Lancashire Police investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley have broken their silence on five main theories that are circulating in an update on their ongoing search. The missing mum-of-two was last seen walking her brown spaniel Willow on the morning of January 27 along the River Wyre in the village of St Michaels on Wyre in Lancashire.
A huge police search was launched and officers and specialist divers have been out scouring the river bank for weeks alongside search dogs, drones and boats to no avail, the Mirror reports. The force organised a press conference at 11:30am today to tackle false information spreading about the missing mortgage adviser amid growing speculation about what may have happened to her.
Today Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith has shut down several new theories put forward regarding the 45-year-old's disappearance. Police have insisted that as soon as Nicola was reported missing and officers spoke with her partner, Paul Ansell, the missing mum was treated as 'high risk' and a number of hypotheses were formed alongside their theory that she fell in the river.
Speaking at Lancashire Police HQ, she said: "As soon as she was reported missing, following the information that was provided to the police by her partner Paul, and based on a number of specific vulnerabilities that we were made aware of, Nicola was graded as high-risk. That is normal in a missing person investigation with the information we were in possession of.
"As any senior investigating officer does, you form a number of hypotheses, that is scenarios which are possible from the information to hand. Those hypotheses included the one that she possibly could have gone into the river, that there could have been third-party involvement and lastly, that she could have left the area voluntarily.
She continued: "Those hypotheses have remained in place throughout, are reviewed regularly. At the initial stages based on the information I received, I made it clear that it was my working hypothesis at that time based with all the facts that the main hypothesis I was working on at that time was that Nicola had gone in the river.
"I hope with all my heart that we find Nicola Bulley alive more than anything." Detective Supt Rebecca Smith addressed a number of theories that have emerged in recent weeks.
The Derelict House
The police chief confirmed that a nearby derelict house had been searched three times with the permission of it's owner as she firmly said: "Nicola is not there."
Last week Lancashire Police issued a warning to the public to not 'take the law into their own hands' as they said the force 'will not tolerate' people committing criminal offences by breaking into empty or derelict riverside properties in an attempt to find the missing mum.
The Glove Found at the Scene
Dep Supt Rebecca Smith said that a glove that was found at the scene by two dog walkers is not believed to have belonged to Nicola.
It was recently reported that a blue ''stained' glove was found by two people in a field just yards from where Nicola disappeared. The item was handed to police who bagged it and took it away.
The Red Van
The Det Supt confirmed that the 'red van' which was reportedly seen in the area when Nicola went missing was not suspicious, adding that it's 'obvious we are being inundated with false information and rumours'.
A witness who has not been named contacted the police to report the 'tatty red van' which they claimed was parked in the village where Nicola disappeared. The 55-year-old told the Times they saw the vehicle 'in Hall Lane outside a barn' but they added: “I didn’t think anything at the time, but when I saw Nicola had gone missing, I called 101 and spoke to an operator.
The Fishermen
Dept Supt told the press conference that officers were still trying to locate the fisherman who were allegedly spotted along the riverbank at the time of the disappearance. She said that the force had contacted local angling clubs after a witness said the men appeared to be hiding their faces.
The witness also claimed to have seen the two men on the river the day before and the morning that Nicola vanished.
The CCTV at the caravan site
The nearby caravan site which was believed to be one of the several CCTV 'blind spots' identified in the search was investigated by officers.
It was told at the press conference that this 'was not the case' and that although CCTV was not working, added officers have been 'helped and assisted' by caravan owners.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson added: "I would emphasise that it remains the case there is no evidence to indicate a criminal aspect or third party involvement in Nicola's disappearance. However, the officers involved in the investigation are the same experienced specialists and many senior officers who are concerned with the investigation of the most serious and complex crimes."
He said 40 detectives who are involved in the case have spent hours trawling through CCTV. Officers have recently been slammed for the handling of the inquiry which is now into its third week as experts lined up to suggest what alternatively should have been done.
In an earlier tweet, Lancashire Police said: "Today we’re providing an update in our search for missing mum Nicola Bulley. We’ll be streaming a live press conference, from our Police HQ, on our Facebook page after 11.45am."
This morning, officers were spotted at a river pumping station near to where she went missing.
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