Previously, video footage showed specialised cops searching the water to determine the cause of death of the tragic mother.
Divers from the police department are looking for Nicola in the body of water where she went missing.
Nicola’s disappearance sparked an investigation after her phone was discovered on a bench while still connected to a work conference call.
An extensive search for the mother of two was launched, involving police, firefighters, mountain rescue, underwater teams, and the local community.
Nicola’s body was discovered in the river on February 20, three weeks after she went missing.
Divers from the police department were recently seen searching the water less than a mile from where Nicola, 45, was last seen on January 27.
Lancashire Police confirmed that coroners had asked them to re-search the river in order to “complete a picture” of how the mother died.
Dr. Richard Shepherd, a forensic pathologist who worked on high-profile cases like Stephen Lawrence and was called as an expert witness in Harold Shipman’s trial, has now stated that he believes there is an item missing that police are looking for.
When Nicola’s body was discovered, it would have been taken to the mortuary and a formal post-mortem would have been performed to look for natural diseases, any injuries, and samples for alcohol and drugs.
The last thing police want after the social media interest around this is for it to come out inquest there is something missing and then it gets randomly found by the public.
An inquest into Nicola’s death will be held on Monday, June 26 at Preston County Hall.
When Nicola went missing, she was classified as a “high-risk” missing person due to a “number of specific vulnerabilities.
Willow, Nicola’s pet springer spaniel, was also discovered, but no trace of the mother-of-two remained.
When asked if he thought it was possible to reconstruct events, Dr Shepherd said, “I think it’s unlikely because rivers are so variable.”
“Even if you get a model or a mannequin to put clothes on or a real person, you couldn’t possibly repeat what happened that day.”
Officers searched for evidence in wooded areas, ditches, waterways, and the grounds of an abandoned house.
Diver expert Peter Faulding also launched a specialised search, using £50,000 sonar equipment to scour the water.
He later called it quits on the hunt, claiming that Nicola was not in the river because she could have “stood up” if she fell in.
Police revealed yesterday that Dr James Adeley, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, had asked them to conduct the investigation.
“The investigation will take time to complete to ensure that as complete a picture of the facts concerning Ms Bulley’s death is presented at the inquest,” said a spokesman for HM Coroner.
This will help the family understand what happened.
As part of this process, HM Senior Coroner has requested that Lancashire Constabulary produce information gathered during Ms Bulley’s search so that it can be considered as part of the investigation.
