Nicola Bulley: Doorbell camera captures missing dog walker leaving home for the last time

February 05, 2023

A doorbell camera captured Nicola Bulley leaving her home for the last time on the day she vanished, one of her friends has revealed, as a desperate search for the missing dog walker continues.

The 45-year-old was last seen more than a week ago, walking her dog Willow in Lancashire. Police are working on the theory she fell into the River Wyre.

New CCTV pictures, captured by her Ring camera on 27 January, show Ms Bulley loading her car outside her home before driving her two children to school.

She is seen wearing a long dark coat - believed to be black. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail.

Ms Bulley was last seen walking her dog a short while later on a footpath near the waterways of St Michael's on Wyre village.

Police previously confirmed the items of clothing she was wearing included an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting black jeans, long green walking socks, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace, and a pale blue Fitbit.

Read more:
What were the missing dog walker's movements before she disappeared?
Daughters asking 'when is mummy coming home?'

The crucial 10-minute window

Authorities are focusing on a crucial 10-minute window when the mortgage adviser's movements are unaccounted for between 9.10am and 9.20am.

At 9.01am she logged into a Microsoft Teams call - but her microphone was muted, and her camera was turned off. She was last seen by an acquaintance walking her dog in the upper field at 9.10am.

Ten minutes later, at 9.20am, her phone was left on a bench by the river. The conference call ended at 9.30am but her phone remained logged into the call.

Just three minutes later, at 9.33am, her phone was found by another dog walker and her dog found running between the bench and a gate to the field.

The dog's harness was found on the grass between the bench and the river's edge.

Family say 'no evidence' she fell into the water

Police are working to the theory that she got into difficulty and fell into the water in that ten-minute window.

But her family and friends have claimed there is "no evidence whatsoever" behind this.

Ms Bulley's friend, Emma White, told Sky News on Saturday the "police hypothesis is on limited information".

She said: "When we are talking about a life we can't base it on a hypothesis - surely we need this factual evidence.

"That's what the family and all of us are holding on to - that we are sadly no further on than last Friday."

Ms White has also dismissed the theory that she may have tried to retrieve a tennis ball from the river while playing with her dog Willow.

"Willow loved using a tennis ball very much, but it used to disturb their walk so they haven't had a tennis ball since last year".

"There was definitely no ball," she added.

Police have urged the public to look out along the river for the items of clothing that Ms Bulley was last seen wearing.

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