The police watchdog has launched an investigation into a welfare check on Nicola Bulley by police 17 days before she was last seen.
The mortgage adviser, 45, was last seen on January 27 walking her brown spaniel Willow near the River Wyre in Lancashire.
A body was sadly recovered from the water on February 19 and police confirmed a day later that it belonged to Nicola.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said this afternoon they will be carrying out an investigation over contact that Lancashire Police had with Nicola on January 10.
Lancashire Police attended the family home as part of a welfare check.
This was not disclosed to the public by police until February 15 when they first explained Nicola was classed as “high-risk” because of her “vulnerabilities.”.
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Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
They later added in a statement that Nicola, 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.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) spokesman said: “Following a referral by Lancashire Constabulary on Thursday, we have started an independent investigation regarding contact the force had with Nicola Bulley on January 10 2023.
“We were notified by the force that an officer attended the family home on that date as part of a welfare check.
“Our thoughts are with Ms Bulley’s family and friends, and all of those affected by her death.
“Our investigation is in its very early stages.”
It comes as Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden has asked the College of Policing to carry out a “full, independent review” into the handling of the case.
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PA)
Nicola’s case sparked national interest from the media and individuals alike – leading to the family slamming the harmful speculation that spread like wildfire.
The mum was identified by her dental records, the inquest at Lancashire Coroner’s Court heard today.
A full inquest is expected to take place in June.
This morning, a GoFundMe campaign surpassed its £10,000 target to raise funds for Nicola’s funeral and to further support the family.
The mum-of-two was discovered 23 days after her disappearance, less than a mile downstream from where she was last seen, following a tip-off from two walkers.
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Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS.C)
She had been walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at school on January 27.
It is understood that a man and a woman saw the body and called the police – who said they were called to the River Wyre at around 11.35am.
The force, which initially said it was treating her death as “unexplained”, confirmed that the body had been formally identified as Nicola.
A massive search was launched on land, air and out nearly 14 miles to the sear with specialist divers, drones, dogs and officers using boats to trawl the river after Nicola was reported missing.
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Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
Divers using high-tech equipment were seen trawling the river as specialist officers combed the riverbanks and conducted house-to-house searches
Her 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 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.