Police are reportedly widening their search investigations for Nicola Bulley to include the day before she went missing.
The mum, 45, vanished while walking her springer spaniel Willow, shortly after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at school. Her phone, which was still connected to a work call, was found on a bench overlooking a river.
As reported by the Mirror, detectives are claimed to have now requested CCTV footage from a local garage that covers one of the exit points from the field in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, where she vanished. A worker at St Michael's Garage told The Sun on Sunday their security cameras are in working order and picked up vehicles travelling along the main road.
The employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said officers were "assertive" when asking for the CCTV. They told the publication: "Two smartly dressed officers came in following up, a man and a woman.
"They wanted the CCTV from the day before Nicola vanished and to take statements of any activity we had seen from that day. These officers were different to the ones in uniform, they seemed very assertive."
It comes as a witness reportedly told cops that, close to Nicola's dog-walk route, he saw two men acting suspiciously the day before she went missing. According to reports, the allegedly suspicious pair were seen outside a local church on January 26.
It is unclear if officers reportedly collecting CCTV on the same day is connected to these claims. Detectives are treating Nicola's disappearance as a missing person inquiry and they have discounted foul play.
Police are continuing to search the River Wyre towards the sea at Morecambe Bay, working on one hypothesis that the woman, from Inskip, could have fallen in. Their search has been aided by specialists and divers from HM Coastguard, mountain rescue, and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, with sniffer dogs, drones, and police helicopters deployed.
The focus of their search switched from St Michael's to around 10 miles downstream where the river empties into the sea at Morecambe Bay, with patrol and rescue boats spotted in the area on Thursday. Her partner, Paul Ansell said he wants to keep "all options open" about her disappearance, but his "gut instinct" tells him she is not in the river.
He described Ms Bulley as "fun", "loving", "the most loyal friend you could ever have" and an "exceptional mum" who "absolutely adores our girls".
"She's just a pillar of strength to our family and without her, the hole is bigger than you can possibly imagine," he told 5 News.
Mr Ansell said that although the family is going through "unprecedented hell", hope that his partner will be found is "stronger than ever".
The Mirror has contacted Lancashire Police for comment.
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