Parents of missing Nicola Bulley say they ‘dread’ never seeing her again

The parents of a missing woman who disappeared while walking her dog have said they dread the thought of never seeing her again, as the huge search operation to find her is into its seventh day.

Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her dog next to the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, at about 09:15am on Friday January 27th. The mum-of-two had just dropped her two girls, aged six and nine, off at school and went out to walk her springer spaniel, Willow, along the towpath as she did regularly.

Her parents, Ernest, 73, and Dot Bulley, 72, told the Mirror their grandchildren were ‘sobbing their hearts out’ because ‘mummy is lost’. The couple said their daughter had been in good spirits and her disappearance was totally out of character.

Ms Bulley’s phone was found on a bench by the river, still connected to a work conference call. A harness and lead for her dog was also discovered. Police were called after a member of the public alerted them to the dog running loose in the area, just off Garstang Road.

A huge search operation has been deployed in the area where Ms Bulley went missing, including the use of a police helicopter, drones, sniffer dogs and dive teams. Despite efforts, no trace of Ms Bulley has been found. Her father told the Mirror: “There was no sign of a slip or falling in, so our thought was ‘has somebody got her?’

“I asked the sergeant from Fleetwood a few days ago, ‘Is there any chance of her being taken?’ and she said, ‘I don’t think that’s the case’. I said, ‘How can you know that?’ It’s such an isolated area, the only way that has happened is if it was someone who knew her.

“We just dread to think we will never see her again, if the worst came to the worst and she was never found, how will we deal with that for the rest of our lives?”

Ms Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, 44, has described the situation as ‘perpetual hell’

Lancashire Police have said they are keeping an open mind as to what could have happened and did not believe Ms Bulley had been attacked. Officers also tracked down a man they believed to be a ‘key witness’ and spoke with him on Tuesday.

In a statement, her family said: “The girls are desperate to have their mummy back home safe with them and your ongoing efforts have provided comfort to them whilst we await news on Nicola. We ask for anyone who thinks they may have any information that may help the police find Nicola to please come forward and help them with their inquiries.”

Supt Sally Riley said: “I must stress at this time that this remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.

“We appreciate there is also a great deal of concern in the local community, and we appreciate people want to help.

“However, parts of the riverbank are treacherous, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.”