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The partner of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley said he was in “perpetual hell” as her two children wait for their mother to return.
Police have been searching the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire for nearly a week after Ms Bulley, 45, disappeared last Friday at 9.15am.
Her phone was found near where she was last seen, still on a conference call, and her dog was running loose. Her parents fear she was kidnapped.
Speaking to MailOnline yesterday, Mr Ansell 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,” he said. “She’s got two little girls that need their mummy home. We have got to get some good news now.”
Ms Bulley’s parents, Ernest, 73, and Dot, 72, vowed “we will never stop looking for her”. Mr Bulley told The Mirror: “If the worst came to the worst and she was never found, how will we deal with that for the rest of our lives?”
Nicola Bulley’s partner in ‘perpetual hell’
Paul Ansell, partner of Nicola Bulley, said he was in “perpetual hell” as the search for the missing dog walker continued.
Police have been searching the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire for nearly a week after the mother-of-two’s disappearance last Friday morning at 9.15am.
Ms Bulley’s dog was found near the spot she was last seen along with her phone, which was still on a conference call. Her parents fear she was kidnapped.
Speaking to MailOnline yesterday, Mr Ansell 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,” he said. “She’s got two little girls that need their mummy home. We have got to get some good news now.”
Nicola and her partner Paul Ansell
Watch: Police continue search for Nicola Bulley
Police teams continue to search this morning for Nicola Bulley.
Independent TV has footage from the scene in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
Woman who found Nicola Bulley’s dog speaks for first time
A business owner who raised the alarm about Nicola Bulley has spoken for the first time of the moment she came across the mum-of-two’s “worried” dog by the side of a river.
The woman, who did not want be named, spotted brown springer spaniel Willow running free on the river bank on Friday morning. She also found Ms Bulley’s phone.
She called her daughter-in-law who notified the missing woman’s long-term partner Paul, who dialled 999.
She said: “I saw the dog and I recognised it, but I suddenly couldn’t think whose dog it was. There was a mobile phone on the bench and there was also something between the bench and the river so I went and looked, and it was a dog harness.
“The dog looked worried so I tied her up and rushed home as I had to go to an appointment.”
The business owner added: “I know of her and her partner because I walk around the river a lot to pass the time. I always say morning to them or comment on how it’s a lovely day but that’s all.
“It’s just awful, I hope to God that it’s not a bad outcome.”
A search dog and firefighters search the River Wyre for Bulley
Mystery of mother who vanished during a work conference call
Walking your dog, going for a coffee, popping out for a run: all normal activities carried out daily with minimal issue (Thomas Kingsley writes).
However, for mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, a walk along the River Wyre has turned into a sizable mystery sparking a missing person investigation after the 45-year-old vanished off Garstang Road in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre, leaving just her Spaniel.
Emergency crews including Lancashire Fire and Rescue, Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team and the North West Underwater Search Team have joined the investigation while Lancashire Police has appealed for a “potentially key witness” to come forward.
Nicola Bulley, 45, is still missing five days after taking her dog for a walk , reports Thomas Kingsley
Drones and helicopter drafted in for search
Police used drones and a helicopter to help them comb the area.
Grounds of large empty house searched
Search teams hunted around a large, unoccupied house as they continued looking for Nicola Bulley.
Kev Camplin, of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue, said the grounds of a large unoccupied country house, along with a long stretch of the river, including wooded areas and water margins were searched, the reported.
He said: “The abandoned house is right opposite the bench on the other side of the river, over a 10ft garden wall. It’s quite posh.
“We didn’t go into the house: as a volunteer search and rescue team we don’t actually go into buildings. We might go into a barn or something. We leave that to the police.
“While the team was searching the grounds, the owner was there for some reason, and we asked him to go in and he had a quick look around and she wasn’t there.”
Mystery man was in area as Nicola Bulley vanished
An unidentified man, aged around 70, white, 6ft tall, well-built, who was walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead, is believed to have been in the area around the time Ms Bulley disappeared. ICYMI:
Nicola Bulley, 45, is still missing five days after taking her dog for a walk , reports Thomas Kingsley
Sniffer dogs boost search effort
Sniffer dogs have been drafted in to help rescue teams searching a river for missing Nicola Bulley, who vanished on a dog walk in Lancashire as a major search entered its sixth day.
Residents turned out to help rescue teams and friends organised volunteer search parties to help police look for the missing mortgage adviser.
Police combed the area for clues on the river bank either side of the water.
Passer-by recalls dog running free
A passer-by who raised the alarm about missing Nicola Bulley has spoken for the first time of how she came across the mum-of-two’s dog beside a river.
The woman, who did not want be identified, spotted brown springer spaniel Willow running free and the harness on the ground.
She also found Ms Bulley’s mobile phone on a bench, under a tree which has a sign warning of deep water nailed to it.
She called her daughter-in-law who called Ms Bulley‘s long-term partner Paul, who dialled 999.
The woman said: “I saw the dog and I recognised it, but I suddenly couldn’t think whose dog it was.
“There was a mobile phone on the bench and there was also something between the bench and the river so I went and looked, and it was a dog harness.
“The dog looked worried so I tied her up and rushed home as I had to go to an appointment.
“I then went and spoke to my daughter-in-law and she immediately knew who the dog was, alerted the woman’s partner and that was it – the police were on it.”
Parents ‘dread’ thought of never seeing daughter again
The parents of missing dog-walker Nicola Bulley have spoken of their “dread” at the thought of never seeing her again.
Ernest and Dot Bulley also spoke of hearing their grandchildren “sobbing their hearts out” after being told “mummy is lost”.
The couple told the Daily Mirror their daughter was in good spirits and her disappearance was totally out of character.
“We just dread to think we will never see her again. If the worst came to the worst and she was never found, how will we deal with that for the rest of our lives?” said Mr Bulley.
Lancashire Police have said they are keeping an “open mind” about what happened, but do not believe Ms Bulley was attacked.
