Police have urged a potentially "significant" witness to get in touch following the disappearance of 45-year-old Nicola Bulley.
The mortgage adviser was last seen on Friday January 26 at around 9.20am while walking her brown spaniel Willow along the edge of the River Wyre in St Michael's, Lancashire. However, a member of the public raised the alarm when Willow was spotted running free without her harness less than an hour later.
The Mirror reports that the mum's phone was found nearby, and that police are now focusing their searches on the immediate area around this spot. On Thursday, Lancashire Police released a CCTV image of a woman they believe was in the area at the time Nicola was last seen and have urged her to get in touch.
The woman is described as wearing a red and white coat with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a light bobble hat. She was walking a small, white dog at the time, at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Nicola was last seen.
Police have also stressed that the woman is sought as a witness and nothing more. At this time, the investigation remains a missing persons probe, with no "third-party involvement" established.
Superintendent Sally Riley of Lancashire Police said: “We know that Nicola going missing has caused a great deal of concern for the wider local community, as well as obviously being an awful time for her family. This remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.
“I appreciate that there are unanswered questions about what has happened to Nicola, but I would urge people not to speculate or spread false rumours. We will share updates when we can, but we must be factual."
Earlier on Thursday police divers returned to the spot where Nicola was last seen to carry out a fresh search. Underwater search teams trawled beneath the surface of the River Wyre while other officers combed the banks and a fire service boat team accompanied by a search dog scoured the surface of the waterway.
Supt Riley added: “Nicola’s family are being kept up to date with events and are being supported by officers. We are really grateful for the community’s help and co-operation so far, but I’d like to stress again parts of the riverbank are treacherous, especially after the recent rain, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.
“We now want to speak to the woman pictured on CCTV as we believe she was walking in the area at around the time Nicola was last seen. If you know her, or believe this may be you, please get in touch. You may not think you know anything but you might have seen something that could be significant.”
Nicola is described as white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair. She speaks with an Essex accent.
She was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive-green ankle wellies. Her hair was tied into a ponytail.
Anybody who has seen Nicola, or has information about where she might be, is asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30th. For immediate sightings please call 999.
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