POLICE investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley believe the mother-of-two fell into the River Wyre while walking her dog.
Ms Bulley, 45, a mortgage adviser from Inskip, Lancashire, vanished while walking her dog after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school last Friday.
But Superintendent Sally Riley of Lancashire Police today said inquiries so far had left a 10-minute window in which they cannot account for Ms Bulley's movements last Friday.
Ms Riley said: "Our main working hypothesis is that Nicola has suddenly fallen into the river, that there's no third-party or criminal involvement, and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person."
Officers have scoured the 15km region from the River Wyre to the sea in a search effort described as "unprecedented."
Read our Nicola Bulley blog below for the latest updates...
The heartbreaking message Nicola sent before she 'vanished'
Nicola Bulley had reportedly sent a text message to a pal just minutes before she disappeared.
A friend, who did not wish to be named, told the Mirror: "She booked a playdate, 8.57, she sent a text message to a friend whose mortgage she had just recently signed off on to arrange for the girls to go for tea this week."
It means Nicola sent the text message before logging on a work conference call at 9.01am.
The friend believes she had no intention of disappearing on purpose due to the nature of the text message.
They added: "You wouldn't have done that if you were going to get up and go missing."
Nicola's partner thanks Brits for their 'amazing support'
Paul Ansell, Nicola's partner of over a decade, thanked the local community for their "amazing" support.
He said: "It’s the only thing that we can take (from the situation) is that the level of support is out of this world.
“It gives us a great amount of comfort knowing that that’s going on, we don’t have anything else.
"We’re never going to lose hope, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It’s just insane.”
What has Nicola's boyfriend said?
Nicola Bulley's partner of 12 years, Paul Ansell, is remaining defiant as the search continues.
Speaking to reporters, he said: "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."
Paul said he keeps playing "every scenario" in his head "around and around" but each one comes to a "brick wall".
He added: "It is as though she has vanished into thin air."
The dad said he would "never lose the hope" of finding missing Nicola.
Paul added: "I can't believe that we're here a week on and as yet, it seems like we're not further on.
"It just seems absolutely impossible, like a dream.
"I just can't get my head around it."
Nicola Bulley's ‘want to help find mummy’ as search reaches 7th day
Nicola Bulley's two young daughters "want to go out and find mummy", her partner has reportedly told a friend.
One pal told the Mirror: "They want to go out and find mummy. It’s utterly heartbreaking.
"They just desperately want her home."
An approximate timeline of Nicola Bulley's disappearance
What has the police said?
Lancashire Police today said their "main working hypothesis" is that Nicola had "sadly fallen in the river".
Supt Sally Riley said “Based on all the work we have done so far, we are now as confident as we can be that Nicola has not left the field where she was last seen and our working hypothesis is that she has fallen into the river for some reason.
"There is no evidence whatsoever that there is anything suspicious about her disappearance or any third-party involvement in her going missing.
"Our investigation remains open and we will of course act on any new information which comes to light."
Who to contact if you have information
If you have any information regarding Nicola Bulley, contact police on 101, quoting log 473 of January 27.
Who is Nicola Bulley's boyfriend?
Ms Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, is an engineer by trade.
The pair have been together for 12 years.
He has openly spoken about the hell the family are going 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 are going through a "perpetual hell" as they try to locate Ms Bulley.
An extensive search continues, with many local residents helping out in trying to find more information.
Ms Bulley's parents and sister have spoken about how her children "need her home".
When 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.
