Nicola Bulley 45y Old mum of 2 little girls missing from River Wyre area since last Friday morning at 9:15am walking her dog, Willow.

Joseanne and Maybee, re the harness. I heard the press conference with the SI of Lancashire Police yesterday, and she confirmed that it was usual for Nicola to take off Willow’s harness.
The person who saw the dog and the phone, said the dog was running backwards and forwards around the bench area (as you see lost dogs doing).
I wonder if perhaps Nicola had seen another animal in danger and tried to help.
The theory that she wanted to disappear like Agatha Christie just doesn’t make sense.
You’d just leave the house and go somewhere.
You wouldn’t abandon your dog and your phone and vanish into thin air.

MayBee how absolutely terrifying. No wonder that you are haunted by that

I didn’t know that. They were talking about it on Sky News just now. They’ve checked the river all the way to the sea using underwater drones and normal drones which is why they keep saying it’s as if she disappeared into thin air. I hope I don’t appear to be morbidly fascinated by this case but my daughter had a riding accident many years ago in which two of the horses fell into a water filled gravel pit: it was quite a while before I knew my daughter was safe so this has rather triggered the panic I felt that day. Thankfully all the people and horses involved were unharmed but I’d had a phone call from someone saying that they might need to use my horse box but when I pointed out that my daughter was with them they just went quiet because, to their knowledge there were only two riders involved. For years after that, every time I heard a fire engine I started to shake.

Coincidentally last night I was reading about this sad event and realised that the author of the book next to me, Edith Holden of Edwardian country diary fame, had drowned aged 45 in the river at Kew reaching out for a chestnut branch in bud with her umbrella.
The details of her death were surmised, but maybe this is not such an unusual occurrence.

MayBee70

I don’t understand the harness not being on the dog. I don’t use a harness on mine but people I know that do leave the harness on when they let their dogs run free.

I think MayBee70 it is because in all the photos her dog doesn't have the harness on when off the lead. The dog is obviously no stranger to water, so why didn't it jump in to help or even to play?

I don’t understand the harness not being on the dog. I don’t use a harness on mine but people I know that do leave the harness on when they let their dogs run free.

There has to be an explanation that accounts for all the facts - the dog’s harness off, the phone on the bench. Nothing quite stacks up at the moment. I feel she is either dead or has done an Agatha Christie who disappeared without trace for a week or so. I fear the former. It’s so awful for her partner and those two little girls waiting for mummy to come home. It’s difficult to think she didn’t intend to return. Surely some terrible accident must have happened.

A similar thing happened with a neighbour. No dog - but she'd had a recent cancer diagnosis. She often walked there - so when her body was, eventually, found downstream, family were left wondering if she fell in - or (more likely) planned to drown.

I think it will be that, a tragic accident.Rivers are hard to get out of, and so cold in Winter.Also wearing heavy clothes and wellies in deep water.So very sad.

MayBee70

Took the dogs harness off so it could run around while she was on the phone. Saw the dog do something dangerous. Ran towards it and slipped. Do probably stayed near to it’s harness because they say if your dog runs off and doesn’t come back leave something it knows out and it will eventually come back to it. I feel so sad about all this.

This is exactly what I think happened maybe exactly

she was not on a call..
It has been clearly reported at the start that her phone was still connected via Zoom to an office meeting. she was listening to it but phone was muted so only listening and no picture

On the news just now they are only looking in the river.

I know, but if she was on a call, those at other end would have heard her say something or drop phone on bench?

Fleurpepper

oh yes, wellies are a disaster. If on a business call, perhaps she was concentrating on phone- but then is she fell, why would the phone be on the bench?

Perhaps she thought the dog had gone down the bank and rushed forward to grab it, leaving her phone there..

We shouldn't speculate, I know, but this is so worrying.

Took the dogs harness off so it could run around while she was on the phone. Saw the dog do something dangerous. Ran towards it and slipped. Do probably stayed near to it’s harness because they say if your dog runs off and doesn’t come back leave something it knows out and it will eventually come back to it. I feel so sad about all this.

oh yes, wellies are a disaster. If on a business call, perhaps she was concentrating on phone- but then is she fell, why would the phone be on the bench?

Wellingtons have no grip: I stopped wearing them a long time ago because eg climbing a style when wearing them was treacherous. The bank is very steep near to where the dog was found. The police had to rule out all other possibilities when she went missing. I’m sorry to say that this happened to someone I know and, other than the fact that they didn’t have a dog the circumstances are very similar.

It's easy to slip or be drawn by water and not easily to get out.

It's still not been confirmed, though, has it?

AGAA4

My friend fell in the river rescuing his dog who had got stuck at the bottom of the bank. He slipped and fell into the water.
He said he had a hard job getting out and he was a strong man wearing shorts and t shirt in July.
Dog released himself and ran home.

So the dog would have either
- jumped in the river to help
- barked its head off
- or run home

It all seems strange. (Thinking what my dog would do - jump in to help).

My friend fell in the river rescuing his dog who had got stuck at the bottom of the bank. He slipped and fell into the water.
He said he had a hard job getting out and he was a strong man wearing shorts and t shirt in July.
Dog released himself and ran home.

Fleurpepper

Just does not bear thinking about, those poor kids. Surely if she had slipped, or jumped- the divers would have found her by now?

I wonder about that work call- was there an argument, was she told she was under review, or would lose her job, anything that could have triggered panic?

When someone just 'disappears' it the worst thing- not knowing. I so hope she can be found, even if not alive, so her family can try and somehow grieve and begin to try (how, I don't know, just can't imagine) to go forwards.. So very very sad.

If someone falls into water it usually takes a week to find them.

The police have said they believe she remained in the river bank area so that’s why the search is concentrated there.

I think the 70 year old man they wanted to speak to turned out to be in his 40s..maybe he knows more it hasn't ssid

It's awful, a week on now and no further.
I'm not going to speculate, but we all naturally wonder different things. For me I can't understand why the dog didn't follow her?
The removed harness I understand because you shouldn't let your dog go in the water wearing it incase it gets caught or tangled. But the dog was dry. You can tell if a dog has been in a river for quite a while after, and this dog was found dry in a short time.

Just does not bear thinking about, those poor kids. Surely if she had slipped, or jumped- the divers would have found her by now?

I wonder about that work call- was there an argument, was she told she was under review, or would lose her job, anything that could have triggered panic?

When someone just 'disappears' it the worst thing- not knowing. I so hope she can be found, even if not alive, so her family can try and somehow grieve and begin to try (how, I don't know, just can't imagine) to go forwards.. So very very sad.

They have said there is cctv on entrance and exit from the area she was walking. She was seen entering the area but not exiting. The police know a lot more than us and also there’s a sign on the tree behind the bench beware deep water. Apparently it’s 15’ deep in parts. Plus very cold with heavy clothing and boots. It’s not like swimming in a swimsuit in a pool.