Nicola Bulley: Phone found by river in missing mum case could be a DECOY, fears head of specialist dive squad

THE head of a specialist dive squad searching for Nicola Bulley fears her phone found by the river could "be a decoy".

Specialist Group International (SGI) yesterday scoured the water for the mum ten days after she vanished.

Lancashire Police believe Nicola, 45, fell into the river while walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre.

Peter Faulding, founder of SGI, said he is not convinced by the hypothesis.

Their search ended this evening after nothing was found.

Now he fears Nicola's phone could be a decoy - and there could be a third party involved.

He said: "After 25 years of doing this kind of work, after hundreds of cases, I am well and truly baffled.

"When people drown they generally go down where they are.

"We normally find them within five to ten metres of where they went down even after a few days.

"This is the most baffling case that I have ever worked on.

"The police have nothing to go on.

"All they have is a mobile phone at the moment and they said it could possibly be a decoy."

SGI have offered their services for free in a bid to give Nicola's family answers and are using a helicopter to search for her.

They are also using a "top of the market" 18,000khz side scan sonar to search the river.

The missing mum's friends have spoken of their hope at the specialist team giving her family some closure.

Pal Emma White told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "We hope they uncover nothing, like the police have done for the last 10 days, and we hope Nicola is not in that river."

Lancashire Police said previously their “main working hypothesis” is that Nicola had “sadly fallen in the river”.

Supt Sally Riley claimed there may have been an “issue” with dog Willow that led Nicola to the edge of the water.

Police believed the mum could have walked to the river to retrieve the dog’s tennis ball when she potentially fell in.

But Nicola’s sister Louise Cunningham and friend Emma have rubbished the hypothesis.

The pair explained there was “no evidence” that Nicola fell in the water while getting Willow’s tennis ball.

Supt Riley also later admitted there was also nothing to show a slip or fall near the bench where Nicola’s phone was found.

Anybody with information about where she might be is asked to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or ring 999 for immediate sightings.