Police officers walk past a wanted poster for Nicola Bulley last week on a bridge over the River Wyre in St. Michael's.
(Credit: Peter Byrne/PA/AP)
(CNN) --
Police searching for missing British mother Nicola Bulley said Sunday they found a body.
Lancashire Police reported that a body was recovered in the River Wyre, close to where Bulley disappeared.
The body has yet to be formally identified, but Bulley's family was informed.
"We were called at 11:36am today to report a body in the River Wyre near Rawcliffe Road," a police statement said.
"An underwater search team and specialized agents later went to the scene, entered the water and unfortunately recovered a body.
"Nicola's family have been informed of the events and our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time. We ask that their privacy be respected."
advertising
Bulley disappeared in the village of St. Michael's on Wyre on the morning of Friday, January 27.
Police say she was walking his dog after dropping off his two children at school.
A mother took her dog for a walk in the north of England and never returned.
Her partner said she "vanished into thin air"
Shortly after, they found her dog wandering alone and her phone on a river bank, connected to a group work call.
For three weeks, Lancashire police heard nothing from this 45-year-old mother of two.
The case stunned public opinion and attracted the attention of the media.
The police decided to reveal that Bulley had problems with alcohol and menopause at the time of his disappearance.
Last week, researchers came down hard on members of the public who they say spread "persistent myths."
Lancashire Police Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith told reporters on Wednesday that the social media frenzy had "significantly distracted" from the investigation.
"In 29 years of police service, I have never seen anything like it.
Nicola Bulley in an undated mugshot.
"Some of it has been quite shocking and really hurtful to the family. Obviously we can't ignore anything, and we've reviewed everything that's come in but of course it distracted us significantly."
Lancashire Police themselves came under fire for their decision to reveal personal details about Bulley, starting with Smith's comments at a news conference on Wednesday: "As soon as he was reported missing, following information provided to the police by her partner, Paul, and based on a number of specific vulnerabilities we were made aware of, Nicola was rated as high risk."
That same night, the police clarified that Nicola "had had significant problems with alcohol in the past", problems that had "resurfaced in recent months", when she entered menopause.
MissingUnited Kingdom