Forensics experts have been left baffled as they continue their search for missing mother Nicola Bulley, almost two weeks after her initial disappearance.
The 45-year-old was reported missing on Friday, January 27, after dropping her two daughters - aged six and nine - off at school. She then went for a walk around River Wyre in St. Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire with the family dog Willow.
At approximately 09:00 AM Ms. Bulley - who worked as a mortgage adviser - logged onto a Microsoft Teams call. It ended about 30 minutes later, but she apparently stayed logged onto the call.
A passerby discovered Ms. Bulley's frantic dog at 10:30 AM and noticed a phone had been abandoned on a bench beside the river.
Lancashire police have since revealed that one of their working hypotheses is that Ms. Bulley had fallen into the River Wyre and that this was "not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person".
They employed the use of specialist diving teams who scoured the River Wyre for traces of the mother-of-two. Sadly, however, a private specialist diving team assisting in the hunt decided to call off their search for the missing mother today (February 8), the Manchester Evening News reported.
"The man leading the private search team working alongside the police in the hunt for Nicola Bulley says they've completed the work they’ve come to do and there’s been no sign of her in the water. Peter Faulding says he remains "baffled" by what's happened," a Channel 4 reporter tweeted.
Faulding - the CEO and founder of the private diving team - has been vocal about five key things surrounding Ms. Bulley's case that don't add up.
Firstly, Faulding states that the phone left on the bench beside the river - which was still logged onto her work call with the camera and microphone off - could be a decoy left by a third party.
Secondly, he pointed out that the family dog was "bone dry", meaning it had most likely not jumped into the river after Ms. Bulley - which serves to reinforce Faulding's argument that the local woman did not drown, per The Independent.
He also found it strange that there were no reports of screams or yelling being heard from the area, and that the scene beside the lake had not been cordoned off to preserve any potential evidence. Finally, Faulding reveals that it is odd that no body has been found, despite the extensive search.
"These are very professional divers and they didn't find anything and that is the odd thing about this. That is what I can't get my head around. It is very strange," he stated.
Our thoughts are with Nicola Bulley's family, friends, and colleagues at this difficult time.
