JEREMY Vine has called the Nicola Bulley missing person case a "murder" in a live BBC radio slip-up.
The veteran presenter said that people have been "trying to solve this murder at home", despite there being no suggestion of foul play from detectives.
Mr Vine was speaking during an on-air deep-dive into the case with reporter Liz Roberts on his BBC Radio 2 show on February 10.
The blunder came during a segment in which he interview Nicola's friend Emma White.
The pair were discussing the the influx of amateur detectives trying to work out what happened to the missing mum.
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The BBC star said: "There’s also been this issue now, which seems to have got out of hand, of people all round the country trying to solve this murder at home - so-called sleuthing from space because they’re using satellite photos and so on.
"I gather some of them have turned up and are looking for clues at an abandoned house."
However, Lancashire Police are currently working under the theory that mum-of-two Nicola fell into the River Wyre while walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
Mr Vine was not immediately corrected on air by either Ms Roberts or Ms White and the show continued.
Police divers and outside experts have searched the river extensively over the past two weeks, without success.
It comes after the search was widened up to 20 miles away from where the 45-year-old vanished.
Police took to dinghies to scour the coastline in Morecambe Bay, Fleetwood, but were unable to find any trace of her.
However, search expert Peter Faulding, whose team was involved in the hunt until recently, has thrown doubt on the cops' current theory.
He has said that he would "be very surprised" if Nicola had fallen into the river and suggested that she "may never be found".
What do we know so far?
Nicola disappeared while walking her springer spaniel Willow in rural Lancashire on January 27.
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At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood and had her hair tied in a ponytail.
She had black jeans on with olive green ankle wellies.
Nicola's phone and the dog's lead were found on a bench nearby.
She was last seen at 9.10am that morning.
Superintendent Sally Riley of Lancashire Police confirmed there is a ten minute window where they cannot account for Nicola's movements, amid fears she left the path in a CCTV blackspot.
This is between the last confirmed sighting at 9.10am, and 9.20am when Nicola's phone was connected to a work call on the bench.
The Sun Online has produced a full timeline of the case with every detail available.
