NICOLA Bulley’s family and friends endured 24 days of agony as an extensive police search for the mum of two drew a blank.
Police diver teams backed up by drones, helicopters and search dogs scoured the Wyre river for days.
But despite the massive hunt, a body was not found until yesterday — and just a mile from where Nicola, 45, was last seen.
The discovery — by members of the public — raised questions about Lancashire Police’s handling of the investigation and search.
A week into the investigation leading officers stated it was their belief she had fallen into the water at St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancs.
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In the past week, police had turned their attention to further down river as there had been no sign of a body.
The river and its inlets were checked along the ten-mile route to the Irish Sea at Morecambe Bay.
Family members grew increasingly frustrated with the hunt and liaised with independent marine search specialist, Peter Faulding, ten days after Nicola went missing.
Mr Faulding, head of Specialist Group International later concluded she was not in the river.
Following his unsuccessful search, he said: “Bodies don’t tend to move too far. If there were flood waters it would be different. But it wasn't a raging torrent.
“The river was searched extremely thoroughly by the highly competent divers.”
He added: “We have the best piece of equipment you can buy. If I can’t find them, it means they're not there.”
So questions remain over how the police and other searchers managed to miss this body.
Former Met Police commander John O’Connor said: “These search teams couldn’t find a currant in a rice pudding.
"I find it pathetic that a body has been found a mile from where she went missing.”
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DNA tests are being carried out to confirm whether the body is Nicola’s.
Mr O’Connor said: “The identification process suggests the body has been in the water all the time.
"If it is Nicola then it now becomes a question of did she slip, was she pushed or did she jump into the river?
“A post-mortem examination will establish whether she suffered any injuries from a third party.
"I think it’s very unlikely she would have been pushed into the water and then drowned.
“But this will be determined by a coroner at a full inquest and in my opinion it will be an open verdict.
“It is unlikely anyone will ever know with absolute certainty what happened.”
CCTV footage of Nicola was revealed on January 27 — the day she disappeared.
She dropped her children at school before going for a riverside walk with her dog Willow.
Her mobile phone was found on a bench along with her “bone dry” pet.
Lancashire Police have already come under fire for releasing personal details about Nicola and her struggles with alcohol in an apparent bid to justify their stance on her fate in the face of scepticism.
Mr O’Connor continued: “In reality this should have been a routine police inquiry.
“Sadly, there is nothing out of the ordinary about the manner of her disappearance, though the poignancy is exacerbated by the fact she has two young children.
“The presence of her dog is an anomaly, especially as its harness was lying on the path, but there could be a simple explanation.
"She could have tried to tie the dog to the bench and the animal then got loose. We will never know for sure.”
Ex-Met detective chief inspector Mick Neville said: “It is, sadly, no surprise a body has been found.
“Fireman Anthony Knott went missing after a Christmas party in Sussex in 2020.
“He was found in a river, 21 days later and eight miles downstream.
“A body has been found after a very similar period — just a mile downstream — but, of course, all rivers move at different speeds and with different currents.
“The Wyre appears to have a lot of reeds and a body could quickly become caught up in their roots and concealed from initial view.”
Mr Neville added: "Lancashire Police may feel that their investigative methods and hypotheses that she had entered the Wyre have been vindicated.
"But there are still questions to answer.
“Despite a massive search, once again like Anthony Knott, the body has been found by a member of the public.”
Mr Neville also questioned whether opportunities provided by potential digital evidence were lost.
He said: “If there had been prompt action it is possible Nicola’s Mercedes electronic car keys and Fitbit could have been located before battery power ran out.”
Former Met homicide investigator Simon Harding told Sky News there should be an independent review of Lancashire Police’s investigation and search by an outside force.
He said it was vital they did as much as possible to recover the “trust and confidence” of the public.
