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Missing Nicola Bulley’s partner says two little girls ‘need mummy home’ as search continues
‘We have got to get some good news now.’
A woman who disappeared while walking her dog has ‘two little girls who need their mummy home’, her partner has said – as a major search for her continues.
Nicola Bulley was last seen at 9.15am on January 27th by a member of the public while she was out walking her dog on a river footpath, in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
The mum-of-two’s mobile phone was found on a public bench, where she was last seen next to the River Wyre. It was still connected to a conference call when it was found. Ms Bulley’s dog, a Springer Spaniel called Willow, was also found roaming loose along the towpath, near the bench.
Ms Bulley, also known as Nikki, and Mr Ansell have been in a relationship for 12 years. Police indicated she dropped her children, aged nine and six, to a local primary school before walking her dog on Friday.
On Monday, police said they were keeping an ‘open mind’ about what happened but they do not believe Ms Bulley was attacked. Her partner Paul Ansell, who is an engineer, said he spent all of Sunday searching for the mother-of-two.
Speaking from the family home in Inskip, Lancashire, Mr Ansell said: “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,” he added.
Ms Bulley, a mortgage adviser, is originally from Chelmsford, Essex and has lived in Lancashire for 25 years. Police said she speaks with an Essex accent.
Superintendent Sally Riley of Lancashire Constabulary has said ‘concerns are growing’ as the search continues for the missing mother, saying: “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.”
Ms Bulley is described as white, 5ft 3in, with light brown shoulder-length hair.