Major Nicola Bulley update as cops focus search on area downstream towards the sea
COPS will now focus their search for missing mum Nicola Bulley downstream towards the sea, a dive expert says.
Nicola, 45, was last seen in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, at around 9.15am on January 27.
Since then, there has been no trace of the mum with the search now reaching its 12th painstaking day.
Police and volunteers have scoured land and water to try to find the mum-of-two, but to no avail.
Earlier today a dive expert searching the river said his team will end their efforts by sunset.
Peter Faulding said they have done all they can to try to find Nicola.
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However, he said police are now honing their efforts into further downstream.
Peter said: “The police divers have dived it three times extremely thoroughly, and they are highly competent as we are and that area is completely negative.
"There is no sign of Nicola in that particular area.
“The main focus now would be to the police are continuing their investigation down the river, which leads eventually out to the estuary.
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“There's still no sign of Nicola. We've run the side scan sonar from here down to the next bridge, which is about three or four miles away and there is no sign of Nicola in that particular area.”
It comes as police revealed there was a "possibility" the mum had actually left the river path on foot.
They said one particular area was not covered by CCTV.
This morning Nicola's distraught partner Paul Ansell visited the scene this morning.
He spent 10 minutes walking the river bank near the bench where the mum's phone was found, still connected to a work Teams call.
In the hours that followed dive expert Peter told reporters he was calling off his search.
He said: “Wherever she is I hope closure comes soon.
"All the family are clearly distraught."
Nicola, a mortgage adviser from nearby Inskip, was last seen walking her dog at around 9.15am the day she vanished.
She had dropped off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school before heading to the towpath near the River Wyre.
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Meanwhile, a heartbreaking photo of Nicola celebrating her 45th birthday has emerged.
The Sun Online has published a full timeline since Nicola vanished, including different events and clues.
