Nicola Bulley's partner has revealed the heartbreaking text message he sent to her on the day she vanished.
The search for the mother-of-two began after 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.
The case gained worldwide attention as 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 questioned the police during the investigation after they made Bulley's history with alcohol public.
Bulley's body was discovered on February 19, after a then-unidentified body was found and removed from the River Wyre. This led to further questions being raised about how the cops failed to locate her body in the three weeks of searching.
In addition to this, dive expert Peter Faulding pulled out of the search and often appeared on different news stations where he constantly spoke out about the competence of the police.
Earlier this week, an inquest into Bulley's cause of death disclosed how she tragically lost her life - four months after she was found.
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, per the Independent.
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 disclosed 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's partner, Paul Ansell, gave evidence at the two-day inquest in Preston on Tuesday (June 27). He said that Bulley was "full of beans" on the night before her disappearance, according to the Birmingham Mail.
"She was getting back into her work, she was excited, it was going really well," he said. "She had worked so hard. She was happy about earning her own money and getting that independence again."
Ansell also revealed that he sent a devastating text to his partner at 10:30AM - around an hour after it is believed that she had fallen in the river - which read: "Have you got lost?"
He then concluded that Bulley "was grateful for every day, she was an amazing mum and partner and this gave her huge security. She focused on the important things and did the right thing by everyone".
Bulley leaves behind her partner and daughters, nine-year-old Harriet and six-year-old Sophia.
Our thoughts continue to be with her family at this time.
