Nicola Bulley: Timeline of events since her disappearance

Police are still searching for missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley on the three-week anniversary of her disappearance.

She has now been missing for 21 days.

Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her springer spaniel Willow in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, after she dropped her two daughters – aged six and nine – at school on January 27.

Here is a timeline of events surrounding the disappearance:

– January 27

At 8.26am Ms Bulley left her home with her two daughters, dropping them off at school and engaging in a brief conversation with another parent around 15 minutes later.

She then took Willow for a walk along the path by the River Wyre at 8.43am, heading towards a gate in the lower field and was later seen by a dog walker who knew her.

At 8.53am, Ms Bulley sent an email to her boss, followed by a message to her friends six minutes later, before logging on to a Microsoft Teams call at 9.01am.

She was seen by a second witness at 9.10am, the last known sighting.

Her phone was back in the area of the bench at 9.20am before the Teams call ended 10 minutes later, with her mobile remaining logged on after the call.

At 9.33am, another dog walker found her phone on a bench beside the river, with Willow darting between the two.

At 10.50am, Ms Bulley’s family and the school attended by her children were told about her disappearance.

– January 28

Lancashire Constabulary deployed drones, helicopters and police search dogs as part of the major missing person operation.

They were assisted by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team and the North West underwater search team.

– January 29

Local residents held a meeting at the village hall to organise a search, with police urging volunteers to remain cautious.

– January 30

Superintendent Sally Riley from Lancashire Constabulary said police were “keeping a really open mind about what could have happened”, but they were not treating Ms Bulley’s disappearance as suspicious.

– January 31

Lancashire Constabulary spoke with a potential witness, a man who had been walking a small white fluffy dog near the River Wyre at the time of Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

Her family released a statement saying they had been “overwhelmed by the support” in their community, and that her daughters were “desperate to have their mummy back home safe”.

– February 1

Ms Bulley’s parents Ernest and Dot spoke to The Mirror about the “horror” they faced over the possibility of never seeing her again.

– February 2

Lancashire Constabulary spoke with a second witness who they had identified with the help of the public using CCTV but they told police they did not have any further information to aid their inquiry.

Officers from the North West police underwater and marine support unit searched the area close to where Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was found, while police divers scoured the River Wyre.

Meanwhile, Ms Bulley’s family appealed to the public for help tracing her.

– February 3

Lancashire Police said it was working on the hypothesis that Ms Bulley may have fallen into the River Wyre.

– February 4

The force announced it wanted to trace a “key witness” who was seen pushing a pram in the area near where Ms Bulley went missing on the morning of her disappearance.

– February 5

The woman described as a “key witness” by police came forward.

The force insisted she was “very much being treated as a witness” as it warned against “totally unacceptable” speculation and abuse on social media.

Reports emerged that a private underwater rescue team was set to assist police in the search for Ms Bulley.

– February 6

Underwater search experts arrived to help.

Ms Bulley’s friends said they hoped the help of a specialist underwater rescue team would give the family answers.

Her partner, Paul Ansell, said in a statement: “It’s been 10 days now since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who miss their mummy desperately and who need her back.”

– February 7

Police rejected suggestions she could have been a victim of crime.

Lancashire Police said their extensive inquiries have “so far not found anything of note”.

A team of 40 detectives were working on approximately 500 different lines of inquiry, it said.

The force urged the public to avoid “distressing” speculation about what may have happened to Ms Bulley.

Elsewhere, underwater search expert Peter Faulding, who was helping to find her, said he did not think the missing mother was in the water.

– February 8

Mr Ansell spent 10 minutes on the riverbank near the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found.

He spoke of the “perpetual hell” of not knowing what had happened.

Mr Faulding said after three unsuccessful days of looking in the water, he was “baffled”.

Search teams were focusing on the 10 miles or so of river downstream of the bench, where the River Wyre empties into the sea at Morecambe Bay.

– February 9

Lancashire Police was granted a dispersal order to break up groups of people reportedly filming in the village.

– February 10

Mr Ansell said the family was going through “unprecedented hell”, but that he would never give up hope of finding her.

Emma White, a friend of Ms Bulley, said the search for the missing woman in St Michael’s on Wyre had been “like torture”.

Meanwhile, police urged people to refrain from indulging in commentary and conspiracy theories online.

– February 12

Friends and family left yellow ribbons with handwritten messages on a bridge close to where she disappeared.

Ribbons with messages including “We need you home Nicola”, “Praying for your safe return” and “I love you” were tied to a footbridge over the River Wyre.

A large poster with a photograph of Ms Bulley was also attached to the railings.

– February 13

Wyre Council removed councillors’ contact details from its website due to “inappropriate emails and phone calls” about Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

It also temporarily removed contact details for “parish and town council members”.

– February 14

Two people were arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications.

– February 15

During a press conference, senior police officers said Ms Bulley was “vulnerable” and classed as a “high-risk” missing person.

They hit out at “false information, accusations and rumours” which had been circulating.

Activity by online amateur sleuths and social media video-makers had meant officers were “distracted significantly”, the force said.

Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, the lead investigator, told reporters: “In 29 years’ police service I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Some of it has been quite shocking and really hurtful to the family.”

– February 16

Home Secretary Suella Braverman demanded an “explanation” from Lancashire Police as to why aspects of Ms Bulley’s private life were disclosed at a press conference, according to a source close to her.

Ms Braverman was reportedly “concerned” after the force told reporters Ms Bulley suffered “some significant issues with alcohol” in the past, which had resurfaced over recent months.

Earlier in the day it emerged Lancashire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog over contact the force had with her before she vanished.

The IOPC said it was assessing the information to determine whether an investigation would be necessary over the contact officers had with the mother-of-two on January 10.

Earlier in the day her family called for an end to “speculation and rumours” about her private life in a statement.

The decision to reveal the details was also criticised by MPs and campaign groups.

– February 17

The three-week anniversary of Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

The police’s decision to reveal details of her private life has continued to come under criticism.

Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a statement he would be speaking to Lancashire Police about why it decided to disclose information about her alcohol and HRT issues.

Former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird said the force had made a “sexist” error by disclosing her struggles with alcohol and the menopause.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it would be “a rare thing” for his force to disclose such details, but he added that he did not have “all the facts to hand”.

Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent revealed people in the village where she vanished have employed an external security company and are “scared in their own homes” because of interest in the case.

He also said there are “lessons to be learned” for Lancashire Police but added they had done their best “in difficult circumstances”.