Nicola Bulley's disappearance in January sent shockwaves across the UK. The 45-year-old mortgage adviser vanished while walking her dog along the River Wyre in Lancashire. Three weeks later, her body was found in the water, and an inquest confirmed she had drowned after falling into the river.
On the morning of January 27, Bulley dropped her daughters at school and began her walk with Willow, the family dog, around 8.45am. She joined a work conference call on Teams at 9am, with her camera and microphone off. At 8.57am, she texted a friend to arrange a playdate for her daughters. Her phone was later found on a bench overlooking the river, still connected to the call, while Willow was found wandering alone, 'bone dry' and agitated, with her harness on the ground.
A passerby reported seeing Bulley 'laughing and joking' minutes before she vanished. During the inquest, police recreated her likely final moments. PC Matthew Thackray entered the river and demonstrated how the current could have swept her downstream at a metre per second. He said: 'If she did fall in she would probably be floating and be pushed along.' The water was strong enough to push him over the weir, 300 metres from the entry point.
Two witnesses told the inquest they heard a scream near the riverside that morning. Nurse Helen O'Neill said: 'I heard a scream, it's not an alarming noise, it was just over in a couple of seconds.' Veronica Claesen also reported hearing a scream, but neither thought it was alarming at the time.
The inquest continues, with the full timeline of Bulley's final hours being examined.
