Detective from ‘British FBI’ who worked on case of murdered PCSO Julia James and morgue monster David Fuller is called in to help solve disappearance of Nicola Bulley: Police advisers includes Cracker-style profiler and dog behavioural expert
- The search to find the missing mortgage adviser has now entered its fourth week
- The NCA are said to have provided access to a range of specialists for the case
Lancashire Police has called in specialists in their search for Nicola Bulley including a top National Crime Agency (NCA) investigator who has worked on some of the UK’s most high-profile cases.
The unnamed detective from the NCA, often referred to as Britain’s FBI, has worked on some of the UK’s most high-profile cases including killer and morgue monster David Fuller and the murder of PCSO Julia James, it was claimed today.
The police have so far failed to find Ms Bulley, 45, after she vanished without a trace while walking her springer spaniel, named Willow, more than three weeks ago.
Lancashire Police are also said to have received the aid of a forensic psychologist and dog behavioural expert.
It comes amid fierce criticism of police by experts since the early stages of the investigation, which has only intensified since they released personal health details about Ms Bulley this week.
The internal probe comes exactly three weeks after 45-year-old mortgage adviser Nicola Bulley (pictured) vanished during a dog walk in St Michael’s on Wyre
Police officers are continuing patrols in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire this weekend, looking for clues and reassuring members of the public
The NCA detective was brought in at an early stage in the investigation to provide advice to those responsible for the case, The Sunday Times reports.
They most recently worked on the murder of PCSO Julia James, who was killed while out walking her dog in April 2021.
Callum Wheeler, 23, was found guilty in court of the murder and received a life sentence.
They also played a role in the investigation into hospital worker David Fuller, who was convicted of the murder of two women in 1987 following a cold case review.
He was subsequently also found to have sexually abused dozens of female corpses in the hospital where he worked, including young girls.
The NCA told The Sunday Times the investigation is still being led by Lancashire Police: ‘A national senior investigating officer adviser from the NCA is leading a team of officers from the agency’s major crime investigative support unit, who are providing tactical advice and guidance, as well as access to a number of specialists.’
One of these specialists is reported to be a dog behavioural specialist, who the force hoped may be able to garner clues from Ms Bulley’s dog.
Willow was discovered running loose around the field in which Ms Bulley was last seen.
Other experts drafted in via the NCA are said to include a forensic clinical psychologist and Cracker-style human behavioural expert, who were tasked with analysing Ms Bulley’s state of mind and profile of a possible offender.
Criticism of police has been mounting since the 45-year-old’s disappearance on January 27, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman both expressing concerns.
It has now been more than three weeks since Ms Bulley, who has two children aged nine and six, vanished near to her home in Inskip.
Lancashire Police have launched a probe into their investigation, which appears to have stalled, but have raised questions by not taking up offers from other forces such as the Metropolitan Police to conduct the review instead.
This week police publicly divulged information about Nicola Bulley’s battles with alcohol brought on by the menopause – a decision critics blasted as ‘sexist’.
Nicola Bulley’s sister shared a heartbreaking message on Friday, appealing for Ms Bulley to ‘come home now’
A police search team survey the river Wyre at the Shard Bridge for Nicola Bulley
Police had previously spoken of specific ‘vulnerabilities’ which made Ms Bulley a ‘high risk’ missing person at a press conference on Wednesday.
Just hours later, in an extraordinary move, they publicly divulged the private details about her health.
Former Inspector of the Constabulary Zoe Billingham yesterday said Lancashire Police’s actions have created ‘an element of doubt’ for families over turning to the police if a loved one goes missing.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Billingham said detail about Ms Bulley’s struggles with her health is ‘deeply personal information’ that ‘none of us can readily understand why it was relevant to the investigation.’
She accused Lancashire Police of harming the public’s trust in police: ‘I think the fact that this very personal information has made its way into the public domain and is being poured over is going to cause people to have an element of doubt over whether or not they will phone the police now if their loved one went missing.’
She continued: ‘99.9 percent of police officers do a great job for us every day, are here to make us safe and the public should report this in.
‘But to actually have undermined confidence in the police in this way is deeply disturbing.’
Lancashire Police also faced backlash after announcing early in the investigation that their ‘main hypothesis’ was Ms Bulley fell in the river, despite there being no evidence to prove this was the case.
This caused Ms Bulley’s friends and family to renew appeals for public help to bring her home.
Her partner of 12 years Paul Ansell told Channel 5 he was ‘one hundred percent’ sure she did not end up in the water.
International search and rescue specialist Peter Faulding also told media he did not believe Ms Bulley had gone into the river after conducting extensive searches with sonar equipment.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said they were assessing the information to determine whether an investigation would be necessary over the contact officers had with the missing mother-of-two on January 10. Pictured: Officers in St Michael’s on Wyre on Thursday
Flowers and a message tied to a bridge over the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, as police continue their search for missing woman Nicola Bulley
Police continue to patrol St Michael’s on Wyre and the surrounding local area
READ MORE: TikTok sleuths spark outrage after filming themselves digging up woodland close to where Nicola Bulley vanished
Former police officers have also questioned why basic actions such as closing off the area where Ms Bulley’s phone and dog were discovered for forensic examination were not completed.
The force has confirmed a date has been set for the internal review, which will be conducted by their Head of Crime, Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables – but that date has not been made public.
On Friday Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley offered to conduct a review on behalf of the force, but Lancashire Police were criticised after deciding to do it themselves.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has also received a referral from the force regarding the contact officers had with Ms Bulley on January 10 – before she went missing.
Meanwhile PM Rishi Sunak, speaking about the release of personal details after Lancashire Police announced it will conduct an internal review, said he is ‘pleased police are looking at how that happened in the investigation’.
He said that like Home Secretary Suella Braverman – who yesterday demanded an explanation from police – he was ‘concerned that private information was put into the public domain’.
‘I’m pleased that the police are looking at how that happened in the investigation,’ the Prime Minister said during an interview with Sky News.
‘Obviously my thoughts are with Nicola’s friends and family and the focus must now be on continuing to try and find her.’
A source close to Ms Braverman told MailOnline: ‘The Home Secretary today [Friday] spoke with Lancashire Police Chief Constable Chris Rowley and his senior team to discuss the handling of the investigation into the disappearance of Nicola Bulley.
‘She outlined her concerns over the disclosure of Ms Bulley’s personal information and listened to the force’s explanation.
‘The Home Secretary asked to be kept updated on the investigation.’
Nicola Bulley, 45, from Inskip, Lancashire, was last seen on the morning of Friday January 27, when she was spotted walking her dog on a footpath by the River Wyre off Garstang Road in St Michael’s on Wrye
Ms Bulley vanished after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school on January 27 in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
She was last seen at 9.10am taking her usual route with her springer spaniel Willow, alongside the River Wyre.
Her phone, still connected to a work call, was found just over 20 minutes later on a bench overlooking the riverbank, with her dog running loose.
On February 3, Lancashire Police told the public of its main hypothesis that Ms Bulley had fallen into the River Wyre in a ’10-minute window’ between 9.10am and 9.20am on the day she disappeared.
The search for her has since been extended to the sea but she has not been found.
Lancashire Police said that Nicola was immediately graded as ‘high-risk’ due to ‘specific vulnerabilities’
On Friday Nicola’s father Ernie said ‘every day is a struggle’ and said the anguished family ‘just need a breakthrough to give us some hope.’
Ernest, 73, and Nicola’s mother Dot Bulley, 72, yesterday left a yellow ribbon tied to the bridge over the River Wyre near where their daughter vanished.
Among other ribbons left by friends and well-wishers, the message from Ms Bulley’s parents read: ‘We pray every day for you. Love you, Mum + Dad XXX.’
A second ribbon, believed to be from Ms Bulley’s sister Louise Cunningham, read: ‘Nikki please come home. I love you. Lou XXX’.
The tributes came after Ms Bulley’s family released a statement yesterday urging people to stop ‘making wild theories up’ about her and called for an end to the ‘speculation and rumours’ about her private life.
The family also pleaded for her to come home after they revealed she suffered a ‘crisis’ after she stopped taking menopause drugs.
‘We all need you home. You can reach out to us,’ her family pleaded yesterday. ‘Don’t be scared, we all love you so very much.’
The family said they feared her decision to stop taking her hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs may have played a factor in her disappearance.
‘Due to the perimenopause Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT to help but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis,’ the statement said.
They added: ‘Nikki is such a wonderful daughter, sister, partner and mother and is missed dearly – we all need you back in our lives.
‘Nikki, we hope you are reading this and know that we love you so much and your girls want a cuddle. We all need you home.’
Information Commissioner John Edwards confirmed on Friday he will be asking Lancashire Police about its decision to disclose Ms Bulley’s struggles with alcohol and HRT.
Since Ms Bulley vanished, huge public and media interest has resulted in what police described as ‘false information, accusations and rumours’ and an ‘unprecedented’ search of both the River Wyre, downstream to Morecambe Bay and miles of neighbouring farmland
He said in a statement: ‘Data protection law exists to ensure people’s personal information is used properly and fairly. This includes ensuring personal details are not disclosed inappropriately.’
‘Given the high-profile nature of this case, we will be asking Lancashire Police to set out how they reached the decision to disclose this information in due course.’
The force also came under fire from the leader of Wyre Council, who said there were ‘lessons to be learned’.
But in an interview with Sky News, he claimed the police’s decision to release personal information about Ms Bulley was because ‘other people were seeking to make that information public.’
He added: ‘That wasn’t the police’s decision, their hand was forced.
‘Should they have done it? Again, with the benefit of hindsight, that should be looked into in future cases.’
Experts, including ex-Scotland Yard detectives, said police had mishandled the missing person’s probe by initially suppressing relevant information, then oversharing details they said should have stayed private.
Former victims’ commissioner for England and Wales Dame Vera Baird this week described the decision as ‘as sexist as it comes’, adding: ‘This is the biggest error that I have seen for quite a long time.’
‘It’s going to just, you know, very sadly, to undermine trust in the police yet further.
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