Bulley drowned accidentally after falling into cold river

Nicola Bulley died after accidentally falling into the River Wyre in freezing temperatures, an inquest has concluded

- HOLLY EVANS

The 45year-old mortgage adviser was walking her springer spaniel when she accidentally fell into the water in St Michael’s, Lancashire, with experts stating it would have been “almost impossible to swim against the current”.

Bulley would have suffered cold water shock, which would have produced a "powerful response", causing her to inhale a fatal amount of water and lose consciousness within a maximum of 45 seconds, the inquest heard. A Home Office pathologist told the inquest at Preston County Hall that her cause of death was drowning and that there had been no evidence of any third-party involvement.

Giving evidence yesterday, Bulley's tearful partner Paul Ansell broke down as he recalled her devotion to her family and two children. Providing a final answer in a case that saw amateur sleuths trek to her hometown, senior coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley gave his conclusion that Bulley had died an accidental death and did not have "any desire" to take her own life.

Her disappearance on 27 January caused widespread speculation and became the focus of a social media frenzy, with TikTok conspiracy theorists descending on the village where she disappeared. Due to the high-profile nature of the case, security remained tight throughout the two-day inquest, with Dr Adeley threatening imprisonment or fines to anyone who intended to disrupt the proceedings.

Speaking after the inquest, her family addressed the role social media had played in the investigation and said it was "upsetting" that they continue to receive online abuse. Bulley's body was not discovered until 19 February, just a mile downstream from the bench where her dog Willow and her mobile phone had been found. She had last been seen alive at 9.10am by a fellow dogwalker, while her phone data revealed that she had increased the volume of her device at 9.18am.