Women don't abandon their young kids and just vanish into thin air, and as there's been no form of ransom note or contact then I think we can rule that out as well.

NB is most probably somewhere in the Wyre river or estuary, or - worst case scenario - has been dumped or buried elsewhere.

 

[Just-a-random-girl]

You may be forgetting all the CCTV around and the dog walkers? Also, if she felt the area was becoming "spooky", in the daytime, I don't believe she would go there in the dead of night, alone.

No CCTV on the towpath and people don't always think straight. Somebody leaving their life is not going to be worried about spookiness. And there would be areas and bushes on the outer periphery (one wouldn't have to go to the back field which would actually be further to go and not be seen).

On the CCTV you're making a the mistake (in the hieracrhy of knowledge we now have) in thinking she was aware of any CCTV - or that she was bothered or not about being caught on it. She may not have even known any of it existed and, if this scenario did happen, just fell lucky.

 

[Allabouttrial]

No CCTV on the towpath and people don't always think straight. Somebody leaving their life is not going to be worried about spookiness. And there would be areas and bushes on the outer periphery (one wouldn't have to go to the back field which would actually be further to go and not be seen).

On the CCTV you're making a the mistake (in the hieracrhy of knowledge we now have) in thinking she was aware of any CCTV - or that she was bothered or not about being caught on it. She may not have even known any of it existed and, if this scenario did happen, just fell lucky.

Only 1 entry/exit point not covered by CCTV, so yeah that would be VERY lucky if she wasn't concerned.

I imagine LE have covered Nicola's movements, not just from that day, but at the very least from the night before. They'll know exactly where she was, with whom and when.

 

[Just-a-random-girl]

The 'voluntarily disappeared' scenario is completely absurd. It doesn't work on any level; she's abandoned her entire family, who by now assume she's dead, she's got the police dredging rivers for her body, she wouldn't be able to use any forms of identification or payment without being tracked, and her face is on the front of every newspaper and website in the country. Were that not enough, we've heard nothing suspicious in terms of financial activity, suggesting NB would have no way of supporting herself independently.

Women don't abandon their young kids and just vanish into thin air, and as there's been no form of ransom note or contact then I think we can rule that out as well.

NB is most probably somewhere in the Wyre river or estuary, or - worst case scenario - has been dumped or buried elsewhere.

Women do abandon their young kids and vanish into thin air. My own grandmother did it.

 

[kittythehare]

Women do abandon their young kids and vanish into thin air. My own grandmother did it.

There is absolutely no evidence or even hint of anything of the sort in this case.
To pursue it is bordering victim blaming.