A forensic dive expert who has been assisting in the search for missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has revealed the ‘worst mistake’ the police.
The 45-year-old mother from Lancashire reportedly vanished after dropping her two daughters off at school and going on for a walk with her dog Willow by the River Wyre.
A passerby found her mobile phone on a bench near the river and the dog was running around in a distressed manner.
Police initially said they believed Ms. Bulley had fallen in the water but with extensive searches underwater, there is still no trace of the mother.
Forensic dive expert Peter Faulding, who took on the underwater search with his Specialist Internationalist Group firm, told Daily Mail: “I think the worst mistake the police have made was to declare early on that she’s in the river rather than saying ‘let’s keep lines of inquiry open’.
“This is a lady who knew this area intimately, she was slim and fit, and if she had fallen she could have grabbed on to the bank.”
Faulding also said that the water level near the bench where Ms. Bulley’s phone was found was shallow.
“It’s even more shallow now but on the day it would have been around two feet deep, if she slipped she would have gone in and hit rock very quickly and been up to her thigh, that’s all. This is not drowning territory,” he added.
The diver decided to call off their search as he believes that if the missing woman had entered the water, she would have been found by now.
Speaking to Channel 5, Ms. Bulley’s partner – Paul Ansell – said she knew the area well.
“Whatever has happened – in my eyes – has to be somebody who, who knows the local area, who knows that. And the fact that nothing’s been seen or heard, I just truly believe that it’s something in the village,” he expressed.
“My plea now is personally, I want every house, every garage, every outbuilding, the land scrutinized. I want it all searched. I want it all scrutinized, every piece of it. You’re not gonna appease me with anything else. That, that is what I want to happen.”
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