Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley Last Seen Walking Dog Near River - St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire), Jan 2023 #19

[Seattle1]

She may have been searching for her and leaned in so she could see better.
That is probably why Willow didn't enter the water. When she returned Nicola was already submerged? Possibly. Just my thoughts.

I wish we had access to the video played during the inquest. I understand the harness was found in deep grass and without knowing exactly where, I also wondered if NB was attempting to harness the dog at the time.

"As I came round the bend I came to a stile, I tied up my dog and climbed over the stile. I saw this Springer Spaniel. It was near the bench and then it was going towards the river where it drops down really steep.
It wasn’t doing anything chaotically, it was a bit giddy. I saw a mobile phone on the bench and between the bench and the river I saw a bundle in the grass. I walked down and it was one of those dog harnesses.

She said ‘oh no, it’s Nikki’s dog and Nikki has gone missing’."

Nicola Bulley inquest begins as coroner examines her tragic death

 

[WAWAW]

I still haven’t been convinced that a confrontation didn’t take place between Nicola and a third party, either another dog walker or random member of the public over something trivial like willow going up to their dog. I don’t think we will ever know whether Nicola fell, was pushed whether intentionally or accidentally in an argument, or entered the water herself. I believe an open verdict may well be recorded due to us being unable to know exactly what caused Nicola to end up in the water. Either open verdict, misadventure/accidental IMO.

Had Nicola’s phone not been found on the bench then I’d lean much more towards a tragic fall. However her phone being left on the bench suggests she may have placed it there, either to get up and speak with someone or to voluntarily enter the water. If it was a sudden fall then why was her phone on the bench?

All MOO

For what it's worth in my opinion I think you are correct. For months now I've felt the key to solving this lies in the data on the Fitbit and after today's evidence here's what I believe happened with supporting arguments and evidence.
At 9.15 witness Mrs Cheshire saw nicola and dog running freely, at around same time a male witness saw a dodgy looking man in black talking to nicola. Mrs Cheshire also named another person as being present who I won't name.
At 9.20 an argument ensued over a dog and lead, Nicola left her phone on bench to confront someone and this caused the high heart rate recorded at 9.22.This argument continued for 8 minutes which explains the continuous recording of steps up to 9.30.At this point someone pushed nicola into the water, leading to the screams being heard by two different people around 9.35.All my opinions based on what we found today, but it makes more sense than the narrative being given.
One other thing I'd like to know to prove or disprove my theory is the Fitbit records last known breath, for some reason this hasn't been reported but I'd lay a lot of money it shows around 9.35

 

[Mirabel091]

Are you asking whether her FitBit would record her breathing? Mine only reports breathing rate overnight as average breaths per minute and is not detailed enough to see a minute by minute breakdown (as far as the data I have access to as a customer anyway).

 

[WAWAW]

Are you asking whether her FitBit would record her breathing? Mine only reports breathing rate overnight as average breaths per minute and is not detailed enough to see a minute by minute breakdown (as far as the data I have access to as a customer anyway).

Mine records Beats per Minute, I can see at 1.39 last week it stopped recording as my battery ran out. In this case it would record the time hers sadly dropped to nil.

 

[suzyjackson]

For what it's worth in my opinion I think you are correct. For months now I've felt the key to solving this lies in the data on the Fitbit and after today's evidence here's what I believe happened with supporting arguments and evidence.
At 9.15 witness Mrs Cheshire saw nicola and dog running freely, at around same time a male witness saw a dodgy looking man in black talking to nicola. Mrs Cheshire also named another person as being present who I won't name.
At 9.20 an argument ensued over a dog and lead, Nicola left her phone on bench to confront someone and this caused the high heart rate recorded at 9.22.This argument continued for 8 minutes which explains the continuous recording of steps up to 9.30.At this point someone pushed nicola into the water, leading to the screams being heard by two different people around 9.35.All my opinions based on what we found today, but it makes more sense than the narrative being given.
One other thing I'd like to know to prove or disprove my theory is the Fitbit records last known breath, for some reason this hasn't been reported but I'd lay a lot of money it shows around 9.35

The timings are interesting, as a lone woman in that situation I wouldn't stay and argue with a stranger for 8 minutes, that's a reaaaaaally long time to be interacting with someone in a negative way.Sadly I suspect we'll never know for sure

JMO

 

[kittythehare]

For what it's worth in my opinion I think you are correct. For months now I've felt the key to solving this lies in the data on the Fitbit and after today's evidence here's what I believe happened with supporting arguments and evidence.
At 9.15 witness Mrs Cheshire saw nicola and dog running freely, at around same time a male witness saw a dodgy looking man in black talking to nicola. Mrs Cheshire also named another person as being present who I won't name.
At 9.20 an argument ensued over a dog and lead, Nicola left her phone on bench to confront someone and this caused the high heart rate recorded at 9.22.This argument continued for 8 minutes which explains the continuous recording of steps up to 9.30.At this point someone pushed nicola into the water, leading to the screams being heard by two different people around 9.35.All my opinions based on what we found today, but it makes more sense than the narrative being given.
One other thing I'd like to know to prove or disprove my theory is the Fitbit records last known breath, for some reason this hasn't been reported but I'd lay a lot of money it shows around 9.35

'At 9.15 witness Mrs Cheshire saw nicola and dog running freely, at around same time a male witness saw a dodgy looking man in black talking to nicola. Mrs Cheshire also named another person as being present who I won't name.'

what exactly are you referencing here?

 

[WAWAW]

'At 9.15 witness Mrs Cheshire saw nicola and dog running freely, at around same time a male witness saw a dodgy looking man in black talking to nicola. Mrs Cheshire also named another person as being present who I won't name.'

what exactly are you referencing here?

It's in the independent linked earlier. Ms Cheshire and a Mr fife I believe

 

[Mirabel091]

Mine records Beats per Minute, I can see at 1.39 last week it stopped recording as my battery ran out. In this case it would record the time hers sadly dropped to nil.

Oh OK. Mine also records BPM as Heart Rate with a more detailed timeline throughout the day. I thought you meant breathing rate but I suppose the two would be linked in any case.

 

[Seattle1]

At 9.15 witness Mrs Cheshire saw nicola and dog running freely, at around same time a male witness saw a dodgy looking man in black talking to nicola. Mrs Cheshire also named another person as being present who I won't name.

Huh? I'm not finding anywhere in multiple live blogs of the inquest where NB was seen talking to the man in black. Not for 8 seconds, let alone 8 minutes! Please post link citing NB seen talking.

Nicola Bulley inquest begins as coroner examines her tragic death

The 45-year-old's body was found in the River Wyre in Lancashire 23 days after she went missing

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

14:39PAUL BRITTO

Ms Cheshire said that other than 'Penny', who owns the caravan park next to the river, she didn’t see anyone else other than one dog walker much further down. “I did not see anyone enter," she says. Ms Cheshire says she left the field at around 9.15am and was captured on nearby CCTV at 9.18am.

14:26PAUL BRITTON

Statement from man who saw Ms Bulley 'from a distance'​

Richard Fife was walking his dog on the fields close to where Nikki was last seen, the inquest heard.

He says he knew her to say hello to as they often saw each other while out walking. Between 9.10am and 9.20am, he says he saw Nikki from a distance.

Mr Fife says he saw a male he referred to as “man in black” as he walked towards where he saw Nikki and assumed "he was waiting for a lift”.

Mr Fife says he then saw him again on his way back. He was dressed “all in black and possibly a beanie hat”, and Mr Fife thought it was strange he was still there.

He was about 6ft 1ins tall, the inquest hears.

Mr Fife says he then got in his car and drove off. When he drove past where the man had been, he was gone, the inquest is told.

After hearing Nikki had gone missing, Mr Fife says he reported his sighting of the 'man in black' to police.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Maybe, when police appeared to be re-searching the river recently, they were undertaking fitbit comparisons to see how one records underwater movement.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Hang on, were there any public appeals for the 6’1” man in black to come forward? Have they said if he was identified at the time?

 

[kittythehare]

It's in the independent linked earlier. Ms Cheshire and a Mr fife I believe

Where exactly in the Indo?
Can you copy paste it, please?
If you highlight the exact text you have an option to copy to highlight, link that here and people can read it.
I saw no reference to Nicola speaking with a dodgy man .

 

[kittythehare]

Huh? I'm not finding anywhere in multiple live blogs of the inquest where NB was seen talking to the man in black. Not for 8 seconds, let alone 8 minutes! Please post link citing NB seen talking.

Nicola Bulley inquest begins as coroner examines her tragic death

The 45-year-old's body was found in the River Wyre in Lancashire 23 days after she went missing

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

14:39PAUL BRITTO

Ms Cheshire said that other than 'Penny', who owns the caravan park next to the river, she didn’t see anyone else other than one dog walker much further down. “I did not see anyone enter," she says. Ms Cheshire says she left the field at around 9.15am and was captured on nearby CCTV at 9.18am.

14:26PAUL BRITTON

Statement from man who saw Ms Bulley 'from a distance'​

Richard Fife was walking his dog on the fields close to where Nikki was last seen, the inquest heard.

He says he knew her to say hello to as they often saw each other while out walking. Between 9.10am and 9.20am, he says he saw Nikki from a distance.

Mr Fife says he saw a male he referred to as “man in black” as he walked towards where he saw Nikki and assumed "he was waiting for a lift”.

Mr Fife says he then saw him again on his way back. He was dressed “all in black and possibly a beanie hat”, and Mr Fife thought it was strange he was still there.

He was about 6ft 1ins tall, the inquest hears.

Mr Fife says he then got in his car and drove off. When he drove past where the man had been, he was gone, the inquest is told.

After hearing Nikki had gone missing, Mr Fife says he reported his sighting of the 'man in black' to police.

Sounds like a bloke waiting for a lift.
pretty sure he has been eliminated by police.

 

[Seattle1]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1673282932872495105

https://twitter.com/x/status/1673275665637060608

 

[infinit]

I'm glad that by the sound of it she didn't suffer long.

Peter Faulding is an utter disgrace and I hope he thinks long and hard about the impact he has had here on the family and his contribution in turning the whole thing into a circus. Everything he has said has turned out to be evidently wrong. Huge respect to the Police divers for their professionalism.

 

[Blondiexoxo]

According to this witness there was also another person in the area around this time…
Ms Cheshire said that other than Penny, who owns the caravan park next to the river, she didn’t see anyone else other than one dog walker much further down. Ms Cheshire left the field at around 9.15am and was captured on nearby CCTV at 9.18am.

From Penny’s evidence yesterday….

The inquest is now hearing from Penny Fletcher, the owner of a campsite in St Michael’s On Wyre which is close to where Nicola was last seen. Mrs Fletcher took her dog for a walk at 9.30am and found Willow with Nicola nowhere to be seen.

Mrs Fletcher, who is giving evidence via video link, said: “As I came round the bend I came to the stile, I tied up my dog and climbed over the stile. I saw this Springer Spaniel. It was near the bench and then it was going towards the river where it drops down really steep.

So we have Mrs Cheshire who saw Nicola, had left the field by 9.15am, Mr Fife who saw Nicola from a distance around 9.10-9.20am. And Mrs Fletcher who by the reporting was seen by Mrs Cheshire at some point around 9.15am, however she says she didn’t take her dog a walk until 9.30am which is when she found Willow. There is a slight time discrepancy here however we don’t know from the reporting if Mrs Cheshire saw Mrs Fletcher after leaving the field at some time around 9.30am. Mrs Fletcher also says she called the vets that was on Willows tag but they ‘didn’t want to know’.

All of these witnesses tragically don’t seem to have been close enough at 9.22sm when Nicola may well have entered the water.
Would Nicola have been swept under and away by the current by the time Mrs Fletcher found Willow, so she wouldn’t have been visible? So sad and shocking to think how fast this must have had to unfolded IMO

MOO

Nicola Bulley inquest latest updates as two day hearing continues

A two day inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley begins on Monday. Our reporter will be in court providing updates on proceedings as it happens.

www.lancs.live

 

[WAWAW]

Where exactly in the Indo?
Can you copy paste it, please?
If you highlight the exact text you have an option to copy to highlight, link that here and people can read it.
I saw no reference to Nicola speaking with a dodgy man .

It looks like the Independent version has been edited to remove the reference to the other person. However, another poster has kindly linked Lancs Live which still has it on there but I suspect this might get removed soon. I don't know what's going on here, but it feels like we are being pushed into accepting a narrative that isn't supported by the evidence from yesterday

 

[Seattle1]

It looks like the Independent version has been edited to remove the reference to the other person. However, another poster has kindly linked Lancs Live which still has it on there but I suspect this might get removed soon. I don't know what's going on here, but it feels like we are being pushed into accepting a narrative that isn't supported by the evidence from yesterday

I don't believe this a fair representation of the hearing having posted the blogs live both before lunch recess and following lunch (media thread) where there was no mention of NB talking to the man dressed in black or additional persons other than previously reported and testimony given before more than 30 members of the press. JMO

UK - Nicola Bulley, St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire), Jan 27, 2023 *MEDIA, MAPS, & TIMELINES - NO DISCUSSION*

21 FEB. Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has said it was "extremely concerned" to hear complaints made about ITV and Sky News by the family of Nicola Bulley. Ofcom said it had written to both "to ask them to explain their actions". It is understood Sky News has received Ofcom's letter and will...

www.websleuths.com

 

[sriraaacha]

Tbh I feel as though the police were confident enough from the beginning that no third party was involved in this and that’s been stated yet again now. I believe they’re right imo.

I’m not sure there will really ever be a way to know exactly what happened that day and it’s probably something only Willow will ever know. It looks like it was an accident especially if screams were heard around that time, or alternatively she screamed to try to get people’s attention and make it look like an accident and it was actually suicide? Which could correlate with her leaving her phone on the bench while connected to a work call, making it appear to be accidental. They’re both still the possible scenarios that I’m leaning towards.

And just curious how reliable the fitbit data actually is? Like is it 100% accurate or could there be a delay or anything? Not sure. Either way it’s still so sad and I feel so bad for Paul and her family and friends.

 

[MrsWatson]

It looks like the Independent version has been edited to remove the reference to the other person. However, another poster has kindly linked Lancs Live which still has it on there but I suspect this might get removed soon. I don't know what's going on here, but it feels like we are being pushed into accepting a narrative that isn't supported by the evidence from yesterday

Here is the exact quote from the Lanc article, which does not indicate that this sighting was confirmed. Nowhere does it say this alleged man in black was interacting with Nicola or even near her.

BBM

As the extensive search for Nicola continued, in the three weeks since she was last seen, many began to speculate whether someone else had been involved in her disappearance and, once her body was discovered, her death. One eye-witness, who was unable to give evidence in person, claimed to have seen a "man in black" acting strangely but several others did not report seeing the same man.

Richard Fife saw the man, who he described as being dressed all in black and possible wearing a beanie hat, standing near the field twice and thought it was "strange". After hearing Nicola had gone missing, Mr Fife reported his sighting of the man in black to police.


ETA: What part of the evidence given by the police diver, the pathologist and the cold water drowning expert is not credible?