Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley Last Seen Walking Dog Near River - St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire) #14

[infinit]

The comparisons to this case of missing Peter Baglin (only 30 minutes from where NB disappeared and a month prior) are mentioned in a number of WS forums, most specifically it was raised in #Thread 7 of this forum by member Dinosaursplash. Whether LE have at any point considered a potential connection between others missing without trace from waterside locations has perhaps not been placed in the public domain? The one aspect that did jump out after LE's controversial statement re NB last night, Peter was captured on CCTV buying a small bottle of whiskey at a petrol station within 10 minutes of leaving his home for his canalside walk from which he never returned. Yet there have been no obvious suggestions made by LE that he had an issue with alcohol insinuation of any bearing on his disappearance, as has been highlighted in NB's case. It does have a rather unjustly whiff as to why it was deemed appropriate?

The sad truth is it is likely his case hasn't got enough attention for it to be worth it for the rags to dig into it to that extent or write a story about it (assuming he did struggle with alcohol and wasn't just buying a last tipple for dutch courage.)

 

[ayrshireguy]

It's clear that NB was receiving or had received some form of professional medical help for her issues. Police will have had access to her medical history from the beginning. It won't just be the partners word they are taking as that would lead to a whole lot of problems on top of the ones they already have.

 

[Cluella DeVille]

I must admit I had sort of thought the same, as both nearby in area, vanishing in similar ways. ie: leaving some property behind to be found etc.

Seems a perfect opportunity for LE to elevate his case into the foreground and ignite an appeal

 

[Lincoln34]

I'm sure lowland S&R teams are able to fairly accurately calculate how far a person can travel in a given timeframe over a variety of terrains. So unless she was assisted I don't believe she would have gone beyond a search radius. It is possible she was able to evade a search but with the addition of thermal imaging cameras mounted on drones then evading a search unless in a vehicle or building would be incredibly difficult. Being submerged in water could mask a thermal signature however IMO.

My aunt , who has dementia, went missing in Shropshire some years ago. She was missing for 48 hours and we had almost given up hope when she was eventually found dehydrated, but otherwise fine, in a farm ditch. The Police had used helicopters with infrared tech, but had not detected her in the ditch.

 

[Agatha3]

Releasing the information about NB's vulnerabilities is a real Catch-22 for police.

If they had said from the outset she was vulnerable, they would have been inundated with what those vulnerabilities were . The first question everyone would have had is "What are those vulnerabilities? We need to know to know where to look!" Just saying there were vulnerabilities would never satisfy the curiosity of a certain segment of the public's belief that they should know everything police know during an investigation.

By releasing the information now, including the specific vulnerabilities, they are now being questioned on the advisability of doing that and the veracity of the statement. I highly doubt police just took her partner's word for it. They're the police, it's their job to fact check. No matter what happened during the Jan incident, it was something serious enough to warrant a police call out and it will have been documented and taken into consideration when police assessed her level of risk.

In the meantime, they have people showing up in this small village, crawling all over the place, others throwing out all sorts of unsavory insinuations about Nicola herself, her partner, the woman who found the dog, fishermen who were somehow suspicious for going to place known for fishing, a tatty red van that is suspicious because it's tatty? red? a van? And police have to deal with all that, all the while knowing she had these specific issues going on that made her vulnerable yet wanting to protect her privacy.

I understand why they released the information now. I'd rather hear it from the official police source vs the tabloids or from some "expert" who is not privy to all aspects of the investigation and has demonstrated zero discretion. Or the other one who has been a journalist longer than he was a police officer.

All MOO

I doubt PA would have let NB drive the kids to school drunk.

I certainly don’t think she did that. Police I think aremore referring to the depression/anxiety of alcohol.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

There is absolutely nothing to suggest Nicola has been murdered though.

The thing that suggests NB has been murdered is her complete and sudden disappearance in broad daylight leaving a dog and her mobile phone (plus home, family, children, job, friends) and that she subsequently cannot be traced or located. That disappearance is not proof or evidence but it's certainly a 'suggestion'.

I am also including in my personal opinion other ideas that I'm not allowed to state on this site but it is sadly my strong suspicion that NB has had her life taken.

However, I personally hold hope and pray for the idea that she's done a runner and disappeared herself as that would mean she's alive.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

You believe Nicola has been murdered and yet there is not one shred of evidence to back that up.

Of course, there's currently no shreds of evidence to back anything up as far as any of us know so that's kind of a redundant thing to say. We can only wait and see what LE and detectives uncover over time.

 

[Penny68]

My aunt , who has dementia, went missing in Shropshire some years ago. She was missing for 48 hours and we had almost given up hope when she was eventually found dehydrated, but otherwise fine, in a farm ditch. The Police had used helicopters with infrared tech, but had not detected her in the ditch.

Pleased to hear your Aunt was eventually found. So very sad about the circumstances she found herself in, and of course a huge worry for you and your family during those 48 hours.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

1,454 women died by suicide in 2021 in England and Wales. Far higher than the murder victim total.

You won't find most of their stories, it's still seen as taboo to report on suicide matter of factly (I think in part to try not trigger others towards it) or to give voices to those who took that decision.

Suicides in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

Registered deaths in England and Wales from suicide analysed by sex, age, area of usual residence of the deceased, and suicide method.

www.ons.gov.uk

I agree. I sadly have friends who have taken their lives, both male and female, including two (separately) who had to be extensively searched for and weren't found for several days in one case and three weeks in the other despite massive searches. The reason they were being searched for is their suicidal intention was known and they had already made serious attempts shortly before. Plus I follow sites like this for many years and am aware of how missing persons cases often turn out.

However, there are too many elements of this case that simply don't stack up and NB has not been located despite extensive searches.

Also, most women who have relative privilege and wealth, friends, family, and young children will try to change their life before taking their life (not all, sadly, we all know that and it's a tragedy).

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Completely false. Functioning alcoholics are very much a thing, I know one who would only drink every evening and all day weekends but would only drive the morning after.

I think you misread the original post and my reply. The question was not about whether alcoholics can function or whether they can drive. It was a different question.

 

[crackthecase]

If a person has "vulnerabilities" whatever they may be it usually makes them *more* likely to be a victim of crime. It does not rule them out as being a potential victim of something, quite the opposite.

 

[jojojaja]

I

<modsnip>

Swathes of the great british public get drunk and disorderly on a regular basis, frequently requiring police or ambulance attendance, hospital treatment, psych evaluation, frequently becoming embroiled in noisy household disputes or going off on the deep end. It doesn't mean they're an actual 'alcoholic' battling the disease of addiction. They can sleep it off, eat well, hydrate, and carry on like normal. Many people even do this on a repeat basis and still aren't alcoholics, just normalise it as being part of our drinking / partying culture.

<modsnip>

I think that generally alcoholism is a word that's less used now and 'alcohol abuse' is more common. There are degrees also how far down that path people go,

<modsnip>

Unfortunately of she had been drinking and unsteady on her feet and spatial awareness off, then that may add to the possibility of falling in the water and getting into greater difficulty if she did.

 

[Nosurprise]

Completely false. Functioning alcoholics are very much a thing, I know one who would only drink every evening and all day weekends but would only drive the morning after.

I wonder if they took an alcohol breathe test in mornings, they would still be over limit. And I wouldn't allow even a functioning alcoholic to drive my children or pet. MOO JMO

 

[WAWAW]

I genuinely hope this lady is alive and can extract herself from the position she's in and gets the help she needs. On the investigation I really believe the key tome is 9.20 to 9.33.If the police facts are correct (and I believe they are) the phone was placed on the bench at 9.20, then it was found with the dog at 9.33 with NB missing. The question is did Nicholas put it there, if she did and you follow the police hypothesis then she went into the water. This therefore means, she left a loyal dog who didn't follow her, the lady who found the dog either didn't check the water or she wasn't there, if she wasn't there she somehow cannot be found in the most extensive search of water in this country ever. From this surely the conclusion is someone else is involved and they put the phone on the bench and distracted willow in my opinion. Who that could be is I don't know, but I can't see how she is in the water

 

[Cuko]

Good point IMO. If she knew person A B or C always walked their dog at same time everyday it would help the dog to be found. JMO

I think this is unlikely. If NB was hiding, but close enough to see Willow the dog and any human that might approach, Willow would have picked up her scent in an instant. JMO

 

[starlightstarbright]

JMO but I think some of these responses indicate such a poor understanding of alcoholism. There seems to be an assumption now that NB was drunk at the time, could have fallen over drunk and drowned, shouldn’t have been driving, etc. This very much plays into the stereotype of the drunk man passing out on the park bench with a brown paper bag. That’s not representative at all of the vast majority of alcoholics.

I say this as someone who has had ‘significant issues with alcohol’. Most of the people I know are just like NB (and just like me too). Professional women, mums, very involved at school, ferrying kids around, go for runs/the gym, have friends, seem happy, very idyllic social media lives. They’re not drinking when they first wake up. They aren’t drunk and falling over on dog walks. Many women like us have all sorts of rules about not drinking in ways that feel like they impact on us as parents, never before the kids are home from sports, never before the kids go to bed. You can absolutely still have ‘significant issues with alcohol’ and not be drinking all the time, or falling over, or passing out in random places. You are just pounding 2 bottles of wine after bedtime and being absolutely miserable.

MOO but I scratch my head a bit about the assumption that alcohol problem = going missing in water. It doesn’t make sense to me in this context. Yes, we know drunk people toddle home from the pub and end up drowning. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Unless there is information that LE has from the welfare check on the 10th that indicates a previous threat of self harm related to water or that specific place, maybe there is?

But actually what this does make me appreciate is the state of mind NB may have been in. She may have been absolutely sober, but alcoholism is a revolving door of shame and misery. You feel awful and hate yourself for it, you know a drink will take some of that away, you drink, you feel better, eventually you stop feeling better, so you drink more and then you feel sad…roll on the next morning, you wake up and feel miserable and ashamed and it starts again. Mornings are particularly difficult for many. It’s the time you feel the worst about yourself. MOO but it’s a time when the urge to just give up and walk away might be the greatest or to do something that might put you at risk of harm simply from not caring anymore. So it doesn’t make sense to me why the emphasis on the river because I think an accident isn’t the most likely occurrence when you can imagine yourself in NB’s shoes.

 

[tigerowl]

Willow is a Springer Spaniel, yes? This breed of dog is considered a “velcro dog” in that they tend to follow their people everywhere. If premeditated, how did she get the dog to stay near the phone while she either entered the river or left the area? Springer Spaniels love water too. The dog was reportedly dry when found. Why pace in an agitated manner in one specific location if Willow knew what direction Nicola went? Why not follow as this breed is known to do?

100% disagree with this. We had springer spaniels growing up. Any chance they had off the lead they would pelt it.

 

[sriraaacha]

Why is everybody using the word "alcoholic"? There is nothing to suggest that Nicola is/was one. Having "alcohol issues" is not the same thing (providing they haven't downplayed it). They said it had become apparent again within the past few months, which to me suggested that she uses alcohol sometimes to help her deal with her menopausal symptoms when she has them imo. That also doesn't mean that she'd be drinking all day either... and it also doesn't necessarily mean every day.

 

[Belleville]

Why would Police need PA to advise them that NB had alcohol issues "IN THE PAST"
This suggests that the Police call out on 10th January was not alcohol related but something else.

 

[onthecounter]

I haven’t had a chance to read this thread and much of the last thread so sorry if this has already been mentioned. It was mentioned in the latest press conference that NB’s phone had been thoroughly analysed. I’m wondering if her computer has too, to give detectives more of an insight as to her state of mind. It seems things may have been turbulent in her personal life for at least a few weeks. Life is a rollercoaster for all of us, I’m sure we can all sympathise.