Nicola Bulley latest — Inquest rules on cause of death as family reveal her future plans before tragic accident
MOTHER-OF-TWO Nicola Bulley drowned after entering cold river water in what a coroner has ruled an accidental death.
Nicola's disappearance after her mobile was found on a bench next to a river and today marked the second and final day of the inquest.
During proceedings, Nicola's emotional family gave evidence ahead of the coroner's decision.
Nicola's partner Paul Ansell told how Nicola was planning to take their daughter to a gymnastics competition the following day
While her sister, Louise Cunningham, sobbed as she recalled plans the pair had made to visit a spa together.
Read our Nicola Bulley blog below for the latest updates...
Nicola Bulley was deemed ‘high risk’
Nicola was deemed a “high-risk” missing person when she vanished 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.
DS 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 boyfriend Paul but initially refused to go into more detail.
DS Smith described the matter as “personal and private”, adding that she wanted to respect the family, who are going through “unimaginable pain and distress”.
Nicola's final moments recreated by cop in river
A police officer has recreated Nicola Bulley’s terrifying final moments in the river Wyre - and has shown how easily she could have been taken by the current.
The mum-of-two was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
Inquest hears reason why Nicola's Fitbit gave a heart reading days after death
During yesterday's inquest, it was heard that Nicola's Fitbit gave a heart output eight days after she drowned.
C Keith Greenhalgh told that the reading may have been a “result of the movement of water passing between the device and Nicola’s wrist."
He added: "Testing on inanimate objects provided similar results when there was a movement in the water."
How long will today’s inquest be?
Today’s inquest will resume at 10am and is expected to continue until 4/5pm.
The inquest will pause at 1pm for a break.
Nicola’s long term partner, Paul Ansell, is listed to speak today.
Nicola Bulley cause of death revealed as inquest into missing mum’s death begins
Nicola Bulley died from drowning and was alive when she entered the water before she vanished, an inquest heard yesterday.
The mum-of-two, 45, was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
disappearance sparked a social media frenzy as ghouls descended on the village to solve the mystery.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 – three weeks after she .
‘Inhale scream’ heard on morning Nicola Bulley vanished by river – as inquest told exact time her Fitbit stopped working
A Scream was heard near a riverside on the morning tragic Nicola Bulley vanished, an inquest was told yesterday.
The mum-of-two was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 – three weeks after she .
A chilling timeline of her final moments was today revealed at an inquest into her death.
Two women told the hearing they both heard a scream near the riverside on the morning Nicola, 45, vanished.
Inquest to resume this morning
The inquest into Nicola Bulley's death will return for its second day today.
Proceedings are set to begin at 10am.
Nicola’s final moments
The mum-of-two’s final moments were revealed after she fell into the River Wyre from a “cliff-edge drop” on January 27.
Once in the water, Nicola, 45, travelled at a “metre a second” downstream in the “steady flow” of the river, the inquest heard.
The court was told the water was just 4C when Nicola vanished, which is cold enough to lead to cold water shock and cause a person’s muscles to seize up.
Diving expert Professor Mike Tipton said she would have lost consciousness almost instantly.
He also suggested she would have drowned in “one or two breaths” due to her size and the temperature of the water.
Where was Nicola Bulley’s body found?
A map shows the location where police found Nicola Bulley’s body.
The remains were spotted by dog walkers who frantically phoned police – sparking a massive response.
Cops confirmed the body belonged to Nicola Bulley.
Who is Peter Faulding?
Peter Faulding is the founder of Specialist Group International (SGI), who searched the River Wyre for Nicola Bulley.
Faulding and his team decided to pull out of the search on February 8, 2023 as they believed they had done all they could to try and find her.
The diving expert offered his services to her devastated family for free, using £55,000 equipment to scan the lake.
His team searched the area near the park bench where her belongings were found and beyond.
When was Nicola last seen before her passing?
Nicola was last seen on January 27 after dropping her two girls off at school.
The mortgage advisor took her dog Willow for a walk along the river – which had been extensively searched.
Throughout the search, police maintained their main theory had always been that Nicola had gone into the water.
It was confirmed Nicola’s body was found in the reeds a mile from where she vanished.
How long did the search for Nicola Bulley last?
Nicola Bulley was first reported missing on Friday, January 27.
Over the next three weeks, a national search would take place for the missing mother-of-two.
23 days later, a body was discovered just a mile from where Nicola vanished.
Nicola Bulley 'not obviously happy but not sad'
Kay Kiernan, who gave evidence at Nicola Bulley's inquest, said the mother-of-two was "not obviously happy" on the day she vanished.
She said Nicola was “not obviously happy but who is on a Friday morning school run but not sad”.
'A very quiet morning'
Another local giving evidence, Claire Chesham, spoke of how normal the morning of Nicola's disappearance seemed.
She said: “It was a very quiet morning. I think there was another dog walker but they left the field.
"I was keeping an eye on the gate because another mum was considering walking down but she didn’t enter and I didn’t see anyone enter.”
Nicola 'seemed normal' on the morning of her disappearance, inquest hears
Kay Kiernan has spoken of how Nicola Bulley "seemed normal" when she saw her on the morning of her disappearance.
“She was how I would normally know her," she said.
"Her mannerisms were normal. I had a chat with Nikki about dogs.”
Nicola's final moments
The mum-of-two's final moments were revealed after she fell into the River Wyre from a "cliff-edge drop" on January 27.
Once in the water, Nicola, 45, travelled at a "metre a second" downstream in the "steady flow" of the river, the inquest heard.
The court was told the water was just 4C when Nicola vanished, which is cold enough to lead to cold water shock and cause a person's muscles to seize up.
Diving expert Professor Mike Tipton said she would have lost consciousness almost instantly.
He also suggested she would have drowned in "one or two breaths" due to her size and the temperature of the water.
The items found with Nicola Bulley
A police officer has said Nicola Bulley’s Fitbit watch and Mercedes car keys were recovered along with her body.
Nicola Bulley 'had a gasp response' once entering the water
Professor Tipton said: “In my opinion, given the nature of the likely entry into the water.
"I would suspect Nikki had a gasp response under the water, initiating the drowning process. On the balance of probability there was a fairly rapid incapacitation due to the cold shock.”
Dr Patrick Morgan also explained that the time at which you could hold your breath in this temperature of water is less than 10 seconds.
'Powerful cold shock response'
When discussing the temperatures of the water, Professor Tipton said: “There would be a particularly powerful cold shock response".
He added that it would have taken one of two breaths of the water to be a lethal dose of drowning when considering the size of Nicola.
Nicola had not been drinking
Dr Armour confirmed Nicola had not been drinking before her death.
The inquest also heard from PC Matthew Thackray from the North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit, who described the drop into the water where Nicola vanished as a "cliff edge".
When asked if it would be possible to climb out of the river once in, he added: "No not at all… it's very difficult to get out of the water here.
"There is nothing to grab hold of to help yourself back out."
‘Inhale scream’ heard on morning Nicola Bulley vanished by river – as inquest told exact time her Fitbit stopped working
A Scream was heard near a riverside on the morning tragic Nicola Bulley vanished, an inquest was told today.
The mum-of-two was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 - three weeks after she .
A chilling timeline of her final moments was today revealed at an inquest into her death.
Two women told the hearing they both heard a scream near the riverside on the morning Nicola, 45, vanished.
Nicola Bulley was deemed 'high risk'
Nicola was deemed a "high-risk" missing person when she vanished 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.
DS 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 boyfriend Paul but initially refused to go into more detail.
DS Smith described the matter as "personal and private", adding that she wanted to respect the family, who are going through "unimaginable pain and distress".
Water was 'almost freezing' on day of Nicola Bulley's disappearance
PC Matthew Thackray of Lancashire Police spoke of the water conditions on the day of Nicola Bulley's disappearance.
The water was 4C on the day in question, he said, “very cold, almost freezing”.
“If you fell in accidentally, cold water shock would have probably taken effect - which causes muscles to seize and you can’t swim properly," he added.
What was Nicola Bulley's cause of death?
Nicola Bulley died as a result of drowning and was alive when she fell into the water, a Home Office pathologist has said.
Dr Alison Armour, giving evidence at an inquest at County Hall in Preston, said watery fluid and fragments of dirt found inside Ms Bulley's body were "typical features we see in cases of drowning".
She added that Ms Bulley was alive when she entered the water and that there was "no evidence" she was harmed.
Proceedings close for the day
Day one of the inquest into Nicola Bulley's death has concluded.
Today, the mother-of-two's cause of death was confirmed and the court heard several witness statements.
Proceedings return tomorrow at 10am.