NICOLA Bulley was deemed a “high-risk” missing person when she vanished almost three weeks ago, police confirmed today.
The mum-of-two disappeared while walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in St Michaels, Lancashire, on January 27.
2Nicola Bulley vanished on January 27Credit: instagram
2Police are continuing to search for the missing mum-of-twoCredit: Dave NelsonAs soon as this was reported to cops, she was categorised as “high-risk” due to a “number of specific vulnerabilities”.
This means there was a “real and immediate danger” to Nicola’s safety or that of the public.
Speaking at a press conference, Lancashire Police detective superintendent Rebecca Smith said: “That is normal for a missing person with the information we were in possession of.”
She confirmed this decision was made after speaking to Nicola’s partner Paul Ansell but refused to go into more detail.
Detectives today confirmed they have found no evidence of a “criminal aspect or third party involvement” in her disappearance.
It means their “main line of inquiry” remains that the mortgage adviser fell into the water at around 9.15am.
But the force insists they are “open-minded” and are considering that Nicola could have left the area voluntarily or that a third party may be involved.
Setting out the probe in more detail than police “normally” would, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said the scale has been “unprecedented”.
Nearly 40 detectives have sifted through hundreds of hours of CCTV, dashcam footage and tip-offs from the public.
They have also scoured 300 premises, interviewed 300 people and received 1,500 pieces of information.
DS Smith said “further work” is needed on digital enquiries.
Detectives sought to combat disinformation about Nicola’s disappearance amid growing speculation about what might have happened to her and criticism of the police effort.
Asked if she hoped to find her alive, DS Smith said: “I hope with all my heart that we find Nicola Bulley alive more than anything.”
Nicola Bulley cops today revealed:
Story Credit: thesun.co.uk