Found Deceased UK - Nicola Bulley Last Seen Walking Dog Near River - St Michaels on Wyre (Lancashire) #17

[Woodburnbay]

In the last thread (#16), someone asked what did we make of the body being found where it was.

1. It, the body, was found below the weir in the tidal section of the river. The body was found ten-to-fifteen minutes walk down river from where Mrs. Bulley normally walked her dog and from where the dog and her phone were found.

2. In percentages, how many bodies would actually go over the weir? Did she walk down river below weir and then enter the river?

2. People seem to focus on the very human element of self-harm as a potential cause for being in the river, or an accident (slipped and fell, and drown). This seems to be the most likely event.

3. However, there may be variables that will develop over time. People mostly tend to overlook the potential, in small percentages, that Mrs. Bulley could have been a victim of crime.

4. For example, being in finance (mortgages), what if she had been unwittingly processing mortgages for a money laundering scheme, and someone thought she might now be a loose end that needed to be tied up (removed)? Crime creates victims. She might have been one.

5. Because Mrs. Bulley apparently kept a very public presence via social media, might she have been the victim of stalking and it went badly?

My thoughts are we don't know enough to make a solid assessment, yet.

Very good comments @mrtnira
I was quite interested in where this body has been found-Very close to the road where the road and river come very close to one another.
Now, the body may have travelled this far but was the river not searched extensively?
Could the body have been placed in the river since she went missing AFTER the search
Forensics and pathology will know if she dies before ingesting water to her lungs and so we should await the outcome.

IMO the position that body was found suggests more than an accident and why would dog have not followed NB, even if by running along the embankment.

 

[concerneduk]

With respect, what about the random place she ended up after 3 weeks could help in determining the cause of death?

Respect to solve case correctly. Area is downstream and Mr to road. Case is unexplained state so needs all lines of enquiry open and evidence retained including cars/people able to access before maybe at night before she was found

 

[bos]

Yes, but the body was still able to tell what had happened to her. I think she had been strangled?

Pathologist couldn’t conclusively say asphyxia or drowning

 

[mrjitty]

They don't know if body came via road or river.

RSBM

Of course they know that.

I'd recommend we wait for further developments before asserting all over again that police don't know their own jobs

 

[MsBetsy]

Regarding ID of a body that has been submerged in water, Libby Squire was positively identified via fingerprints; public confirmation was made approximately 29 hours after her body was recovered (found approx 3pm Wed, ID confirmed to press 8pm Thurs).

Libby was recovered at Grimsby & had to be transported to Hull which no doubt delayed things.

They were able to get fingerprints after the body was in the water for two months?

 

[Scottish_Person]

Not necessarily very long at all. If the body is NB and she was still wearing her identifiable clothing, they'd have known it was her immediately, for all intents and purposes. Depending on how they identify her it could just be a few hours.

This is correct. We were in the unfortunate position as a family to be in similar circumstances . The police presented us with items of clothing and jewellery which we positively identified and no formal identification (ie dna or dental) was required.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Police don't have the fingerprint records of many people - the person would need to have been arrested at some point earlier. I don't expect NB ever was. However police did already collect personal items to get DNA from.

They get fingerprints from items at your home to compare.

And yes, @MsBetsy they got Libby’s prints from her body after twice as long in the water.

 

[Agatha3]

I believe he was the crime correspondent.

If it was Sky crime man, will be veteran Martin Brunt.

 

[bos]

Police don't have the fingerprint records of many people - the person would need to have been arrested at some point earlier. I don't expect NB ever was. However police did already collect personal items to get DNA from.

THey didn’T have Libby’s in database, they were taken from her possessions. Quicker/cheaper than DNA but can’t always be done because of degloving of skin

 

[suzyjackson]

The post I replied to was about determining the cause of death, or at least that's how I read it

Anyway only the stupidist police force in their current position would risk not doing everything by the book so I see no reason to think they been derelict in some way

JMO

Respect to solve case correctly. Area is downstream and Mr to road. Case is unexplained state so needs all lines of enquiry open and evidence retained including cars/people able to access before maybe at night before she was found

 

[wallaby]

Got the sad news alert when I was out on a walk and then had to help pack and wave off my oldest back to Uni. Have tried to read news pieces but I can’t tell, was this below the weir? So sorry if it’s been talked about, I tried to read back but couldn’t find any info.

 

[concerneduk]

RSBM

Of course they know that.

I'd recommend we wait for further developments before asserting all over again that police don't know their own jobs

I am not saying that, it is not a missing person drown/other until proved otherwise and bst practice says you don't walk away with knowing what you have to deal with after the post mortem

 

[bos]

Amazingly, yes

They were able to get fingerprints after the body was in the water for two months?

 

[citygirl]

How does a father tell a 6 and 9 year old that Mommy is no longer lost but gone forever?
Unimaginable.
MOO.

 

[Enigmacode]

Who was this? I am not an expert I but my understanding was that water quickly makes bodies quite difficult to identify eg soaks into tissues same way a bath makes fingertips puffy then of course any traction or injury from stones or debris, plus decomposition itself - all JMO! Was news person a pathologist? Genuine query!

Don't think Martin Brunt is a qualified pathologist, he's a crime correspondent so he's well versed. Yes it makes bodies difficult to identify.

 

[lilythistle]

It's really unfortunate that bodies are so often hard to find, even when they're relatively close to where the person went missing. (Assuming this is her; I suppose even if it's not her, it's a case of a body being hard to find since people were looking for bodies there.) I'm sure that because of the time involved people will continue to imply there's more going on, even if there most likely isn't, and that is bound to add to her family's suffering.

 

[sunnynz]

Gosh so sad if it is her. As is so often the case, the simplest theory is the correct one. Perhaps here too.

I feel for her wee kiddies and husband and the rest of her loved ones.

 

[Cranky]

This is correct. We were in the unfortunate position as a family to be in similar circumstances . The police presented us with items of clothing and jewellery which we positively identified and no formal identification (ie dna or dental) was required.

Thank you for sharing your information from what must have been a very hard time for your family.

 

[Scottish_Person]

Regardless of how long it takes for formal identification I am assuming that family will be given the chance to notify anybody that they think would need to know before the ID information turns up in the media?

The family will have been notified immediately, and before any press announcement made. Of course locals at the scene will know what’s going on and word will have spread. The assumption will be that it is NB. They are not looking for anyone else, and no one else has been reported missing. From personal experience, formal identification sometimes isn’t a ‘thing‘ in these circumstances. It’s actually simpler than we all think. I was expecting dental records and DNA to be used but the Procurator Fiscal (like coroner) accepted the identification of her clothing and jewellery to be enough to make a positive ID.

 

[concerneduk]

The post I replied to was about determining the cause of death, or at least that's how I read it

Anyway only the stupidist police force in their current position would risk not doing everything by the book so I see no reason to think they been derelict in some way

JMO

Police don't know how she died as yet, points to the fact they never fenced off bench either as to focused mindset of cause when it has been proved before a open mindset for investigation should have been done. Hope I am wrong in this but concerns remain which don't match accident/herself and where she is found nr to first place road meets river after st Michael's.