Paul Ansell, the partner of Nicola Bulley, has expressed his family’s anguish after a body was discovered in the River Wyre near where she vanished three weeks ago. In a statement to Sky News, Ansell wrote that he had “no words right now, just agony”.
Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her springer spaniel Willow after dropping off her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school on 27 January. Her dog was found shortly after, along with her phone – still connected to a work conference call – on a bench by a steep riverbank.
On Sunday, Lancashire Police reported that they had “sadly recovered a body” from the water after being called to the River Wyre. Formal identification has yet to be carried out, and the death is currently being treated as “unexplained”. The body was found about a mile from where Bulley was last seen in the small village of St Michael’s on Wyre.
The discovery of the body – yet to be identified as Nicola Bulley – so close to where she disappeared raises many questions. Specifically, why did it take three weeks? People will now be wondering if the search was handled properly, which comes on top of a huge focus on the way Lancashire Police have conducted this investigation. Since Bulley went missing, police have said she was in the river. They seemed very confident of that from the start, despite some of the family’s concerns about their conviction.
The search drew a lot of attention, with large numbers of people visiting and filming around the area – as well as significant amounts of speculation and various unfounded theories being spread on social media. The combination of the sheer volume of people turning up in the small village and online speculation led to police issuing dispersal notices and warnings over anti-social behaviour. One influencer was detained and fined after posting that he had been in “people’s back gardens at night-time with torches”, while two other people were also arrested after malicious messages were sent to parish councillors about the case.
In response to the significant levels of attention being paid to the case, Lancashire Police’s investigation also faced criticism after disclosing Bulley’s struggles with the menopause and alcohol, which they said was “to avoid any further speculation”. Her family said they were aware that police were revealing the detail as there were “people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her”. This led to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressing their concerns, prompting Lancashire Police to announce an internal review into its investigation.
Paul Ansell’s statement serves as a reminder of the immense pain felt by Bulley’s family during this difficult time. The discovery of a body in such close proximity to where she disappeared raises many questions about how police handled the search and investigation. As formal identification is yet to be carried out, all we can do is hope that the family can soon find closure.