Missing woman died by drowning, inquest hears

Nicola Bulley died as a result of drowning and there was no evidence she had been harmed before she fell into the water, her inquest has heard.

Two women said they heard a scream where the 45-year-old was last seen in St Michael's on Wyre on 27 January.

Her body was found in the River Wyre, about a mile away from where she went missing, more than three weeks later.

Experts told the hearing that entering cold water can cause a person to gasp and inhale water and drown in seconds.

Preston Coroner's Court also heard from various passers-by who saw Ms Bulley in the Lancashire village on the morning she disappeared.

One said she looked "absolutely idyllic", while another described her as "not happy" but "not sad".

Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour told the hearing there was no evidence of any third-party involvement.

The pathologist also said Ms Bulley had not been drinking before her death.

Coroner Dr James Adeley asked her: "At the time of her death she had no alcohol in her bloodstream?"

Dr Armour replied: "That's my opinion."

She said paracetamol and a prescription beta-blocker called propranolol were found, but in very small amounts and nothing that could be considered an overdose.

Noting Ms Bulley's body had clearly been in the river for some time, she said she had concluded the cause of death was drowning.

She said Ms Bulley's lungs "showed classical features we see in drownings" and it was her opinion that the mortgage advisor "was alive when she entered the water".

Ms Bulley's partner Paul Ansell and sister Louise Cunningham are among the witnesses set to give evidence at the two-day hearing.

Ms Bulley vanished while walking her dog by the river after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school.

Her dog was found shortly afterwards and her mobile phone was discovered on a bench overlooking the water - still connected to a work conference call.

Her disappearance led to intense public interest, criticism of police and media, and a social media frenzy of conspiracy theories.

Lancashire Police came under fire after revealing Ms Bulley's struggles with alcohol and perimenopause.

In a video shown to the court, PC Matthew Thackray said there was "a large vertical slope" from the bench where her phone was found down to the water.

He said there was a "steady flow downstream" on the day and the river was 4C, "so almost freezing".

"If she fell in, the muscles would probably seize, making it difficult to swim properly," he said.

He estimated she would have floated at a "metre a second" downstream.

Prof Michael Tipton, a University of Portsmouth expert who supports search and rescue operators such as the RNLI, said just two breaths of water would have been a "lethal dose".

He said there "would be a particularly powerful cold-shock response", which would have led to a "fairly rapid incapacitation".

A mother who bumped into Ms Bulley on the morning of her disappearance told the court she felt there was "nothing of concern".

Kay Kiernan said she spoke to Ms Bulley about her dog Willow while dropping off her children at school at just after 08:30 GMT.

"She was not happy, but who is on a Friday-morning school run?" she said.

"She wasn't sad, just how I normally knew her."

Claire Chesham also described seeing Ms Bulley twice during the route she took and having a brief exchange with their dogs, something they would do on a regular basis.

She said Ms Bulley was "absolutely idyllic" and she had not noticed "anything unusual" about either the location or Ms Bulley.

The court also heard from Penny Fletcher, who found Ms Bulley's phone and dog.

She said she found the phone and a dog harness and tied Willow to the bench, only later finding out it was Ms Bulley's dog and hearing she had gone missing.

It was her daughter-in-law who recognised a photograph of Ms Bulley and her family on the phone lock screen.

She told the court she rang the local school, before speaking to Ms Bulley's partner.

Helen O'Neil, whose garden is near the bench and river path, said she heard a scream, but she did not find it alarming at first.

She told the court it was only later, upon hearing of Ms Bulley's disappearance, that she decided to report it, adding: "I vividly remember thinking it's unusual at this time."

Veronia Claesen, who had dropped her children at school and had seen Ms Bulley in the car park, also heard a scream.

She said she initially thought someone was "mucking about", adding it was the kind of noise she may make if someone made her jump.

"It was an inhale scream, a sharp intake of breath," she said.

Det Supt Rebecca Smith, who investigated the disappearance, said Ms Bulley's Fitbit watch and Mercedes car keys were recovered along with her body.

Police digital specialist Det Con Keith Greenhalgh said the Fitbit stopped recording steps beyond 09:30 on the day Ms Bulley vanished and his "initial thoughts" had been that the device lost power on 4 February.

He added that analysis of iPhone and Fitbit watch data suggested Ms Bulley "very possibly" entered the water at 09:22 on 27 January.

The hearing continues.

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