Lancashire Police have confirmed that the body recovered from River Wyre yesterday is Nicola Bulley. The 45-year-old disappeared while walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire on 27th January.
'Our Family Liaison officers have had to confirm our worst fears today,' Nicola's family said in a statement. 'We will never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us. We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.'
Ealier today Nicola Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell, spoke out about the agony his family was feeling after a body was found in the river. Speaking to Sky News, he wrote that he had ‘no words right now, just agony.’
With the public keen for answers about Nicola’s disappearance, this morning ‘How long does it take to identify a body?’ was the most searched for question on Google. Nicola's death is currently being treated as ‘unexplained’. In the meantime, Nicola’s family have asked to be left alone in an emotional statement released today by Lancashire Police.
'Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most, and it saddens us to think that one day we will have to explain to them that the press and members of the public accused their dad of wrongdoing, misquoted and vilified friends and family,' it read. 'This is absolutely appalling, they have to be held accountable this cannot happen to another family.
'We tried last night to take in what we had been told in the day, only to have Sky News and ITV making contact with us directly when we expressly asked for privacy,' the statement continued. 'They again, have taken it upon themselves to run stories about us to sell papers and increase their own profiles. It is shameful they have acted in this way. Leave us alone now. Do the press and other media channels and so called professionals not know when to stop? These are our lives and our children's lives.'
Over the course of the investigation into Nicola Bulley's disappearance, her family have been harangued with trolling and vile theories – so much so they were forced to put out a statement last week asking people to please focus on the search for Nicola instead of outlandish conspiracy theories.
Most recently, Paul Ansell’s Pinterest account was hacked by trolls, posting sexually explicit photographs of women and actresses in bikinis. Lancashire Police were alerted to the posts by the Sunday Express and launched an investigation. ‘Paul Ansell’s Pinterest account has been accessed by a third party and is being closed down,’ a spokesperson for the force said. ‘We are investigating the matter.’
It was one incident in a string of atrocities the family has been put through since Nicola’s disappearance. ‘We, as a family, believe that the public focus has become distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her and Paul’s private life,’ the family said in astatement last week. ‘As a family, we were aware beforehand that Lancashire Police, last night, released a statement with some personal details about our Nikki. Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop.’
The family were referring to Lancashire Police releasing details of Nicola’s ‘alcohol issues’ due to ‘struggles with the menopause’ – the publication of which led to widespread backlash against the force for an invasion of privacy. However, as explained above, it emerged that the family had been subject to cruel attempts at blackmail which is why the force felt the need to share the information sensitively before it was sold to the tabloids.
The entire debacle has been horrendous to witness, a violation of both Nicola and her families lives at a time when they need public support not vilification. They deserve to be left to process this cruel incident, not become a spectacle of public scrutiny out of some morbid fascination with true crime. This is a family’s real life, not a Netflix documentary – the harassment and abuse need to stop.
Here's Nicola Bulley's family's full statement:
Our Family Liaison officers have had to confirm our worst fears today.
We will never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us.
We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.
Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most.
And it saddens us to think that one day we will have to explain to them that the press and members of the public accused their dad of wrongdoing, misquoted and vilified friends and family. This is absolutely appalling, they have to be held accountable this cannot happen to another family.
We tried last night to take in what we had been told in the day, only to have Sky News and ITV making contact with us directly when we expressly asked for privacy. They again, have taken it upon themselves to run stories about us to sell papers and increase their own profiles. It is shameful they have acted in this way. Leave us alone now.
Do the press and other media channels and so called professionals not know when to stop? These are our lives and our children's lives.
To those who genuinely helped and supported us, privately, we thank you. The community support in St Michael's, friends', neighbours and strangers has been nothing short of comforting and heart-warming. Friends you know who you are. Thank you.
Our hearts truly break for others who have missing loved ones. Keep that hope alive.
Finally, Nikki, you are no longer a missing person, you have been found, we can let you rest now.
We love you, always have and always will, we'll take it from here xx 💛