Search for missing mother Nicola Bulley: Police seal off car park near the ... trends now

Search for missing mother Nicola Bulley: Police seal off car park near the ... trends now
Search for missing mother Nicola Bulley: Police seal off car park near the ... trends now

Search for missing mother Nicola Bulley: Police seal off car park near the ... trends now

Police today cordoned off a car park and footpath nine miles downstream from where missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared a week ago. 

Officers have taped off Skippool Creek car park in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, with investigators wearing white forensic suits seen carrying away bags of evidence. 

Lancashire Police have not yet disclosed what is happening at the site, which is bordered by a narrow tributary of the River Wyre.

The cordon has now been lifted and the car park reopened to the public, reports The Blackpool Gazette. 

It comes shortly after Mr Bulley's heartbroken boyfriend spoke publicly for the first time this morning, saying: 'It's like she's vanished into thin air - it's insane'. 

Paul Ansell, an engineer, said he is focusing on staying strong for their two daughters, who have been asking what has happened to their mother a week on after she disappeared on a dog walk. 

Paul Ansell told Sky News: ‘My whole focus is my two girls. Just staying as strong as I can for them. I’m scared that if I put focus into anything else it’s going to take my focus off that'

Paul Ansell told Sky News: 'My whole focus is my two girls. Just staying as strong as I can for them. I'm scared that if I put focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off that'

Mr Ansell tried to gently break the news of her disappearance to their two daughters, who are now confused and continuing to ask their grandparents when she is coming home

Mr Ansell tried to gently break the news of her disappearance to their two daughters, who are now confused and continuing to ask their grandparents when she is coming home

It's been a week now since the mother of two vanished while walking her dog, springer spaniel Willow, on a towpath by the River Wyre

Speaking near the scene where Ms Bulley was last seen by the River Wyre in Lancashire, he told broadcasters: 'My whole focus is my two girls, just staying as strong as I can for them.

'I'm scared that if I put focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off that. Just hoping to goodness that anything comes out from the interview yesterday no matter how tiny.' 

After thanking the local community for its 'incredible' support, he added: 'I just can't believe we're a week on and it seems like we're no further on. It just seems absolutely impossible. Like a dream. I cannot get my head around it. Right now it's like she's vanished into thin air, it's insane.' 

Mr Ansell said he 'cannot get his head around' her disappearance. He said: 'Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Every single one of them.

Timeline: Mystery of mother who vanished while walking her dog 

January 27 

8.43am – Nicola Bulley walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her two children off at school

8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path

8.53am – She sent an email to her boss

8.57am - She sent a text to a friend to organise a playdate 

9.01am – She logged into a Teams call

9.10am (approximately) – A witness – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow. Work is ongoing to establish exactly what time this was.

9.30am – The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on

9.35am (approximately) – Nicola's mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker.

The dog's harness was found on a bench along with her phone, which is still connected to a work conference call.  The dog's lead was on the floor.

10.15am - The alarm is raised around an hour later by a walker who finds her springer spaniel Willow running lose. 

Jan 28 - Feb 2 - Police hunt for Ms Bulley, including by searching the stretch of river where she was last seen. 

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'All we are doing is sitting there going round and round and round through each scenario.'

He added he was focusing on looking after their two daughters and 'didn't want to think' about how he was coping.

On the support from the community, Mr Ansell added: 'It's the only thing that we can take [from the situation] is that the level of support is out of this world.

'It gives us a great amount of comfort knowing that that's going on, we don't have anything else.

'We're never going to lose hope, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It's just insane.' 

Today it emerged that Ms Bulley, a mortgage adviser, sent the text at 8.57am just before logging on to a Teams call while she walked her dog along the River Wyre. 

Her final sighting was at 9.10am and 25 minutes later her phone and dog lead were found on a riverside bench. 

A resident of St Michael's on Wyre told the Mirror: 'She booked a playdate, 8.57, she sent a text message to a friend whose mortgage she had just recently signed off on to arrange for the girls to go for tea this week.'

The local, who did not want to be named, said this was more evidence that she had no intention of voluntarily disappearing, adding: 'You wouldn't have done that if you were going to get up and go missing.' 

Friends will today gather together to retrace Ms Bulley's steps in an effort to jog the memories of people in the area

Howard Millington, a former police detective with a 30-year career at Greater Manchester Police, has called her case 'very unusual' and 'very concerning'. 

In an interview with Sky News, he said: 'It will have been quickly escalated, I've no doubt. Lancashire Police have spared no expense in resourcing this properly.'

Yesterday, police issued a public appeal for a woman seen in CCTV wearing a red coat on the River Wyre around the time Ms Bulley vanished last Friday morning. 

MailOnline can now reveal that the 67-year-old woman, Christine Bowman, told police she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk with her own dog Snowflake.

Ms Bowman said she was baffled by the appeal to track her down because she had already spoken to officers on the day Ms Bulley disappeared - and she 'doesn't know anything'.

The local resident - who police hoped could provide key pieces of information in the search for Ms Bulley - does not travel as far as the bench where the missing mother's phone and dog were found. 

'The security camera footage that she was caught on was taken from the caravan park next to the towpath.

'That's as far as she goes, she doesn't walk her dog further along the footpath than that point.'

Members of the public line the road into St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, with missing posters of Ms Bulley

Members of the public line the road into St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, with missing posters of Ms Bulley 

The bench where Ms Bulley is thought to have left her mobile phone before she vanished

The bench where Ms Bulley is thought to have left her mobile phone before she vanished

And Ms Bowman told The Mirror she was doubly confused by the public appeal given she'd reportedly already told police she had no information to offer.

The retired teacher said: 'It has made local women fearful. If they have husbands or partners, they have been taking the dogs out instead.' 

It's a devastating blow for Ms Bulley's family, who have been waiting with bated breath for updates in the investigation.

In the appeal to track down the woman yesterday, a spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'She 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. The woman was seen on CCTV at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Nicola was last seen and was also seen near to the gate at the end of Allotment Lane.'

However a friend said: 'Their paths did not cross, she has no information on where Nicola could be sadly.' 

As the investigation extends into an eighth day, a source from St Michael's Angling Association said the stretch of river where Ms Bulley vanished is notorious and 'very dangerous', with a depth of about 15ft. 

'The combination of the depth and how cold it is at this time of year makes it very dangerous,' he told The Times.

'I certainly would not want to fall in there and I'm a very strong swimmer.' Specialist police divers have been painstakingly searching the riverbed for clues. 

Ms Bulley's sister Louise Cunningham made a heartfelt plea yesterday, saying she needed to 'get my sister back'. 

Her sister Louise Cunningham, father Ernest, and mother Dot appeal for help finding her

Her sister Louise Cunningham, father Ernest, and mother Dot appeal for help finding her

The 67-year-old woman in a red coat who was the subject of a police witness appeal told officers she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk

The 67-year-old woman in a red coat who was the subject of a police witness appeal told officers she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk 

Joining her family for a round of television interviews, she said: 'Something has got to have been missed. Somebody must know something. People don't just vanish into thin air. 

'There has got to be somebody who knows something and all we are asking is, no matter how small or big, if there is anything you remember that doesn't seem right, then please reach out to the police. Get in touch and get my sister back.'

Ms Cunningham said her family felt they were 'stuck in a nightmare'. 

'We're going round in circles to piece together what happened. We've got to keep an open mind,' she told ITV News. 

'We have no idea where she is. There's no evidence to point us in any direction.

'My hope is that she's still out there. We just want her home. Her children need her home. It's heartbreaking. We're such a close-knit family, we'd do anything for any one of us.

'Somebody must know something, people don't just vanish. If there's anything you might have seen, please get in touch with the police.'

Police released a detailed timeline of the 45 minutes leading up to Ms Bulley's disappearance on Friday morning.

The mother of two first started walking along the path lining the River Wyre, in Lancashire, at 8.43am, having already dropped her daughters, aged six and nine, off at school.

Her Strava account reveals it's a route she took often and knew well, sharing pictures of her spaniel Willow frolicking in the field and in the river. On average, it'd take her about 30 minutes to complete the loop and return to her car, which her family say she parked in the same spot about '1000 times over' through the years.

By 8.50am on Friday morning, she'd bumped into another dog walker on the path.

The pair were known to one another and had a brief interaction as their dogs played. The witness left the field a short time later via the river path.

At 8.53am, Ms Bulley emailed her boss and by 9.01am she was logged into her Teams call. Her camera was off and audio muted as she listened in. 

Police have issued this handout illustrating the route Ms Bulley took on the day she vanished

Police have issued this handout illustrating the route Ms Bulley took on the day she vanished

As the investigation extends into an eighth day, a source from St Michael's Angling Association said the stretch of river where Ms Bulley vanished is notorious and 'very dangerous'

Ms Bulley often shared photos of her runs with Willow on her Strava page, like this picture

Ms Bulley often shared photos of her runs with Willow on her Strava page, like this picture

By approximately 9.10am, a second witness recognised Ms Bulley in the distance. Police are working to try to narrow down this timeframe. 

Then, at 9.30am, the Teams meeting ended. Ms Bulley stayed logged on to the chat room. By 9.35am, her phone and Willow

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