The man leading a special team searching for missing mum Nicola Bulley has said the case is the "most baffling" he's ever been involved in. The admission came after his expert divers found no trace of her on day one of their search.
Peter Faulding, head of the private diving team Specialist Group International (SGI), said his team of experts and divers is working with Lancashire Police. The SGI team, based in Dorking, Surrey, yesterday searched "three or four miles" of the river until it got dark.
"It's a negative search, no signs of Nicola," Mr Faulding said. He said his team will look through another stretch of river today (February 7) "towards where Nicola went originally missing".
The 45-year-old disappeared on January 27 in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, after dropping her two daughters off at school. Speaking on TalkTV, Mr Faulding said he is "baffled" as Nicola has not been found after 10 days.
He said: "After 25 years of doing this kind of work, after hundreds of cases, I am well and truly baffled. Normally you would expect the divers to find them easily.
"When people drown they generally go down where they are. We normally find them within five to ten days of where they went down.
Yesterday, Nicola's partner Paul Ansell launched an appeal through Lancashire Police, saying her daughters miss her and need her back. Mr Ansell said: "It's been 10 days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back."
He added: "This has been such a tough time for the girls especially but also for me and all of Nicola's family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support. We are also really grateful to Peter and his team from SGI for coming up and helping support the work of Lancashire Police as they continue their investigation.
"If anyone has any information which could help find Nicola, I urge them to get in touch with the police and help us provide the answers we all so badly need." Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, of Lancashire Police, added: "The team working on this investigation are completely dedicated and determined to find Nicola.
"As a mother myself, I can't even begin to imagine what her two children are going through. Please be reassured that our sole focus is Nicola and that we are doing everything we can to find her.
"It is not possible to provide every piece of information to the public because to do so would detract from the investigation, but I'd like to thank everyone who has assisted us so far and for the support provided to Nicola's family at this extremely difficult time. They are being supported and updated throughout."
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