Nicola Bulley’s family will ‘never let go’ of hope despite ‘unprecedented hell’ of search

Nicola Bulley’s partner has said her family is going through “unprecedented hell” but would “never give up” hope of finding her.

The 45-year-old went missing while walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre on Friday 27 January after dropping her daughters off at school.

Speaking to 5 News, Paul Ansell said: “Hope and that positivity in me is stronger than ever, and I’m never, ever going to let go.

“Nikki would never give up on us ever. She wouldn’t give up on anybody.

“We’re not gonna ever give up on her… we’re going to find her.”

Mr Ansell believes “something happened” on the day of his partner’s disappearance.

He added: “There has to be a way to find out what happened, there has to be. You cannot… you cannot walk your dog down a river and just vanish into thin air.”

‘I’m convinced it’s not the river’

Police searching for Ms Bulley say they are keeping an open mind.

But officers have been working on a theory that she fell into the River Wyre.

The focus of the police search operation has now shifted from where Ms Bulley vanished to further downstream, towards where the River Wyre empties into the Irish Sea at Morecambe Bay.

Officers have confirmed they are focusing on the mouth of the river, with Lancashire Police suggesting finding Ms Bulley “in the open sea becomes more of a possibility”.

Sky News understands specialist diving units have also been deployed to scour parts of the 15km stretch of river from the bench where her phone and dog were found to the bay.

But Mr Ansell doubts the wisdom of focusing on the river search.

He said: “Personally, I am 100% convinced it’s not the river, that’s my opinion.”

He pointed to the fact that “divers and underwater rescue team and all that were in that river on the day, and thankfully found absolutely nothing”.

Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International (SGI), whose team were equipped with a £55,000 side-scan sonar able to pick up objects underwater, agrees.

He told reporters he believes it is “unlikely” she has been swept out to sea.

“My personal view is that I think it is a long way to go in a tidal river,” he said.

Read more:
Nicola Bulley’s movements before she vanished
Police looking at 500 active pieces of information in search
Images released of Nicola Bulley on day she disappeared

More questions than answers

A fortnight on from Ms Bulley’s disappearance, the small rural village of St Michael’s on Wyre is no longer the same.

The police presence in the quaint village has been overwhelming for many who live nearby.

It is the epicentre of a mystery that has captured the nation’s attention but more importantly, it’s the scene of a major police operation to find a mother to two young girls.

Over the last two weeks the community has banded together to try and find any trace of evidence relating to Ms Bulley’s disappearance: Dog walkers, friends, teachers from her daughters’ school – all searching in hope for some answers.

But after 14 days of not knowing what has happened to the mortgage adviser, the case poses more questions than answers.

Friend Emma White was part of the latest effort to find her on Friday, with those who knew her lining a road with posters in a “last push” to raise awareness.

Ms Bulley’s family are still praying she will come home, safe and well.

‘Everybody is looking for mummy’

Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell has said the last two weeks have been “a rollercoaster ride”.

Talking about his children, Mr Ansell said: “The only thing that I can do is tell them that everybody is looking for mummy.”

Two weeks on from the disappearance, he spoke of his pain and desperation for answers: “We need her back. We have to find her safe and well. I can’t put those girls to bed again with no answers.”

He himself felt “anger, loads of frustration, confusion and disbelief” about the whole situation.

He continued: “It just doesn’t feel real… I feel like I’m in The Truman Show.

“I honestly believe I’m going to wake up at any moment… how are we even in this? We are good people.”

Lancashire Police have dismissed any suggestion Ms Bulley is a victim of crime and say the scale of the missing person search is “unprecedented”, involving 40 detectives chasing down 500 potential leads.

Meanwhile, police have been given extra powers to break up groups causing a nuisance in the village following reports of people travelling into the area and filming properties on social media.