Five puzzling aspects of Nicola Bulley disappearance - from phone call to abandoned house

Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell will feature in a documentary about her agonising disappearance - and the multitude of conspiracy theories which gained traction online prior to the eventual discovery of her body.

Ms Bulley, a 45-year-old mother of two, disappeared on January 27, 2023 while walking her dog along the River Wyre in Lancashire.

Her phone was found on a bench still connected to a work call, and her dog, Willow, was nearby.

After extensive searches, her body was discovered in the river 23 days later.

An inquest in June 2023 ruled that she died from accidental drowning, likely due to cold water shock.

The investigation drew significant public attention, exacerbated by online speculation and amateur sleuths, leading to controversy over police handling and media coverage.

The tragedy is often cited as a prime example of the internet filling in the blanks in the face of intense interest in the case, not just in the UK but all over the world.

Mr Ansell will use the BBC film, due to be screened next week, to outline his concerns about what he describes as an online “monster”.

So what fuelled what turned into an unhealthy obsession? And what answers did the public eventually get?

1) The phone call:

Ms Bulley’s last work phone call was to a work meeting during her walk. She had the sound muted and did not have her camera on.

The device was found on a bench, still logged into the call, Lancashire Police said later.

There was no suggestion anyone else who was on the call knew anything about what was happening at the time.

Thirty minutes before joining the meeting, Ms Bulley had sent a text to a friend to set up a playdate for her two children.

2) Her dog:

Ms Bulley's dog, Willow, was found alone without its harness.

She had previously used the Strava app to share pictures of her walks, which showed she usually put Willow's harness on - but a passer-by found Willow's lead and harness on the floor.

This source said: "The dog looked worried so I tied her up and rushed home as I had to go to an appointment.

"I then went and spoke to my daughter-in-law and she immediately knew who the dog was, alerted the woman's partner and that was it - the police were on it."

3) The witness:

Ms Bulley is thought to have been seen again by a pensioner in his 70s just 10 minutes before the Teams call.

The man, aged in his 70s, was walking a small white dog on a lead and later spoke to another person also in the area about half an hour later.

He is believed to have alerted her to Willow, who by now was running along the bank unaccompanied.

The man, referred to by Lancashire Police as a "key witness", was subsequently located and spoken to by officers.

4) The abandoned house:

Police searching the area close an abandoned home located across the river from where Willow and Nicola's phone were found, triggering feverish online speculation.

A mountain rescue team helped search the grounds of the property but did not look inside.

It has been reported that the owner was there "for some reason" and instead offered to go in and take a "quick look around".

He then told the search group that Nicola "wasn't there".

There has never been any indication that the property was in any way connected with Nicola’s disappearance.

5) The river search

Much of the mystery about Nicola’s whereabouts stemmed from the failure of several searches of the River Wye to find her body, with some suggesting it had been washed out to sea.

The search for Nicola Bulley's body took place over several weeks, focusing on the River Wyre where she had last been seen.

Specialist search teams, including underwater divers and sonar technology, were deployed but initially found no trace of her.

The search intensified amid widespread public and media interest, with some questioning the thoroughness of the investigation.

Eventually, on February 19, 2023, Nicola’s body was discovered in the river, around a mile from where she was last seen, by a team of dog walkers.