Local residents in the village where Nicola Bulley vanished have hired a security firm for their own safety after being frightened by vigilante types.
The missing mum vanished on Friday, 27, January, in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, when she was out walking her dog.
In the three weeks since there’s been no sign of Nicola, 45, as police have launched a huge manhunt.
But amid the search, the story has attracted a morbid interest from sick sight-seers who have travelled to the village.
This has led to elderly residents being left alarmed as they sit in their living rooms, watching the TV, as people come up to the windows, and peer in, even trying the doors, according to a local council leader.
Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent said: "People have reported being sat in their living rooms in an afternoon watching television and people coming up to the windows, peering in, trying the doors, it's been terrifying for them."
Speaking to Sky News, he added: "These are typically older people extremely scared in their own homes.
"The residents have had to employ an external security company, that's just not acceptable."
Nicola had been walking along the River Wyre, with family dog Willow, when she vanished.
At a press conference this week, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith said the mum was quickly ranked “high risk” due to “vulnerabilities” that partner Paul Ansell made the force aware of.
The force came under fire for revealing that Nicola had suffered with “some significant issues” related to alcohol brought on by her ongoing struggle with menopause - and that these had resurfaced in recent months.
But the story has also created turmoil in the sleepy rural village as it has attracted “wannabe detectives”, who police said have distracted their efforts and speculated wildly on social media.
One such shameless sleuth, Dan Duffy, was arrested and fined for trying to film where Nicola went missing as he, along with others, have “distracted significantly” from police efforts to find Nicola.
Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith said: “It has significantly distracted the investigation. In 29 years’ police service I’ve never seen anything like it. Some of it’s been quite shocking and really hurtful to the family.
"Obviously, we can’t disregard anything and we’ve reviewed everything that’s come in but of course it has distracted us significantly. But as long as we are prioritising, which we do constantly on the information that’s coming in, that will not distract us from the priority actions that we’ve been completing.”
After dropping her two young daughters off at school, she walked down to the river as was “routine” shortly before 9am on the day.
When on her way, she bumped into a number of people, including other dog walkers, and sent a text to organise a play date for her daughters.
She also took a work call where she had her microphone muted and camera off at 9.01am.
Then, around 9.20am, police revealed this week they could confirm her phone was moved to the bench where it was eventually found - still on the work call.
Officers don’t know what happened during the next short window, but it was then the mum went missing and her phone was found at 9.33am.
Due to her alcohol issues, police quickly launched a response, with a drone in the air by 12.18pm, and just one hour later a force helicopter was up as well.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue were using thermal imaging, as underwater drones and land searches were also deployed by 1.14pm and partner services had also been brought in by 2.30pm - a matter of hours from when she vanished.
