Diving teams find no trace of missing Nicola Bulley & group leader says: It’s most baffling case I’ve worked on in 25yrs
THE head of a specialist dive squad searching a river for Nicola Bulley has revealed they have not yet located the missing mum despite having scoured “large areas”.
Specialist Group International (SGI) today searched the water for the mum ten days after she vanished.
Lancashire Police believe Nicola, 45, fell into the river while walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre.
However, Peter Faulding, founder of SGI, has said their searches today were in vain – as nothing was discovered.
Speaking on TalkTV, he said: “After 25 years of doing this kind of work, after hundreds of cases, I am well and truly baffled.
“Normally you would expect the divers to find them easily.
“When people drown they generally go down where they are.
“We normally find them within five to ten days of where they went down.
“This is the most baffling case that I have ever worked on.”
SGI has offered their services for free in a bid to give Nicola’s family answers and are using a helicopter to search for her.
They are also using a “top of the market” 18,000khz side scan sonar to search the river.
Lancashire Police said previously their “main working hypothesis” is that Nicola had “sadly fallen in the river”.
Supt Sally Riley claimed there may have been an “issue” with dog Willow that led Nicola to the edge of the water.
Police believed the mum could have walked to the river to retrieve the dog’s tennis ball when she potentially fell in.
But Nicola’s sister Louise Cunningham and friend Emma have rubbished the hypothesis.
The pair explained there was “no evidence” that Nicola fell in the water while getting Willow’s tennis ball.
Supt Riley also later admitted there was also nothing to show a slip or fall near the bench where Nicola’s phone was found.
Anybody with information about where she might be is asked to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or ring 999 for immediate sightings.