The family of Nicola Bulley received the heartbreaking news yesterday that the body recovered from the River Wyre was the missing mum-of-two. Lancashire Police found Nicola on Sunday morning, more than three weeks since she disappeared after officers received a tip from two walkers who spotted something in the water.
The 45-year-old was last seen alive on January 27 walking her brown spaniel Willow near the river in the village of St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire. A huge police search was launched as detectives and specialist divers scoured the river Wyre for weeks and went out nearly 14 miles to sea in search of Nicola.
Divers used high-tech equipment to trawl the river and officers conducted house-to-house searches and interviewed drivers in the area at the time of her disappearance to explore all avenues. Police maintained throughout the whole investigation that their main hypothesis was that the mortgage advisor had fallen into the river.
Nicola's family said they were devastated at the news as they said in a statement last night: "We will never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us. We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.
"Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most." Nicola's case sparked national interest and wide spread speculation from the media and members of the public.
The family have now slammed the 'shameful' actions of those who pointed fingers at Nicola's loved ones along with hurtful conspiracy theories and tried to take the investigation into their own hands.
However, as Nicola's family grieve her loss and ask for privacy at this time, there are still many unanswered questions regarding Nicola Bulley's bizaree disappearance.
Why was the body found far from where she was last seen?
Nicola's body was recovered from the river Wyre on Sunday, February 19 but formal identification was not confirmed until the following day.
She was spotted by a member of public about a mile downstream from where disappeared and police along with specialist groups had already searched this area.
Many have speculated why this was the case but a detective previously told the Mirror before Nicola was found that it would be not be unusual for her body to have moved.
Julie Mackay, a retired Detective Superintendent who solved a 32-year-old murder said: "It's not as unusual as you think. If she's then sadly gone over that weir it becomes tidal and then the possibility that she's gone out to sea is still quite possible."
Why did it take so long to find the body?
The former Det Supt explained how the mum-of-two's clothes would have weighed her down and made her harder to find. Nicola was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive-green ankle wellies.
Ms Mackay previously said: "Generally wearing winter clothes makes it more difficult to get out it will weigh you down.".
Despite the fact that Nicola is said to have been a good swimmer, the retired detective explained that the 'cold water shock alone' would knock anyone sideways and quickly disorientates you. She said that wearing heavy winter clothes would cause 'panic' to set in 'and once you start losing control it can be quite difficult to regain it.'
She added: "It's also how the body operates in the water, it sinks until decomposition sets in and because it's so cold it may be a bit longer."
Why was Nicola's phone found on the bench?
Nicola's phone was found abandoned on a bench while still connected to a work conference call which was an aspect to the case that many found puzzling.
Tilly Ann, a friend of Nicola's said on Facebook that the mum 'would often speak on loudspeaker while she was out walking'.
The morning she disappeared she had emailed her boss and sent a text message to organise a playdate with her friend's kids which helped police narrow down the window of when she was last seen.
A member of the public found her phone and dog wandering alone and raised the alarm after recognising them to be Nicola's.
It's unknown why the phone was left on the bench and many speculated whether or not the phone had been placed there by Nicola herself or someone else. Paul Ansell, Nicola's partner, previously said he thought the phone was a "decoy".
Why did the police reveal her medical history?
Lancashire Police recently came under fire after they released private medical information regarding Nicola's health more than two weeks after she went missing. They were slammed after disclosing the personal details as many questioned what benefit or help it was for them to release the information when they did.
At the time, police explained in a press conference why her disappearance was escalated and stated that Nicola was deemed 'high risk' but did not specify her exact vulnerabilities. Hours later, they released a statement detailing Nicola's recent alcohol issues that had been triggered by menopause.
Typically, police wait 24 hours after an adult goes missing to launch a search with the exception being when the person is vulnerable or if there are other extenuating factors involved in their disappearance. The search for the mum-of-two was launched immediately but this was not explained until February 15, about 19 days after she vanished.
The family later released a statement which hinted that people were spreading false information about Nicola in a bid to sell stories to the media so they asked for the information to be released. It was also revealed that the police had attended the family's home on January 10, just weeks before the 45-year-old went missing.
This has led to Lancashire Police referring themselves to the police watchdog over contact it had with the missing mum before she vanished.
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