“Witness Negates Sighting of Missing Mum: Lady in Red”
Christine Bowman, left, hadn’t walked as far as the riverbank (Picture: Lancashire Police)
A key witness in the search for Nicola Bulley did not see the missing mother, it has been revealed.
Police had launched an appeal yesterday to trace a ‘lady in red’.
Detectives said she had been walking near the River Wyre at a similar time to when Nicola vanished on January 27.
Her phone was found on a park bench, still logged into a Teams call, and her dog was found dry by the riverbank.
The lady in red was found last evening, but has no clues to help piece together Nicola’s disappearance.
She was revealed to be Christine Bowman, a 67-year-old retired teacher, MailOnline reports.
Ms Bowman had been walking with her dog, Snowflake, on January 27.
The security camera footage that she was caught on was taken from the caravan park next to the towpath – she hadn’t ventured down to the river’s edge.
Detectives had released this image of a ‘lady in red’ they sought to trace (Picture: Lancashire Police)
A map detailing Nicola Bulley’s last known movements on January 27 (Picture: Lancashire Police)
Ms Bowman said she ‘doesn’t know anything’ and that she had in fact already told police that prior to last night.
She also said the community was on edge since Nicola’s disappearance.
Ms Bowman said: ‘It has made local women fearful. If they have husbands or partners, they have been taking the dogs out instead.’
The last known movements of Nicola before she went missing were released by police last night as they still continue their search for mum-of-two.
Nicola would frequently walk her dog Willow or go for runs near the River Wyre (Picture: Facebook)
Supt Sally Riley said: ‘We know that Nicola going missing has caused a great deal of concern for the wider local community, as well as obviously being an awful time for her family.
‘This remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.
‘I appreciate that there are unanswered questions about what has happened to Nicola, but I would urge people not to speculate or spread false rumours. We will share updates when we can, but we must be factual.
‘Nicola’s family are being kept up to date with events and are being supported by officers.
Timings around the last time Nicola Bulley was last seen
Lancashire Police have released a timeline of events for the last movements of Nicola Bulley who went missing last week.
Friday, January 27th
8.43am – Nicola walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her children off at school
8:50am (approximately) – A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path
8.53am – She sent an email to her boss
9.01am – She logged into a Teams call
9.10am (approximately) – A witness – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow. Work is ongoing today to establish exactly what time this was.
9.30am – The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on
9.35am (approximately) – Nicola’s mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker.
10.15am – She was reported missing after a walker found her dog loose along the local river.
‘We are really grateful for the community’s help and co-operation so far, but I’d like to stress again parts of the riverbank are treacherous, especially after the recent rain, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised.
Nicola, 45, was last seen on Friday morning at around 9.20am while walking her dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
The mortgage advisor had just dropped off her daughters, aged six and nine, at the local school in the village.
Nicola’s husband Paul says there are ‘two girls who want mummy home’ (Picture: Facebook)
Her phone was found, apparently still engaged on a work call, on a park bench nearby, along with the harness and lead for her dog, Willow, a springer spaniel.
A major search involving a police helicopter, drones, sniffer dogs and specialist divers and equipment has been ongoing for days on the River Wyre near to where Nicola was last seen.
Lancashire Police have said they are keeping an ‘open mind’ about what happened, but do not believe she was attacked.
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