Who was Nicola Bulley?

NICOLA Bulley tragically died after her body was found in a river following a three-week hunt for the missing mum.

Nicola, 45, was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27, after dropping her daughters off at school.

Who was Nicola Bulley?

Nicola Bulley was a 45-year-old mother who worked as a mortgage adviser.

She lived with her partner and children in Inskip, Lancashire.

While she was missing, her parents Ernest and Dot Bulley pleaded for anyone with information on their daughter's disappearance to come forward.

Her sister Louise Cunningham also spoke about the pain and suffering the family endured.

At the time, friends of Nicola also expressed their frustration with amateur sleuths taking the investigation into their own hands.

Tragically, the mum-of-two's body was found in the river on February 19 three weeks after she disappeared.

A 143-page report into Lancashire Police's handling of the case has now been released.

The review, led by the College of Policing, criticised the force for "insufficient focus" and errors of judgement.

When and where did Nicola Bulley go missing?

Nicola was last seen on January 27, 2023, in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, at 9.10am.

The 5ft 3in mother-of-two was last spotted walking along a river path with her dog.

At the time of her disappearance, Ms Bulley was wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood and had her hair tied in a ponytail.

She had black jeans on with olive green ankle wellies.

Nicola's phone and dog's lead were found on a bench. Her dog was also found safe and well.

During a press conference on February 3, 2023, police said their "main working hypothesis" is that Nicola had "sadly fallen in the river".

Officers sparked fury when they revealed the mum's struggle with alcohol and the perimenopause.

Police said in a statement on February 15, 2023, that the mum of two had been classed as a "high risk" missing person. This was due to "vulnerabilities", including issues with alcohol.

Nicola's family elaborated that she suffers from significant side effects of perimenopause, such as brain fog and restless sleep.

Before her disappearance, Nicola had stopped taking HRT, a medication that helped manage symptoms of perimenopause, due to its intense side effects.

On February 19, 2023, Lancashire Police stated they had found a body less than a mile from where Nicola was last seen.

The next day cops shared the tragic update that the body found was Nicola's.

They said: "Sadly, we are now able to confirm that yesterday we recovered Nicola Bulley from the River Wyre.

"Nicola’s family have been informed and are of course devastated. Our thoughts are with them at this time as well as with all her loved ones and the wider community.

"We recognise the huge impact that Nicola’s disappearance has had on her family and friends, but also on the people of St Michael’s.

"We would like to thank all of those who have helped during what has been a hugely complex and highly emotional investigation.

"Today’s development is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, but we hope that it can at least start to provide some answers for Nicola’s loved ones, who remain foremost in our thoughts.

"The case is now being handled by HM Coroner."

Who was Nicola Bulley's boyfriend?

Ms Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, is an engineer by trade.

The pair had been together for 12 years before her death.

He openly spoke about the hell the family was put through.

Her daughters broke down when he had to tell them "mummy's lost".

Ansell told reporters: "My whole focus is my two girls, just staying as strong as I can for them.

"I'm scared that if I put focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off that.

"Just hoping to goodness that anything comes out from the interview yesterday no matter how tiny."

Ansell has described how the family was going through a "perpetual hell" as they tried to locate Ms Bulley.

Ms Bulley's parents and sister spoke about how her children "need her home".