Nicola Bulley latest — Inquest rules on cause of death as family reveal her future plans before tragic accident
MOTHER-OF-TWO Nicola Bulley drowned after entering cold river water in what a coroner has ruled an accidental death.
Nicola's disappearance after her mobile was found on a bench next to a river and today marked the second and final day of the inquest.
During proceedings, Nicola's emotional family gave evidence ahead of the coroner's decision.
Nicola's partner Paul Ansell told how Nicola was planning to take their daughter to a gymnastics competition the following day
While her sister, Louise Cunningham, sobbed as she recalled plans the pair had made to visit a spa together.
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Nicola was ‘full of beans’ night before her disappearance
Partner Paul Ansell told yesterday’s inquest Nicola was “full of beans” on the night before her disappearance and had a “good day” planning meetings.
He added: “She was getting back into her work, she was excited, it was going really well.
“She had worked so hard. She was happy about earning her own money and getting that independence again.”
Paul's last text to Nicola
Nicola's partner Paul Ansell revealed his heartbreaking final text to her at the inquest.
He then told how he messaged his partner at 10.30am - around an hour after Nicola is believed to have fallen in the river.
Paul wrote: "Have you got lost?"
He received a phonecall 20 minutes later from the children's school saying Nicola's phone and dog Willow had been found.
Paul then broke down and had to leave the room as he told how Nicola's daughters were her "absolute world".
After returning, he added: "She was grateful for every day, she was an amazing mum and partner and this gave her huge security.
"She focused on the important things and did the right thing by everyone.
"She was well-respected by all who knew her. Everybody loved her."
Nicola Bulley’s partner reveals his theory of why he thinks mum’s phone was left on bench and how she ended up in river
Nicola Bulley’s partner has revealed why he thinks her phone was left on a bench as her inquest was told the mum’s death was a “tragic accident”.
Tearful Paul Ansell explained the mum-of-two may have put her phone down to re-attach dog Willow’s harness.
Family hit back at online sleuths for continuing to spread conspiracy theories
Nicola Bulley's family took aim at social media sleuths yesterday for continuing to spread conspiracy theories.
The relatives are still receiving negative messages five months after she died.
In a statement read out on behalf of the family after the inquest verdict, they said: “Sadly, we feel the need to again raise and address the issue of social media.
“It’s upsetting that we’ve continued to receive negative targeted messages and still witness wildly inaccurate speculation being shared over numerous platforms.
“We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring.”
Their message was echoed by Lancashire Police.
What was Nicola Bulley’s cause of death?
Nicola Bulley died as a result of drowning and was alive when she fell into the water, a Home Office pathologist has said.
Dr Alison Armour, giving evidence at an inquest at County Hall in Preston, said watery fluid and fragments of dirt found inside Ms Bulley’s body were “typical features we see in cases of drowning”.
She added that Ms Bulley was alive when she entered the water and that there was “no evidence” she was harmed.
What evidence did the inquest hear?
- Nicola’s cause of death was revealed for the first time as drowning
- An expert said the mum likely died in “two breaths”
- Nicola’s Fitbit was still recording movement eight days after she disappeared
- Her terrifying final moments were recreated by a police diver
- Nicola’s sister wept as she revealed the mum would never leave dog Willow unattended
- Partner Paul Ansell told how Nicola had been ‘excited’ for life and ‘full of beans’ the night before she vanished
- He also gave his own theory behind why Nicola’s phone was found on a bench
- Inquest concludes death was accidental
Who was Nicola Bulley?
Nicola Bulley, 45, was a mum-of-two who lived in Lancashire.
She went missing on a dog walk in St Michael’s On Wyre on January 27, prompting a major search.
Her disappearance gripped the nation after it was revealed her mobile was found on a bench by the river still connected to a work call.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 – three weeks after she .
Her partner of 12 years was Paul Ansell.
Nicola left behind two young children, Harriet, 9, and Sophia, 6.
She also had a who was discovered near the bench by the river.
Nicola made ‘throwaway comments’ the month before her death
Speaking in court, Nicola Bulley’s partner said she made “throwaway comments” about her life the month before her death.
Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, asked Paul Ansell if Ms Bulley had any suicidal thoughts.
Mr Ansell replied: “There were a couple of throwaway comments during the blip period but nothing that gave me any concern.”
Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell reveals mum was ‘full of beans’ night before she vanished as his text is revealed
Nicola Bulley’s emotional partner revealed she was “full of beans” on the night before she disappeared.
The mum-of-two, 45, was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27, after dropping her daughters off at school.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 – three weeks after she .
The inquest into Nicola’s death concluded yesterday in front of partner Paul Ansell, sister Louise Cunningham and parents Ernest and Dot Bulley.
Paul told how Nicola was “full of beans” on the night before her disappearance.
Nicola Bulley's family share statement following inquest decision
Reading the statement on behalf of the family outside County Hall, Preston, Terry Wilcox, of Hudgell Solicitors, said: "The last few months have been extremely tough to process for our family.
"The emotional impact will stay long in our hearts and whilst we will never forget the loss of our Nikki, we will forever remember her as a brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister that we all knew and loved so very much.
"The help and support we have received over these past few months has meant more than words can say. From family and friends to complete strangers across the country and the world, thank you.
"Nikki and Paul's girls have already taken great comfort in the deeply thoughtful gifts sent to them in goodwill and in time they will read the many cards that are filled with such kindness and love."
Coroner's full statement as inquest concludes
Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire said: "Excluding a couple of comments over the Christmas period when she was acting out of character and were treated as throw away comments, there was no indication of any intention to take her own life.
"Her behaviour in the week before hear death was back to normal, she had restarted her HRT therapy, stopped drinking some time before, was making plans for play dates and spa days with several people, was becoming increasingly successful at her new career as a mortgage broker and behaved entirely normally during her parents visit of the night before and with Paul Ansell on the morning of her death.
"The circumstances found after her death would also be extremely unusual for suicide where Nikki left Willow, a dog to who she was devoted and was described as a third child, alone on the river bank.
"Nikki would also had to have had sufficient knowledge of cold water shock to realise as to how rapidly a death may occur as otherwise she may be spotted and saved; that she chose to do so at the main intersection of paths where she could be interrupted at any point would be unusual and to leave her car keys in her pocket with the car in the school playground where her children, to whom she was devoted, would see it would be cruel.
"For these and many other reasons I discount a conclusion of suicide as there is no evidence to support this conclusion.
"There was also no natural disease that contributed to Nikki's death. The remaining conclusion is that of accidental death."
What happened on the day Nicola Bulley went missing?
Here is a timeline of what we know occurred on the day Nicola Bulley went missing.
What evidence did the inquest hear?
- Nicola's cause of death was revealed for the first time as drowning
- An expert said the mum likely died in "two breaths"
- Nicola's Fitbit was still recording movement eight days after she disappeared
- Her terrifying final moments were recreated by a police diver
- Nicola's sister wept as she revealed the mum would never leave dog Willow unattended
- Partner Paul Ansell told how Nicola had been 'excited' for life and 'full of beans' the night before she vanished
- He also gave his own theory behind why Nicola's phone was found on a bench
- Inquest concludes death was accidental
Nicola’s family still receiving ‘negative targetted messages’
Nicola’s family released a statement after the verdict saying the last few months had been “extremely tough to process”.
They added: “The emotional impact will stay long in our hearts and whilst we’ll never get over the loss of our Nikki, we will forever remember her as the brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister that we all knew and loved so very much.
“The help and support we have received over these few months has meant more than words can say. From family and friends, to complete strangers across the country and world, thank you.
“Nikki and Paul’s girls have already taken great comfort in the deeply thoughtful gifts sent to them in goodwill, and in time they will read the many cards which are filled with such kindness and love.”
The family also told how they are still receiving “negative targeted messages” and “still witness wildly inaccurate speculation” on social media.
The statement continued: “We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the Coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring.
“Now we need to be allowed time to comprehend all of the events leading up to this day.”
Who was Nicola Bulley?
Nicola Bulley, 45, was a mum-of-two who lived in Lancashire.
She went missing on a dog walk in St Michael’s On Wyre on January 27, prompting a major search.
Her disappearance gripped the nation after it was revealed her mobile was found on a bench by the river still connected to a work call.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 – three weeks after she .
Her partner of 12 years was Paul Ansell.
Nicola left behind two young children, Harriet, 9, and Sophia, 6.
She also had a who was discovered near the bench by the river.
What was Nicola Bulley’s cause of death?
Nicola Bulley died as a result of drowning and was alive when she fell into the water, a Home Office pathologist has said.
Dr Alison Armour, giving evidence at an inquest at County Hall in Preston, said watery fluid and fragments of dirt found inside Ms Bulley’s body were “typical features we see in cases of drowning”.
She added that Ms Bulley was alive when she entered the water and that there was “no evidence” she was harmed.
Coroner concludes accidental death
Nicola Bulley, 45, drowned after falling into cold water, Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire has concluded.
The inquest has concluded Nicola's death was accidental.
Dr Adeley said: "On January 27 at around 9.22am Nicola Jane Bulley fell into the River Wyre and died almost immediately".
Dr Adeley went through the potential of suicide and death by natural causes but said the evidence does not support these conclusions.
Nicola made 'throwaway comments' the month before her death
Speaking in court, Nicola Bulley's partner said she made "throwaway comments" about her life the month before her death.
Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, asked Paul Ansell if Ms Bulley had any suicidal thoughts.
Mr Ansell replied: "There were a couple of throwaway comments during the blip period but nothing that gave me any concern.";
Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell reveals mum was ‘full of beans’ night before she vanished as his text is revealed
Nicola Bulley's emotional partner today revealed she was "full of beans" on the night before she disappeared.
The mum-of-two, 45, was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27, after dropping her daughters off at school.
Tragically, her body was found in the river on February 19 - three weeks after she .
The inquest into Nicola's death is continuing today in front of partner Paul Ansell, sister Louise Cunningham and parents Ernest and Dot Bulley.
Paul today told how Nicola was "full of beans" on the night before her disappearance.
Nicola Bulley's partner reveals what he thinks happened on the morning of her disappearance
Speaking in court today, Nicola's partner Paul Ansell gave his thoughts on what he believed happened on the morning of her disappearance.
He said: "She was still listening to that meeting, so I think she must have maybe put the phone on the bench and gone to put the harness back on Willow.”
He added that he had sent Nicola a message asking "have you got lost?"
Paul Ansell breaks down as he hails 'incredible' Nicola Bulley
A brief comfort break was taken during today's proceedings for Nicola's partner Paul.
He had been speaking about the late mum-of-two when he began to cry.
He said: "Nikki was an incredible mum, she was an amazing mum.”
He added: "She was grateful for every day, she was an amazing mum and partner and this gave her huge security.
"She focused on the important things and did the right thing by everyone. She was well-respected by all who knew her. Everybody loved her.”
What happened on the day Nicola Bulley went missing?
Here is a timeline of what we know occurred on the day Nicola Bulley went missing.
Nicola was 'full of beans' night before her disappearance
Partner Paul Ansell told today's inquest Nicola was "full of beans" on the night before her disappearance and had a "good day" planning meetings.
He added: "She was getting back into her work, she was excited, it was going really well.
"She had worked so hard. She was happy about earning her own money and getting that independence again."
Nicola's family still receiving 'negative targetted messages'
Nicola's family released a statement after the verdict saying the last few months had been "extremely tough to process".
They added: "The emotional impact will stay long in our hearts and whilst we’ll never get over the loss of our Nikki, we will forever remember her as the brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister that we all knew and loved so very much.
"The help and support we have received over these few months has meant more than words can say. From family and friends, to complete strangers across the country and world, thank you.
"Nikki and Paul’s girls have already taken great comfort in the deeply thoughtful gifts sent to them in goodwill, and in time they will read the many cards which are filled with such kindness and love."
The family also told how they are still receiving "negative targeted messages" and "still witness wildly inaccurate speculation" on social media.
The statement continued: "We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the Coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring.
"Now we need to be allowed time to comprehend all of the events leading up to this day."