A mother-of-two who went missing while walking her dog had previously shared posts about how "spooky" the route was, it has been revealed.
Nicola Bulley, 45, has been missing since Friday (January 27), when she was last seen walking her dog along a footpath near the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, at around 9:15 AM.
Her brown cocker spaniel dog Willow was found alone, walking off-lead, around an hour later. A passer-by recognized the dog and raised the alarm at around 10:30 AM, sparking a search,
Bulley's cell phone was found on a bench near where she was last seen and was still connected to an active conference call when it was found.
Bulley had posted about the route on social media weeks before her disappearance, as she dubbed it "spooky" in November 2022.
She had shared a series of photos from a foggy morning, telling her followers: "A very foggy cold walk this morning, not a day to forget your gloves! Bit spooky too! Set me up for the day though and Willow had the best time!"
Superintendent Sally Riley from Lancashire Police revealed that Bulley’s phone was still on an active call when it was found, telling the Mirror: "It was on a meeting call, and that was still live. It was connected to the conference call and that hadn’t been terminated."
Police have appealed for any information that may help them in the search for Bulley, saying in a press conference: "The police are keeping a really open mind about what could have happened but we do believe that the likelihood is that Nicola has gone missing and this is not a crime inquiry.
"We’ve mounted a really intensive operation to try to find Nicola. We’ve got a large area to search. People do go missing but, clearly, as time goes on we become more and more concerned for Nicola.
"But we’re very much hoping that we will find something to try to bring her home safe and well soon."
They added: "We appeal for anyone who may have been driving through the village of St Michael’s last Friday morning at about 9:15 AM or who may have dashcam footage that could be of use to us, or people who may have been dog-walking in the area or on the towpath, to come forward."
Bulley's partner Paul Ansell added: "It is just perpetual hell. It is just utter disbelief. We are living through this but it doesn’t feel real.
"All we can say is we need to find her. She’s got two little girls that need their mummy home. We have got to get some good news now."
Lancashire Police later revealed that a "key witness" is being spoken to, who may have seen Bulley before her disappearance, per the BBC.
The man, who was walking a white fluffy dog in the area, reportedly "spoke to the woman in the area who found Nicola's dog near a bench in the field".
.jpg_T4YHD9?tr=h-184)