Missing mum Nicola Bulley’s last 45 minutes before she vanished without trace

Data from missing Nicola Bulley’s social media accounts have allowed for a reconstruction of the 45-minute window in which the 45-year-old mortgage advisor went missing in Lancashire. Ms Bulley went missing nearly a week ago on January 27, seemingly without a trace, and police have launched a frantic search over the last few days, with investigators struggling to find leads as her family launches a desperate plea for information. An app tracking her movements has provided a new look at the route she regularly took through St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancaster.

Ms Bulley had an account with Strava, a service that tracks fitness goals using social network features. 

Data from the account showed that she regularly took a route she knew well, and shared pictures of her dog Willow, whose off-the-leash appearance alerted a passerby to her absence. 

Witnesses said they saw her as she followed the familiar path in Lancashire. 

Police have revealed six distinct interactions that build a picture of the 45 minutes before she went missing last week. 

Key moments before she went missing include: 

• 8.50am: Ms Bulley bumps into another dog walker and briefly stopped to chat while their dogs played with one another. 
• 8.53am: The dog walkers go their separate ways, with the acquaintance going by the river path, as Ms Bulley writes an email to her boss. 
• 9.01am: Ms Bulley logs into a Teams call with her coworkers
• 9.10am: A second witness observes Ms Bulley in the distance 
• 9.30am: The teams meeting ends 
• 9.35am: A witness discovers her phone and Willow on a nearby bench

Police have continued to scour the area where Ms Bulley went missing, with investigators piled in boats and divers combing the water. 

Both Lancashire Police and Ms Bulley’s family renewed their pleas for help today. 

Louise Cunningham, her sister, told Sky News that “something has got to have been missed”.

She added: Somebody must know something. People don’t just vanish into thin air.”

Ernie Bulley, her father, said her “two young children” are waiting for her to come home. 

He said the two are convinced it is “only a matter of time” until she returns.

He made an emotional plea saying: “If she’s watching this, then all we’d like to say is come home, contact the police, contact ourselves and we just want you back.”

Mr Bulley added: “They know that Mummy’s missing but they know that she’s going to be coming home and everyone is looking for her so it’s only a matter of time, that they’re thinking in their minds, that she’s going to walk through that door.”

Lancaster Police superintendent Sally Riley said the investigation remains a missing persons inquiry, with officials not given a reason to suspect a criminal element. 

Supt Riley said: “We know that Nicola going missing has caused a great deal of concern for the wider local community, as well as obviously being an awful time for her family.

“This remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.

“I appreciate that there are unanswered questions about what has happened to Nicola, but I would urge people not to speculate or spread false rumours. We will share updates when we can, but we must be factual.

“Nicola’s family are being kept up to date with events and are being supported by officers.

“We are really grateful for the community’s help and co-operation so far, but I’d like to stress again parts of the riverbank are treacherous, especially after the recent rain, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.”