Inquest opens into the death of Nicola Bulley in Lancashire

Her disappearance in January sparked a 23 day search, before her body was found in the River Wyre

Author: Adam FawcettPublished 26th Jun 2023

An inquest will open later into Lancashire mum Nicola Bulley, who's body was found in February after going missing for over 3 weeks.

The 45 year old dropped her children off at school in her village of St Michaels on Wyre on 27 January, and then walked her dog as normal. She then vanished, sparking a 23 day search which attracted worldwide attention.

Her phone was discovered on a bench near the River Wyre, still connected to a Teams call.

Both police and media faced criticism after her body was found in the river around a mile farther downstream from the bench, on February 19.

Police had urged people not to speculate about the disappearance and maintained from early on there were no suspicious circumstances and that Ms Bulley may have gone into the water due to an "issue" with her springer spaniel dog, Willow.

As the days passed and speculation continued online, Lancashire Police revealed Ms Bulley had struggled with alcohol and perimenopause.

An independent review of Lancashire Police's handling of the case is currently under way by the College of Policing, ordered by Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden.

Part of the review will include inquiries made by the Information Commissioner's Office over the force's disclosure of Ms Bulley's personal information.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct also looked at a welfare check on Nicola Bulley carried out by police 17 days before she went missing.

The inquest is expected to last two days, and is taking place at the county hall in Preston.

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