Former police officers have claimed any traces of Nicola Bulley in the area by the River Wyre where she was last seen will have gone by now. Their intervention comes amid calls for the search operation to move away from the river and further on land.
Ms Bulley, 45, from Inskip, went missing while walking her dog, Willow, along the River Wyre near the village of St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27.
Her disappearance prompted a huge search operation with police, HM Coastguard, drones, sniffer dogs, mountain rescus, helicopters and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service deployed.
No trace of the mum-of-two was found in the river with Ms Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, and members of her family raising doubts about a police claim she fell in the river.
Ms Bulley’s mobile phone and Willow’s lead were found on a bench by the Wyre with the springer spaniel’s harness on the nearby riverbank. Lancashire Constabulary has faced criticism that the area around where Ms Bulley was last seen was not immediately cordoned off.
Mr Ansell told Channel 5 his gut instinct is that Ms Bulley is not in the river and that he wanted all options to be kept open as to how she went missing.
Police have previously ruled out foul play and are treating the incident as a missing person inquiry, believing Ms Bulley fell into the water.
But Lancashire Constabulary says it is still keeping an “open mind” and has continued to appeal for information.
The force appeared to call out social media sleuths for their “hurtful abuse of innocent people” in relation to the case on Friday.
It said speculation about her fate by “so-called experts” was “damaging” to the investigation.
On Twitter, the force wrote: “We continue to see hurtful abuse of innocent people, including witnesses and local businesses.
“There is also a huge amount of commentary from so-called experts and conspiracy theories which are damaging to the investigation and, worst of all, to Nicola’s family. It must stop.”
Police on Tuesday rejected suggestions Ms Bulley could have been a victim of crime.
Supt Sally Riley of Lancashire Police said “every single” potential suspicion or criminal suggestion which had come in, had been looked at by detectives and discounted.
She told reporters at a press conference: “I would like to reassure the community that nothing in this investigation so far, it has been checked out if it has come in suggesting crime, it has been checked and discounted.
“So every single potential third party line of inquiry and potential suspicious or criminal element has been looked at and discounted.”
Anyone with information which could help the investigation should call 101 quoting log 0565 of January 30. For immediate sightings call 999.
