An inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley - the mother-of-two who went missing in January - has revealed how she sadly lost her life.
The search for Bulley gripped the world in January, as the 45-year-old went missing on January 27, with her dog Willow having been spotted alone at around 10:30AM near the River Wyre in St. Michael's On Wyre, Lancashire.
Her phone was located on a park bench next to the river, and it was still connected to a work conference call.
The search lasted over three weeks, and many began questioning the police during the investigation, and they were forced to defend themselves in a press conference.
With the case gaining worldwide attention, amateur sleuths descended onto the scene where they faced a battle with police who claimed that members of the public were disrupting investigations, as per the Daily Mail.
Further anger about the case was caused when private details about the mother-of-two were given to the press, declaring that Bulley was "high risk".
"Nicola had in the past suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months," Lancashire Police said in a statement.
Bulley's body was discovered on February 19, after a then-unidentified body was located and removed from the River Wyre.
Further questions were raised about how the police had failed to locate Bulley's body in the three weeks of searching, especially as dive expert Peter Faulding had pulled out of the search and questioned the competence of the police.
Now, months later, an inquest into the 45-year-old's death has revealed how she tragically lost her life.
As per the Independent, Dr. Alison Armour, the Home Office pathologist, addressed Preston County Hall, where she revealed that Bulley's face was covered in mud, and she had a wound to the bridge of her nose and her eye, but evidence suggests this happened after she passed away.
According to Dr. Armour, Bulley had a small amount of alcohol in her system, but this is common with the post-mortem process involving bacteria. She confirmed her belief that Bulley had no alcohol in her bloodstream at the time of her death.
Her cause of death has been revealed as drowning, as Dr. Armour said: "She was alive when she entered the water." There is no evidence that she was assaulted or of any third-party involvement.
Bulley leaves behind her partner Paul Ansell and her daughters, nine-year-old Harriet and six-year-old Sophia.
During the search, the children appeared to have knowledge of what was going on as they uttered some heartbreaking comments to the family.
Speaking to the Mirror, Bulley's father Ernest said: "When I look at the kids, I have to go out of the room because I can't hold it together. They are asking where Mommy is and when is Mommy coming home? It's so hard."
Now, in a video shared by Sky News, six-year-old Sophia is seen spotting a police helicopter in the sky and uttering the heartbreaking words: "Them helicopters, they're looking for mommy."
Following this latest inquest, our thoughts are with Bulley's loved ones.
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