Nichola Bulley search and police investigation leaves more questions than answers

The police investigation into the disappearance of Nichola Bulley has left many more questions than answers, following the find of her body some three weeks later roughly a mile downstream from where her phone and dog were found.

The Mirror questioned on Tuesday, February 21 how it is that a police search would be instigated only an hour after her disappearance when the norm is 24 hours. That is unless there were extenuating circumstances or reason to believe that she had been abducted.

Perhaps the information regarding her mental state, which was released to the general public, was known to the police all along. But even so, that leaves questions regarding what they did know and whether they had specific information that led them to begin the search and to concentrate on the river.

Lancs police have referred themselves to the police watchdog over their handling of a visit to her home weeks before her disappearance. That on its own leaves questions about her mental state and whether she had given any indication that she might take her own life.

Then there is the question of why the search using sonar did not reveal a body in waters that are not particularly deep, fast flowing or congested with reeds and other vegetation. If indeed her body was either in the reeds or out of the water as is claimed by the underwater search specialist Peter Faulding, then it would have been visible to officers and those involved in the search.

The police claim to have searched the area multiple times yet it took two amateur sleuths checking the water´s edge to find her body and interestingly at the point where the river is closest to the local road.

https://twitter.com/LancsPolice/status/1627731754462109696?s=20

A tidal river, the Wyre would quite easily have left the body exposed during low tide. That might explain how the body came to be exposed on the little vegetation there is on the bank of the river.

Finally, there is the lack of evidence surrounding the area where Bulley disappeared that suggests she “fell into the river.” There is no sign of any items that she may have come into contact with that could have rendered her unconscious. But the possibility remains that she did not enter the water where her phone and dog were found.

Perhaps we will find out more in the coming weeks and maybe we will get some answers to the many questions that remain. The assumption is that a post-mortem will be conducted and that will provide the best evidence yet of what happened to Bulley.

For now one can only feel for the family who have experienced three weeks of agony following three weeks of searches and intrusion.

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