Police confirmed on Monday February 20 that the body discovered on Sunday in a river in north-west England was that of a mother whose disappearance at the end of January had fascinated the British and inflamed social networks.
“
Sadly we can now confirm that we recovered Nicola Bulley from the River Wyre yesterday,
” Lancashire Police confirmed in a brief press briefing.
The beats had given nothing
The 45-year-old mother was last seen by the River Wyre on January 27 walking her dog after dropping her two little girls off at school.
His phone was still connected to an online conference when he was found on a bench.
Her dog had not gone into the water, some seeing it as a sign that the mother of the family could not have fallen into the river.
The body was found approximately one mile from where she was last seen.
The police had since the beginning ruled out the hypothesis of a criminal act.
Beatings had given nothing, no more than searches in the river by specialized teams.
In the absence of the slightest element, the theories had flourished on social networks, with the hashtag Nicola Bulley used nearly 1.8 million times according to Sky News.
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Some had improvised amateur detectives, going to the scene, at the risk of complicating the work of the police.
It had revealed a few days ago that Nicola Bulley was considered a “
vulnerable
” person due to problems with alcohol, and difficulties related to premenopause.
She had been criticized for spreading these details, but this announcement was apparently intended to prevent these details from being sold to the tabloid press.
In a statement, the family on Monday denounced the "
appalling
" behavior of "
the press and members of the public
".
“
The press and members of the public accused their father (of the two little girls, editor's note) of wrongdoing, misquoted and vilified friends and family.
It's absolutely appalling, they need to be held accountable, it can't happen to another family
,” she said.
The family notably recounted how certain televisions had sought to join her on Sunday evening after the discovery of the body, even though she had asked everyone to respect her privacy.