A mum-of-two remains at the centre of a massive search operation after vanishing five days ago. Dog walker Nicola Bulley disappeared after being spotted walking the family dog - named Willow - at the footpath of a river at 9.15am on Friday.
A member of the public later recognised the brown cocker spaniel on its own and phoned Lancashire Police to raise the alarm, the Mirror reports. Police yesterday revealed details of a potential witness who they believe could be key to their inquiries into Nicola's disappearance.
Specialist officers have been trawling a river in small boats and combing through the grass in recent days. As police continue their search, family and friends have said they remain hopeful Nicola will be found.
Here's everything we know so far about what happened.
The potential key witness
Today Lancashire Police appealed for a potential witness to come forward, who they believe may have seen Nicola around the time she disappeared. They are looking for a man they believed was aged around 70 in the area at the time.
A spokesperson said in a statement: "We are especially keen to find a witness we believe was in the area at the time Nicola went missing. He is described as a man aged around 70, white, six ft tall, well-built who was walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead.
"He spoke to a woman in the area before walking in the direction of Rowanwater. If this is you, or if you know who this could be, please get in touch."
The last sighting
Nicola was last seen on Friday, January 27 at around 9.15am on the footpath by the river off Garstang Road in St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire. She is described as white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair. She speaks with an Essex accent.
Nicola was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive green ankle wellies. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. The alarm was raised by a member of the public who recognised Nicola's brown cocker spaniel Willow.
They recognised Willow, who was loose from its lead and harness, a raised the alarm with the police at 10.30am.
The work phone call
On January 30, Lancashire Police said they found a mobile phone belonging to Nicola on a nearby bench, along with the dog lead and harness.
Superintendent Sally Riley told the Mirror police had found Nicola's phone still 'active' on the bench and began searching for her immediately. Supt Riley said: "It was on a meeting call, and that was still live it was connected to the conference call and that hadn't been terminated."
She was on a work call at the time she disappeared, but she appeared to have her camera off and was muted at the time. Ben Pociecha, the director of Exclusively Mortgages, told The Daily Telegraph that she had logged onto a team meeting at 9.01am on Friday.
"It seems as if she was muted and didn't have her camera on. She was listening in whilst walking her dog," he said. "There were numerous parties involved in this. A lot of people attended the call. The police are investigating the call."
Nicola's walking route
Nicola appeared to know the route she disappeared on very well and shared pictures of her previous walks on social media. In November, she shared a selfie while walking along the river and wrote: "A very foggy cold walk this morning, not a day to forget your gloves!
"Bit Spooky too! Set me up for the day though and Willow had the best time".
Her partner's emotional appeal
On January 30, Nicola's partner Paul Ansell said he and the family have been living in "perpetual hell" since she vanished. Mr Ansell, speaking at the family home, said he had spent all the previous day searching for her.
He said: "It is just perpetual hell. It is just utter disbelief. We are living through this but it doesn't feel real. All we can say is we need to find her. She's got two little girls that need their mummy home. We have got to get some good news now."
Mr Ansell said he or Nicola would regularly drop the children off, aged six and nine, at the local primary school, before taking their Springer spaniel for a walk along the river nearby. But after dropping the children off at school on Friday morning he then got a call alerting him something was amiss.
Mr Ansell said: "I rang police, I got a call from the school regarding somebody who had found Willow and Nikki's phone and the dog lead and harness on the bench. We take the kids to school and take the dog down there, either myself or Nikki, nearly every day."
Desperate family plea
Nicola's family have said her little girls are "desperate to have their mummy back". In a statement, her family said: "We have been overwhelmed by the support from our community and would like to thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to help us find Nicola.
"The girls are desperate to have their mummy back home safe with them and your ongoing efforts have provided comfort to them whilst we await news on Nicola. We ask for anyone who thinks they may have any information that may help the police find Nicola to please come forward and help them with their enquiries."
Massive search launched
Lancashire Police have entered their fifth day of searching for Nicola. In recent days specialist officers in small boats were seen going up and down the river in hopes of finding any clues. Other officers were spotted looking through the grass.
Images from today show police presence still in the area where Nicola was last seen. Police said yesterday they had launched "a significant, resource-intensive search in the area has been ongoing ever since, with drones, search dogs and other resources being utilised".
A number of Nicola's friends have pitched in to help with the search. One of them, Emma White, said: "Our ultimate priority is to find Nikki. We still have hope. We don't know what's happened, it was just a normal day in a normal life."
Emma said she's received hundreds of messages from people showing their support and wanting to help.
What does Nicola look like
Nicola was last seen near Garstang Road in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire as police say the search will continue for her. She is described as white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair. She speaks with an Essex accent.
Nicola was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive green ankle wellies. Her hair was tied into a ponytail.
Latest police statement
Supt Sally Riley said: "We remain extremely concerned for Nicola and we continue to do everything we can to try and find her and to provide some answers for her family who are obviously beside themselves with worry.
"I must stress at this time that this remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola's disappearance.
"We appreciate there is also a great deal of concern in the local community, and we appreciate people want to help.
"However, parts of the riverbank are treacherous, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies' efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.
"If anybody has any questions or concerns, they are welcome to speak to officers in the area."
Anybody who has seen Nicola, or has information about where she might be, is asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30th. For immediate sightings please call 999.
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