Expert diver says he ‘don’t think’ Nicola Bulley is at River Wyre | UK News

An expert diver assisting in the search for Nicola Bulley said he ‘does not believe she is in the water’ as specially trained divers continue to scour the River Wyre.

Bulley, 45, from Inskip in Lancashire, disappeared on the morning of January 27 while taking her dog, Willow, for a walk by the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre.

Lancashire Police on Monday repeated the force’s working hypothesis that Bulley, 45, fell into the river, adding ‘but we remain open-minded, and we continue to carry out a large number of inquiries “.

Leading forensic search expert Peter Faulding, who founded Specialist Group International, joined the effort to find Bulley after he offered to help police for free, recruiting a team of six divers .

Talk to Talk TV Monday night he said: ‘I personally don’t think she’s in the river, it’s just my instincts at this point.’

He said they would go upriver on Tuesday, to search again near where Bulley’s cellphone was found on a bench.

The force renewed its appeal for anyone with a dash cam or other relevant footage to submit to officers, with particular interest in the river path leading from the fields to Garstang Road.

In a new statement released on Monday, Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell said: “It has now been 10 days since Nicola went missing and I have two little girls who desperately miss their mum and need her back.

“It has been such a difficult time for the girls in particular, but also for me and all of Nicola’s family and friends, as well as the wider community and I want to thank them for their love and support.”

He added: “If anyone has any information that could help find Nicola, I urge them to contact the police and help us provide the answers we all so desperately need.”

Faulding said his main motivation for getting involved was “to end the family”. He said he had very high frequency sonar equipment, as well as 20 years of experience with this type of underwater search mission. He said he would begin work by conducting aerial surveillance of the river by helicopter to better understand it.

However, on Monday night he admitted he was “baffled” by the case. “Police were there on the first day of diving when the phone was found on the bench,” he told the Daily Mail. “Normally, if a person has drowned, they go down a few meters if they are searched for on the same day.

“We are going to cover the same area [on Tuesday]. We will also go much further upstream.

“In a few days I’ll be sure she’s not in that area at all. We’ve got the best sonar you can buy. We scanned a wide area today and there’s nothing there. .

“A body will move after a while, but they searched this area and found nothing – that’s the weird thing here,” he added. “We are confused.”

Lancashire Police said after reviewing CCTV they were satisfied Bulley had not left the pitch during ‘key moments’ via Rowanwater Holiday Park, either via the site itself or via the land next door.

Additionally, the force said Bulley did not return from the fields along Allotment Lane or the path behind the Grapes pub on Garstang Road.

Officers would contact drivers they believe were using Garstang Road on January 27 by letter, Lancashire Police said in a statement.