Nicola Bulley: More than two weeks since dog walker vanished – what were her last movements before she disappeared?
More than a fortnight on from Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, police have been looking at hundreds of pieces of “active information” as the search enters its third week.
The mother-of-two was last seen walking her dog on a footpath by the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on the morning of Friday 27 January.
Police have focused their investigation on a crucial 10-minute window when her movements are unaccounted for – from 9.10am to 9.20am.
Officers say they have been keeping an open mind but have been working on a theory that she fell into the River Wyre.
However, her partner Paul Ansell doubts the wisdom of focusing on the river search and said: “Personally, I am 100% convinced it’s not the river, that’s my opinion.”
Police and an independent underwater rescue team have been unable to locate the mortgage adviser as her family have been experiencing “unprecedented hell” while they wait for answers.
Here, Sky News looks at the last known movements of Ms Bulley on the morning she disappeared.
8.43am – Ms Bulley walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her children off at school.
8.47am – A dog-walker – somebody who knows Ms Bulley – 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 – Ms Bulley sent an email to her boss.
9.01am – Ms Bulley logged into a work conference call on Microsoft Teams.
9.10am – A witness – someone who knows Ms Bulley – saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow. The dog was not in its harness and off its lead. This is the last confirmed sighting of Ms Bulley.
9.20am – Police believe Nicola’s phone was left on a bench by the river.
9.30am – The conference call ended but Ms Bulley stayed logged on.
9.33am – Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was found on the bench by another dog walker. Her dog was found running between the bench and a gate to the field. The dog’s harness was found on the grass between the bench and the river’s edge.
This witness then made inquiries as to who owned the phone and spoke with people who recognised the dog as Ms Bulley’s.
10.50am – Ms Bulley’s family and the school her children attend were alerted about the situation.
River ‘very dangerous’ this time of year
Search teams have examined the river all the way to the sea, which is 9.3 miles (15km) away, after Lancashire Constabulary said they believe Ms Bulley fell in.
The river, which winds through the countryside on the edge of St Michael’s on Wyre, has been described as “notoriously dangerous” at this time of year by a representative of St Michael’s Angling Association.
“The combination of the depth and how cold it is at this time of year makes it very dangerous,” the representative told The Times.
A sign on a tree near the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found reads: “Danger, deep water.”
The bench where Nicola Bulley’s phone was found, on the banks of the River Wyre
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Police search for Nicola Bulley off coast
Big rocks can be seen jutting out of the river, which appears calm at the sharp drop below the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found.
Superintendent Sally Riley told reporters after Ms Bulley went missing: “At the point where the bench is located, there is quite a steep drop to the river, albeit not high. It is steep.
“Therefore, while I don’t want to speculate as to what may have happened, it is our working hypothesis that she has entered the water accidentally.”
Police have been searching wider parts of the river for Ms Bulley
Boats have been involved in the search
She continued: “The dog was off the lead, this was normal for the dog to run about and Nicola was on a Teams call, which again it would be normal for her not to participate in actively and just have the phone to listen in, effectively.
“Anything could have happened with the dog whereby Nicola may have gone – and I don’t wish to speculate, we don’t know – but it is possible the dog was loose and off the lead that there may have been an issue with the dog that led her to go near to the water’s edge.
“She puts the phone down momentarily and Nicola may have fallen in. That is a possibility,” Supt Riley added.
She confirmed Ms Bulley can swim, but said searchers have been both wading in the River Wyre and diving beneath the surface due to the different water depths, though no conclusive evidence has been recovered as of yet.
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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