Police in the UK found the body of Nicola Bulley, a mother who had been missing since January when she went missing while walking her dog in northern England. Her body was identified on Monday.
Lancashire Police said at a news conference on Monday that the body found in the River Wyre on Sunday is that of 45-year-old Bulley. The body was found near where she was last seen.
“It’s sad, but we can now confirm that Nicola Bulley’s body was found in the River Wyre yesterday,” Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson told reporters.
“Nicola’s family has been told, and of course they are heartbroken. At this time, our thoughts are with them, as well as with all of her family and friends and the rest of the community,” he said.
The announcement ends a tumultuous and emotional few weeks in which police were accused of being sexist in their investigation and a social media frenzy about her disappearance was filled with false claims and conspiracy theories.
Bulley, who worked as a mortgage broker, hasn’t been seen since Friday morning, January 27. The police say that she was walking her dog after taking her two kids to school.
A short time later, her dog was found wandering alone, and her phone was found on a bench by the river, still logged into a group work call. But Lancashire Police’s search for three weeks turned up nothing.
Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables of Lancashire Police read a statement from Nicola’s family on Monday. In it, they said that identifying the body had confirmed their “worst fears.” It said, “We will never be able to understand what Nicky went through in her last second.”
“The people who love our girls the most will give them the help they need. It makes us sad to think that one day we will have to tell them that the press and people in the public accused their dad of wrongdoing and misquoted and slandered friends and family. This is horrible in every way. They have to answer for what they did. This can’t happen to another family,” the statement said.
Throughout the investigation, Lancashire police have said that there is no evidence that a third party was involved, and their main working theory has been that she fell into the River Wyre.
People were confused by the case, and the media paid a lot of attention to it. Police also made the unusual decision to say that Bulley was having trouble with alcohol and menopause at the time of her disappearance.