Paul Ansell has explained how he was about to head down to the river where his partner Nicola Bulley had taken their springer spaniel for a walk, but received a phone call from a receptionist at their daughters’ school saying there was no sign of her.
Ms Bulley, 45, vanished while walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27. Her disappearance sparked a huge police search in what Lancashire Police considers to be a missing persons case.
Mr Ansell has told Channel 5 about the day his partner vanished.
He said Ms Bulley would usually be back home from walking Willow at 9.45am so he went into the office at 10am in the belief she would return in minutes.
By 10.30am, Mr Ansell tried to call Ms Bulley three times, but there was no answer each time.
To which Mr Ansell replied: “In an instant. It’s like your whole… Because I knew straightaway that it wasn’t normal.
“I said, ‘Where is she?’ And they were like, they can’t find her. I also know that never in a million years would she leave Willow. Willow is like our third child.”
He continued: “So the fact that Willow’s just on her own in the field off the lead [is] obviously concerning so I’m just in a mad panic then. Because I got hit by that – it’s like your world just drops out because you know something weird has happened.”
Mr Ansell said he phoned 999 with the police calling him back while he was at the bench. The police told him to return home because an officer was going to meet him there.
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The officer arrived at 11.25am after the police were called at about 10.50am, according to Mr Ansell.
He said: “So I’d gone home then, taken Willow back. The police officer had come to the house and although I was obviously extremely worried and concerned, I still expected any second they’d just go, ‘Oh, found her’, you know, ‘We’ve found her here’ or whatever. And that never happened.
“The day then just spiralled and [the] end of the day came and no answers. Here we are two weeks later.”
Mr Ansell told Channel 5 his “gut instinct” is Ms Bulley is not in the river despite Lancashire Police saying they believe she fell in.
The constabulary has ruled out the involvement of a third party and is treating what happened as a missing person inquiry.
Police maintain officers are still keeping an open mind and continue to appeal for information.
Mr Ansell said: “We’ve always been very careful that we don’t want to say, ‘Oh, we think it’s that’, and then push that when it might not be.
“The most obvious thing, of course has always been the river. It’s always been my gut instinct and her sister’s, and family that that isn’t the case.
“Extensive searching, as you know, has gone on in that river.”
Vanished: Where is Nicola Bulley? was shown on Channel 5 at 9pm on Friday.
Anyone with information which could help the investigation should call 101 quoting log 0565 of January 30. For immediate sightings call 999.
