Nicola Bulley #6

[raspberryjuice]

I’m 90% convinced she’s in the water. I’ve followed enough missing person cases where the person has been found weeks and months later. It seems simple, a person drowns and you know the rough entry point and you’re there pretty quickly so should be easy to find, right? But it’s really not. She could have been a mile or more down the river by the time anyone got there. You could search an area with a fine tooth comb all morning, break for half an hour lunch or take a rest from the water (it’s tiring work!) and the body moves in to the area you’ve just cleared. It’s also very dark down there, murky, full of reeds, rocks and debris. She’s wearing dark clothing and hair is dark when wet and she will be discoloured by now and her skin may look darker, muddy, bloodied depending on what’s happened so it won’t be obvious it’s her unless you’re very, very close. The best chance of finding her will be from now as she will be decomposing and after 2 weeks the body produces gases which make it float, but this may be slowed down because of the temperatures as cold obviously slows things down, unless she is trapped.

There’s a small part of me, that 10% that is keeping an open mind to an alternative but I just find so many reasons why it can’t be an abduction/random murder/suicide/going off of her own free will/accident in the area but not the river. But stranger things have happened and until her body appears there are so many questions.

 

[MeghanSnarkle]

I do walk my dogs solo, and in secluded areas - I have gundogs and working breeds, so woods/huge fields etc are essential to their wellbeing.

Yes I think sometimes as dog owners we make choices based on them and what they enjoy even if in the back of our mind we think 'tit this is a bit out of the way, I hope I'm not approached or anything bad happen while I'm here on my own' we tend to ignore because all we see is our dogs happiness.

 

[BigMavis]

There is only a 10 minute window, something happened between 9.10 and 9.20. Nicola went missing in that time frame. The school and family being contacted at 10.50 is sort of irrelevant I think anyway. The only thing potentially relevant is that a body may have went unnoticed in water in that time frame or she disappeared somewhere else between 9.10 and 10.50. Find it interesting that they say phone is "believed to have been on the bench at 9.20" and "found on the bench at 9.33" assume this is observations from the device.

 

[JSquared]

That is not actually true. You should report missing people immediately.

Im not talking about reporting a missing person, I mean police taking action. After 48 hours of a person being missing, the investigation changes and after 72hrs the person is reporting to the MPU

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Im not talking about reporting a missing person, I mean police taking action. After 48 hours of a person being missing, the investigation changes and after 72hrs the person is reporting to the MPU

It depends on the circumstances. If someone just ups and leaves with no suspicious circumstances then it may not require a police investigation immediately. However, when someone goes missing from a routine daily activity, leaving their belongings behind, that warrants enough suspicion for an immediate investigation.

 

[JSquared]

It depends on the circumstances. If someone just ups and leaves with no suspicious circumstances then it may not require a police investigation immediately. However, when someone goes missing from a routine daily activity, leaving their belongings behind, that warrants enough suspicion for an immediate investigation.

That’s what I meant in my original quote. I think the dog being alone and her belongings left behind, is what rang alarm bells initially.

 

[Secretadmirer]

Yes I think sometimes as dog owners we make choices based on them and what they enjoy even if in the back of our mind we think 'tit this is a bit out of the way, I hope I'm not approached or anything bad happen while I'm here on my own' we tend to ignore because all we see is our dogs happiness.

I walk alone pretty much daily. I live in a rural area, so everywhere is secluded and quiet, I walk through fields, woods, etc if I wanted to walk my dog in an area that’s less secluded I’d have to drive to a town, the nearest one being 20 minutes away which being honest seems stupid. I just refuse to live my life thinking ‘what if’ otherwise I’d never do anything, like I’m sure there’s more chance of me getting into a car accident every time I get in my car than being abducted walking my dog in a rural area but who knows? We never know?

 

[albertman]

This repetition of the 24h/48h/72h myth is not only lazy (it’s been mentioned several times on this thread) but dangerous.

If someone has gone missing and it’s out of character then take action immediately.

 

[JSquared]

This repetition of the 24h/48h/72h myth is not only lazy (it’s been mentioned several times on this thread) but dangerous.

If someone has gone missing and it’s out of character then take action immediately.

No one has said not to report them? The timing and circumstances can just depend on how the investigation progresses

 

[raspberryjuice]

Dog ladies appointment could have been a phone appointment, video call or at home so she knew she had time to walk the dog in the field. I think we’re all assuming she’s rushing to walk the dog before travelling to an appt but it could just be that she wanted to be home for it.

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

This repetition of the 24h/48h/72h myth is not only lazy (it’s been mentioned several times on this thread) but dangerous.

If someone has gone missing and it’s out of character then take action immediately.

It’s been mentioned, yes, but it’s also been corrected each time

 

[da1sycha1n]

Quoting myself to say I've got the screen recording now....its too large for me to upload but you can see it on Twitter on GMB.
It was Nicola's girls asking if Nicola was famous, not Emma.
It's easy to get information wrong if you don't listen properly....
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She also knew whose dog and phone it was didn't she?? I'd be more inclined if I knew who they belonged to to do something about it.

you would at least shout out a hello to see if you got an answer and if no one answered surely it would be an indication that the owner wasn't in the vicinity! something just doesn't sit right!
---

I don’t disagree but let’s remember she was walking in a village and then through fields, so there is unlikely to be much CCTV

It keeps getting called a park but it’s not. Its fields.

I think the field is the key!

 

[AllAboutTheMayhem]

Thats a good point, if you had a really important appt you probably wouldnt go for a stroll just beforehand. Or maybe you would, might be something you were nervous about and a walk would calm your nerves a bit? Or maybe she told a white lie and said, I couldnt hang around I had an appt and the lie has stuck. I wouldnt blame her tbh she couldnt possibly have known the importance of what was happening.

Exactly - I’m not trivialising the loose dog scenario, but the woman with the appointment most probably never have assumed in a million years that the situation would unfold as it has.

 

[Nottonightbabe]

That’s made me think also about the witness who tied up the dog- she must have walked down the path as it leads to the caravan park - she must have also come from that direction wonder what time she left her home. (Not sure if that’s the only route to/from the caravan park). She didn’t see Nicola with Willow at all? There can’t be so many people there at the same time of day that you just wouldn’t recognise the same dog a few minutes later.

She had an appointment that was urgent as if she had to be there immediately and others are saying how difficult it is to get appointments etc so would you really be concerned about walking your dog so close to the time you need to leave to the point you are rushing - why not walk earlier or later?

There is something that doesn’t add up to me between 9.30 and 10.50 and I just find it really strange. If I am going to go and check I would do so quickly maybe within 20 or so minutes, certainly not 1.5 hours later. And why did no one else notice a tied up dog and belongings left on a bench?

I just find it illogical perhaps that is why it keeps going over in my head as being unbelievable.

I don't think the gap of time before the dil went to check is necessarily strange, perhaps she was out and about at the time she was told, and said she'd look when she got home? Something like that anyway.

 

[raspberryjuice]

I don't think the gap of time before the dil went to check is necessarily strange, perhaps she was out and about at the time she was told, and said she'd look when she got home? Something like that anyway.

Or maybe she said she’d look when she walked her own dog a bit later on.

If the time gap is even accurate, it has come from what we now know is an unreliable source

 

[MeghanSnarkle]

I walk alone pretty much daily. I live in a rural area, so everywhere is secluded and quiet, I walk through fields, woods, etc if I wanted to walk my dog in an area that’s less secluded I’d have to drive to a town, the nearest one being 20 minutes away which being honest seems stupid. I just refuse to live my life thinking ‘what if’ otherwise I’d never do anything, like I’m sure there’s more chance of me getting into a car accident every time I get in my car than being abducted walking my dog in a rural area but who knows? We never know?

I never said don't walk through fields alone for the fear of what if .

My point was even if we did happen to question the safety of an area we do still go there anyway because if the dog enjoys it then that's probably all that matters to most of us owners.

 

[ShadesMint]

I walk my dog in secluded areas all the time. Definitely more secluded that where Nicola was.

I do as well, perhaps just speaking for myself here but when I'm with my dog I feel a lot safer than if I was walking on my own. Some of the secluded places I go I would definitely not go without my dog.

 

[Nic31]

Also what was a red van reported to the police twice for by the same person? Have the police even chased that up?

 

[50sGirl]

I walk alone pretty much daily. I live in a rural area, so everywhere is secluded and quiet, I walk through fields, woods, etc if I wanted to walk my dog in an area that’s less secluded I’d have to drive to a town, the nearest one being 20 minutes away which being honest seems stupid. I just refuse to live my life thinking ‘what if’ otherwise I’d never do anything, like I’m sure there’s more chance of me getting into a car accident every time I get in my car than being abducted walking my dog in a rural area but who knows? We never know?

Off topic.
My 80 year old mum walks her dog twice a day, pretty much at the same time over some fields near where she lives.
She never has her ‘phone switched on. I’ve told her that she really should just walk her dog round the block in case she falls because at least she would be found quickly. She also has dementia added in to the mix. I’m so concerned for her safety especially because her dementia means she’s lost all rational thought regarding danger now.
I know someone on this thread said they used an airtag on a family member. Does this need to be the vicinity of a ‘phone? She never has hers switched on and it’s not a smart ‘phone anyway. I was just wondering if an airtag was attached to her keyring and synced with my ‘phone then at least I’d see if she got home safely. I live 2 hours away. Is that possible?
Sorry for posting this here but we are talking about safety so thought I’d ask. Thanks.

 

[da1sycha1n]

Denial I think

surely the happy story would be bring Nikki home to Paul the Girls and Willow