Nicola Bulley: My brother disappeared on same stretch of river exactly 45 years ago
A MAN has revealed how his brother disappeared on the same stretch of river as missing mum Nicola Bulley exactly 45 years ago.
Roger Jones vanished into the icy Lancashire waterway on January 27, 1978.
The 16-year-old had been thrown into the water after a motorbike smash but his body wasn't found until two months later.
Roger's brother Don has now told of the eerie similarities between Nicola's and his youngest sibling's disappearances.
He recalled how police and rescuers poured hours into finding his brother and that tragically, in the end, his body washed up on a sandbank at low tide.
Don said Roger was found seven miles away from St Michael's on Wyre - the town Nicola was last seen.
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He said the river conditions when Roger vanished were "pretty similar" to when the mum-of-two disappeared.
Don, who lives in Caton, Lancashire, told the : “He was obviously swept over the weir and into the tidal part of the river.
“It was just a case of waiting for what seemed inevitable."
Don said his heartbroken family were "exhausted" by the time Roger's body was found.
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The teen was hurled into a brook that fed into the River Wyre - the waterway police believe Nicola slipped and fell into.
Roger, who was about to set off on his dream of being a farmer, had been riding passenger on a motorbike when it crashed into a car on a narrow bridge in Woodplumpton, near Preston.
The horror unfolded on January 27, 1978 - exactly 45 years before Nicola disappeared.
As people rushed to the aid of the driver, who was unconscious and fighting for his life, they were unaware another person had been on the bike.
It wasn't until hours later, at 3am, police rushed back to the bridge after being told Roger was missing.
A massive search and rescue operation was launched, seeing dog squads, specialist divers and police staff scattered around the waterway.
Don said watching the search for Nicola unfold sparked heartbreaking memories.
He said: "We feel so much for Nicola's family and friends. We know just what they must be going through."
He was obviously swept over the weir and into the tidal part of the river.
Don Jones
The Lancashire man said he felt for the family also having to deal with members of the public weighing in on the case online, which "must be a nightmare".
He added that his family had to put up with “clairvoyants and spiritualists” when Roger was missing, which “proved very upsetting, especially for our mum”.
Earlier today a dive expert scouring the river in the search for Nicola said his team were ending their efforts.
There has been no trace of the 45-year-old since 9.15am on January 27.
Dive expert Peter Faulding said they have done all they can to try to find the mum.
However, he said police are now honing their efforts into further downstream.
It comes as police revealed there was a "possibility" the mum had actually left the river path on foot.
They said one particular area was not covered by CCTV.
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This morning Nicola's distraught partner Paul Ansell visited the scene this morning.
He spent 10 minutes walking the river bank near the bench where the mum's phone was found, still connected to a work Teams call.
