UK mother Nicola Bulley body discovered by police after search

• The body of missing UK mother Nicola Bulley was discovered on Sunday.
• Bulley, a mortgage adviser, went missing early Friday morning.
• The body was retrieved from a river.

The body of missing UK mother Nicola Bulley was discovered by police on Sunday.

Lancashire Police reported a body was retrieved from a river near where Bulley went missing in the northern England community of St. Michael’s on Wyre. The body has yet to be formally identified, but Bulley’s family has been notified.

“We were called today at 11:36 am to reports of a body in the River Wyre, close to Rawcliffe Road,” a police statement read.

“An underwater search team and specialist officers have subsequently attended the scene, entered the water, and have sadly recovered a body.

“Nicola’s family have been informed of developments and our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times. We ask that their privacy is respected.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote on Twitter that the latest developments in the case were “heart-breaking” and “distressing.”

“My thoughts remain with Nicola’s family at this extremely difficult time,” she added.

Bulley, a mortgage adviser, went missing early Friday morning, January 27. According to police, she was walking her dog after dropping off her two children at school.

Her dog was seen strolling alone a short time later, and her phone was discovered on a seat near the river, still signed into a group work call. Lancashire Police’s search for the 45-year-old mother of two, however, was fruitless for three weeks.

The case perplexed the public and drew extensive media attention, with authorities also revealing – unusually – that Bulley was suffering from alcoholism and menopause at the time of her abduction.

Persistent myths

Last week saw investigators sharply criticize members of the public they said were pedaling “persistent myths.”

Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith of Lancashire Police told journalists on Wednesday that the social media frenzy had “seriously diverted” the inquiry. “In 29 years’ police career, I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Some of it’s been quite shocking and really hurtful to the family. Obviously, we can’t disregard anything, and we’ve reviewed everything that’s come in but of course, it has distracted us significantly.”

The move by Lancashire Police to release personal information about Bulley caused significant condemnation, with many accusing the force of misogyny. The police were also chastised by the government, with Braverman citing reservations over their handling of the issue.

Stephanie Benyon, a friend of Bulley’s whose children attend the same school, previously told that she is a “kind, loyal, and thoughtful person who adores her two girls and family and friends.” Bulley’s partner of 12 years, Paul Ansell, had described the situation as a “perpetual hell.”

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