Nicola Bulley’s pal says ‘nothing makes sense’ as ‘two girls are desperate for mummy’

On Feb 8, 2023

A close friend of missing mum Nicola Bulley has spoken of the heartache the woman’s two children are going through – and says that they “desperate” for her to come home.

Nicola, 45, was walking her dog when she went missing on Friday, January 27, near the River Wyre in Lancashire.

She had dropped her children off at school that morning before taking the family pup, Willow, on a walk.

The mum, whose phone was found at the scene of her disappearance and logged into a work conference on Teams, is now believed to have approached the river.

Expert diving teams were called in by Lancashire Police on Sunday (February 5), run by forensics expert Peter Faulding and his Specialist Group International, to search the riverbed, but there has been no sign of her for more than 10 days.

Nicola Bulley has now been missing for more than 10 days

Mr Faulding earlier claimed that the mobile phone finding could have been a “decoy”, while also stating that he “can’t get my head around” her disappearance.

Now Nicola’s friend Heather Gibbons has said that “nothing makes sense”.

Speaking to TalkTV she said: “I think it’s incredibly hard, but up to a certain level we understand that it’s human nature, it’s natural for everyone to have speculation because the truth in this nothing is making sense.”

Friend Heather Gibbons has told of the family’s heartbreak at the situation
(Image: James Maloney/Lancs Live)

“They (the family) just want Nicky home.

“It’s hard, it’s really really hard.

“Every day that goes on it’s harder isn’t it? We need answers.

“They’re on the biggest rollercoaster, I think, of their lives and they’re being incredibly strong. Those two little girls are desperate for mummy – we need Nicky home.”

Nicola with her daughters and partner Paul Ansell

The investigation and search continues, after it was announced at an official Lancashire Police press conference yesterday (Tuesday, February 7) that the public has provided “thousands” of pieces of evidence in the search for Nicola.

A team of 40 detectives is combing through all of this evidence, Superintendent Sally Riley told reporters.

There have been house-to house enquiries as well as examination of CCTV and dashcam video, Supt Riley added, and officers were following up drivers who may have been in the area to learn if there was any additional dashcam video that might help locate the missing mum.

To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.