WHAT HAPPENED TO NICOLA?
Five unanswered questions in Nicola Bulley case as pressure mounts to confirm her cause of death
NICOLA Bulley's disappearance sparked a massive search and gained huge attention when she appeared to vanish into thin air on January 27.
Her body was discovered in the River Wyre three weeks later - but many questions still remain unanswered.
5
An inquest into her death is to be heard on Monday, June 26 at County Hall in Preston.
Here we take a look at what we could find out from it...
What is Nicola’s cause of death?
5
Nicola’s cause of death has not yet been revealed.
However, we do know the mum-of-two had to be identified through her dental records.
READ MORE ON NICOLA
And today it was revealed divers have returned to the river where her body was discovered.
Video shows specialist cops searching the water to try confirm the tragic mum's cause of death.
Police say Dr James Adeley, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, asked them to conduct the investigative work.
Why did it take so long to find her body?
5
Nicola was last seen in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, at around 9.15am on January 27.
Most read in The Sun
On Sunday February 20, police searching for Nicola confirmed a body had been found.
It is not known why it took three weeks for Nicola to be located.
An extensive search was launched to find the mum-of-two, involving police, firefighters, mountain rescue, underwater teams and the local community.
Officers scoured wooded areas, ditches, water margins and the grounds of an abandoned house.
A specialist search was also launched by dive expert Peter Faulding, who used £50,000 sonar equipment to scour the water.
He later pulled out of the hunt, saying he did not believe Nicola was in the river as she could have "stood up" if she fell in.
Why was the body found far from where she was last seen?
5
Nicola's body was found a mile from where she vanished.
Specialist divers had spent weeks searching the waters around where she was last seen.
It is not known why exactly her body turned up where it was discovered.
Why was Nicola's phone found on the bench?
Nicola's mobile was also discovered by the passer-by on a bench heading towards Wyreside Farm Caravan Park.
Chillingly, when her phone was discovered after her disappearance it was still "active".
Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith gave an insight into why Nicola’s phone was left on a bench - and not her pocket.
She explained it was normal for her to be holding her phone out in front of her while on Teams calls.
And she explained that the last person to see Nicola before she vanished said this is exactly what she was doing.
However it is still not known why exactly it was found alone on the bench.
Why did the police reveal her medical history?
5
Lancashire Police revealed that the mum-of-two was as a high risk missing person after being made aware of "vulnerabilities" by her partner Paul Ansell.
In the press conference, the cops said the mum-of-two had "significant issues with alcohol" as a result of menopause.
They also revealed they'd been called to the family's home after "a report of concern for welfare" just weeks before Nicola vanished.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The cops have since been slammed by many for "destroying" the mum's reputation.
Home Secretary ordered the force to explain why the details were revealed and police referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Topics