Police confirm body found in river is missing Nicola Bulley who vanished 24 days ago
Police confirm body found in river is missing Nicola Bulley who vanished 24 days ago while walking her dog – as family issue heartbreaking statement saying they ‘will never be able to comprehend what she went through in her last moments’
The body found in the river Wyre has been confirmed as mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, police have confirmed.
Her body was found on Sunday morning in the River Wyre in Lancashire, around a mile from where the 45-year-old mortgage adviser was last seen.
Speaking at a press briefing at police headquarters on Monday, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson confirmed the body had been identified as Ms Bulley.
In a statement, Ms Bulley’s family said she was ‘the centre of our world’ adding they would ‘never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us’.
The family said: ‘We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.
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The body found in the river Wyre has been confirmed as mother-of-two Nicola Bulley (pictured), police have confirmed
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The moment a dog walker points out to a spot in the River Wyre, Lancashire, as police arrive on the scene
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Yellow ribbons and daffodils adorn the bench where the phone of missing Nicola Bulley was found, on the banks of the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre
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A body was found less than a mile from where Nikki was last seen more than three weeks ago
‘Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most.’
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawsonsaid: ‘Sadly, we are now able to confirm that yesterday we recovered Nicola Bulley from the River Wyre.
‘Nicola’s family have been informed and are of course devastated. Our thoughts are with them at this time as well as with all her loved ones and the wider community.
‘We recognise the huge impact that Nicola’s disappearance has had on her family and friends, but also on the people of St Michael’s.
‘We would like to thank all of those who have helped during what has been a hugely complex and highly emotional investigation.
‘Today’s development is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, but we hope that it can at least start to provide some answers for Nicola’s loved ones, who remain foremost in our thoughts.’
Ms Bulley’s family were informed following the discovery of the body and while Lancashire Police began identification procedures.
In a message to Sky News on Sunday, before the body was identified, Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell said: ‘No words right now, just agony.
‘We’re all together, we have to be strong.’
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The stretch of the River Wyre where a body was found yesterday
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Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson (left) and Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith of Lancashire Police update the media on February 15 as police continued their search for Nicola Bulley, 45
It is understood that a man and a woman discovered the body and called police.
Lancashire Constabulary said officers were called to the River Wyre close to Rawcliffe Road at around 11.35am.
‘An underwater search team and specialist officers have subsequently attended the scene, entered the water and have sadly recovered a body,’ a statement said.
The body was found on a stretch of the river just past a slight bend, a mile or so outside the village, close to where a tree had fallen on its side half in and half outside the water, with branches and undergrowth partially submerged.
Police had earlier erected a tent and cordoned off the lane while police divers were called in, but the road was reopened around three hours later once the body was recovered.
On Monday morning, police officers and community support officers were in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre.
The investigation into Ms Bulley’s disappearance has attracted widespread speculation as well as criticism of the police response.
The force came under fire after making Ms Bulley’s struggles with alcohol and perimenopause public three weeks after she vanished.
In a press conference on Wednesday, they revealed the mother-of-two was classed as a ‘high-risk’ missing person immediately after Mr Ansell reported her disappearance, ‘based on a number of specific vulnerabilities’.
They later added in a statement that Ms Bulley, from Inskip in Lancashire, had stopped taking her HRT medication.
A public backlash and interventions from the Government and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper followed, with Lancashire Constabulary confirming a date had been set for an internal review into the investigation.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.