Woman, 45, vanishes while walking her dog along a river path – sparking major search operation
- Nicola Bulley, 45, has been missing since 9am Friday after riverside walk in Wyre
- Police dive teams, drones, search dogs and mountain rescue have been sent in
A major search operation has been launched in after a woman vanished whilst walking her dog along a river path.
Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen on Friday morning at 9.15am on a footpath in the town of Wyre, Lancashire. Extensive searches for her have been taking place over the weekend.
Police dive teams, fire service drones, search dogs, helicopters and mountain rescue volunteers have all been deployed to the area.
It has been more than 48-hours since Ms Bulley’s last sighting and police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information.
Nicola Bulley (pictured), 45, was last seen on Friday morning at 9.15am on a footpath in the town of Wyre, Lancashire
Dog walkers searching in the village of St Michael’s-on-Wyre after Lancashire Police asked for help in finding Nicola Bulley
Police say they are ‘keeping an open mind about where Ms Bulley may be’ and a team of detectives are also investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and ‘following a number of lines of enquiry’.
They are also supporting Ms Bulley’s family and remain in close contact with them.
Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT) said 25 volunteers contributed to the search over an eight-hour period on Saturday.
They were joined by North West Ambulance Service, Lancashire Police, the Police Dive Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue (LFRS), National Police Air Service (Helicopter), a LFRS Search Dog and an LFRS Drone.
Ms Bulley, who is described as white, 5ft 3ins tall with light brown shoulder-length hair, was last seen walking her dog before going missing. The dog has since been found close to where it is believed Ms Bulley was last seen.
It has been more than 48-hours since Ms Bulley’s last sighting and police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information. Pictured: Dog walkers searching for Nicola Bulley
She was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive green ankle wellies and Her hair was tied into a ponytail. Police say she speaks with an Essex accent and also has links to the Thornton-Cleveleys area.
Chief Inspector Chris Barton, of Lancashire Police, said: ‘Nicola has now been missing for two days and we are extremely concerned about her. Firstly, if anybody saw her on Friday morning and has not yet been spoken to by police, or if anybody has any other information about where she might be, please get in touch with us straight away.
‘Enquiries are very much ongoing and we have a team of detectives working tirelessly to establish the circumstances around her disappearance, in addition to a large team of police officers, partner agency and volunteer groups on the ground searching the area around where she was last seen.’
He added: ‘We are following a number of lines of enquiry and are keeping an open mind at this stage about what has occurred.
‘We appreciate there is a great deal of concern in the local area and that people want to help, however we would ask that nobody puts themselves in any danger. If anybody has any questions or concerns they are welcome to speak to officers in the area.’
Anybody who has seen Ms Bulley, or has information about where she might be, is asked by the police to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27. The force said to call 999 to report immediate sightings.
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