Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley, 45, last seen walking her dog on footpath by the river, Inskip, Lancashire, 27 Jan 2023

[DazN]

First time poster... Reading the forum has had me sleuthing all day!

Something doesn't quite add up here and I can't help but think about it's all a bit Reggie Perrin / Lord Lucan what with the belongings found by a river.

<modsnip - sleuthing non-POI is not allowed>

Apologies if this kind of sleuthing isn't allowed!

 

[Cicane]

I don’t think she’s run off, it just doesn’t add up at all. It would need to involve someone else helping her.

I think something has happened to her involving the river, potentially slipped while chasing the dog in a steep part where the dog couldn’t follow her down, or something involving a third party.

If the former it may have happened quickly and the dog got confused and couldn’t reach her or see where she went.

If the latter would the dog not have followed or created a massive fuss? Unless it was someone she knew?

 

[Officer Dibble]

Plea for dashcam footage wouldn't be to try and spot any accident where she was walking / where the dog was found, it isn't visible from any road (I'm local).

I've said it upthread but worth mentioning again what I know of the river (I live next to it). That stretch is very narrow, maybe 5m at the most bank to bank. At the time frame of this incident, it was low tide (09:30am was low tide at the estuary about 5 miles north west) and it was a pretty calm morning. Yes -there will be odd little patches of that river bank which deeper than the 0.5m average the flood watch website is saying the river level has been for around 10 days, and it's winding and there might be odd patches of currents. And yes people drown in shallow water. But. I would honestly be very surprised if she fell in, drowned and hasn't been recovered since (given the water -based manpower which has gone into the search for 4 full days now). I don't believe a body will have been carried far by the water on that stretch.

Imo she's left that bench and the area either of her own accord or otherwise.

Thanks for the local knowledge. JMO.

 

[3point5]

<modsnip - quoted post removed>

You have to take into account that river depths vary a lot over time. According to the flood measuring link I posted earlier the normal range here is anything from "0.40m to 4.73m". Don't know what it was in 2021 but in the last 5 days it was around 0.45m - knee height. That's not to say someone couldn't drown in it of course.

I believe that was from below the weir, although I may be mistaken there. And given the sharpness of that bend I'd not be surprised to see its much deeper by the bench due to the force of the water.

All speculation on my part though! I'm surprised we've had another day with no news.

 

[Officer Dibble]

I am glad to see someone type this message. The whole thing just doesnt seem right at all. <modsnip> I have just got this terrible feeling. The theory as well about her slipping and falling into the river doesnt sit well with me either, on the strava photos, Willow - the spaniel - is quite at home in the water. I wonder whether there could have been some difficulty with another dog walker ? No evident. JMO

BBM. There has been an increase in the last few years of women walking dogs whilst on the phone and their dogs running up to other people or other dogs (with the owner distracted on the phone) - the other people get irate with the on-the-phone dog walker, especially if its a regular occurrence. JMO MOO.

 

[Loobyloo]

Some new photos of the scene here, for anyone wanting to visualise the riverbank etc.
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...sing-inskip-mum-entered-its-fifth-day-4008800

 

[DazN]

I see on that companies house website that a former address was off of Garstang Road.

Yes that rang alarm bells for me too...

 

[SpursGyal]

I see on that companies house website that a former address was off of Garstang Road.

I’ve looked into that address, and unless I’m mistaken, and I could be! Lol.. it’s a caravan park.

 

[tedtink]

Have they updated this? I didn't notice the bit before about him speaking to the woman who found the dog.

From this link :

We are especially keen to find a witness we believe was in the area at the time Nicola went missing. He is described as a man aged around 70, white, six ft tall, well-built who was walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead. He spoke to the woman in the area who found Nicola's dog near a bench in the field before walking in the direction of Rowanwater. If this is you, or if you know who this could be, please get in touch.

Lancashire Constabulary - Search continues for missing Nicola

The latest news and information for Lancashire Constabulary

lancashire.police.uk

Odd that Police have only just asked for this info? They would have spoken to the woman who found willow on day 1, why only ask now, unless it had slipped the woman's mind until now.

 

[Kassanddra]

Some new photos of the scene here, for anyone wanting to visualise the riverbank etc.
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...sing-inskip-mum-entered-its-fifth-day-4008800

Now seeing these, in the state they would have been in on Friday, I could totally imagine someone slipping /sliding in. Look like very muddy banks and wet.

 

[YaYa_521]

MOD NOTE:

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Multiple posts have been removed or snipped for violating various rules. Please keep the following in mind when discussing Nicola's case:

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[Cuko]

Very good point. if there was mud on it it would mean that the phone was on the floor, someone picked it up and left it there to hopefully be returned to the owner ? If no mud, it would mean that it was left there in a panic or accident. I also saw someone say can whoever was on the teams call with her verify that it was actually her in possession of the phone ?

Police will surely have checked the phone for fingerprints.

 

[Allabouttrial]

Some new photos of the scene here, for anyone wanting to visualise the riverbank etc.
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...sing-inskip-mum-entered-its-fifth-day-4008800

Thanks for the link! Some of the photos:

 

[Cuko]

@JimmyBets youve just made me think something, maybe she didnt place the phone and dog lead on the bench. What do you do when you find a glove, for example, in the park, you leave it somewhere noticeable, like a bench, everybody does this. Maybe someone, possibly man with fluffy dog, found it and placed them on the bench.

That’s a very good point. I’ve done that mutliple times when someone has dropped something in our local park.

 

[opalsqueak63]

House near where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone found searched

An old country house opposite where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone was found has been searched by its owner, according to the leader of a search and rescue team

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[CrocWearer]

For my tuppence worth, some random thoughts as the come to mind -

I would suspect foul play more if the phone hadn't been found neatly placed on the bench - I would usually have my phone in my hand ready for action (taking a pic or video, calling 999 or smaching am attackers face in etc) if I want completely relaxed in any situation but, I might as my son pointed out, put my phone down to go and help someone or rescue some animal from the water where I didn't want to risk dropping my phone in.

Forgive me, I've not read all 28 pages but, 'mid conference call'? Do we know if the person/people on the call with Nikki heard anything? I realise this may be known to those in the know but not made public.

It worried me immediately that she posted so publicly on social media where she routinely walked but, I'm tainted by personal trauma and a true crime addiction!

From her social media, I find it very hard to think that she'd leave her darling little girls without a Mummy on purpose.

<modsnip>

 

[Ceska]

How horribly sad. It looks like such a beautiful and tranquil place.

 

[Lucy6226]

House near where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone found searched

An old country house opposite where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone was found has been searched by its owner, according to the leader of a search and rescue team

www.mirror.co.uk

"While the team was searching the grounds, the owner was there for some reason, and we asked him to go in and he had a quick look around and she wasn’t there."

Seems legit

 

[SpursGyal]

House near where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone found searched

An old country house opposite where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone was found has been searched by its owner, according to the leader of a search and rescue team

www.mirror.co.uk

This headline is quite misleading, the volunteer search team searched the grounds and ran into the owner who ‘looked around’ the house and said she wasn’t there.

 

[SpursGyal]

For my tuppence worth, some random thoughts as the come to mind -

I would suspect foul play more if the phone hadn't been found neatly placed on the bench - I would usually have my phone in my hand ready for action (taking a pic or video, calling 999 or smaching am attackers face in etc) if I want completely relaxed in any situation but, I might as my son pointed out, put my phone down to go and help someone or rescue some animal from the water where I didn't want to risk dropping my phone in.

Forgive me, I've not read all 28 pages but, 'mid conference call'? Do we know if the person/people on the call with Nikki heard anything? I realise this may be known to those in the know but not made public.

It worried me immediately that she posted so publicly on social media where she routinely walked but, I'm tainted by personal trauma and a true crime addiction!

From her social media, I find it very hard to think that she'd leave her darling little girls without a Mummy on purpose.

<modsnip>

MSM have reported her camera was off and she was muted on the call, so others won’t have seen or heard anything.