THESE are the five questions police now face following the discovery of Nicola Bulley's body – three weeks after she disappeared.
Cops last night confirmed that the body found in the River Wyre on Sunday was that of missing mum Nicola.
The tragic find brought an end to a desperate 24-day search after the mum-of-two vanished without a trace on January 27.
But Lancashire Police, who have been critisied by cops and MPs over the way they'd dealt with the disappearance of Nicola, now come up against some hard questions.
How long had the body been there?
Police are now facing growing fury after the mum-of-two's body was found just a mile from where she vanished – but 24 days later.
The secretary of the Civil Service Angling Society, which manages the stretch of the Wyre downstream of St Michael’s, said large objects like tyres were often found in the spot Nicola's body was located.
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The man, who did not want to be named, said the area had been searched by police boats, divers and sniffer dogs in the early days of the investigation.
The secretary told The Times: “Around that stretch there are sandbanks, overhanging trees and quite a lot of vegetation.
“The bank is also quite undercut in places. Anything that ends up in the river around there tends to hang around because unless there’s a major weather event there’s not enough flow to wash it out to sea.”
Where did police search?
The cops were said to be focusing their search more than five miles from where Nicola's body was found.
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Nicola cops confirm body found in river is mum weeks after she vanished
For the past two weeks police were snapped concentrating their search on the stretch of the River Wyre leading to the estuary and the Irish Sea, 11 miles away.
Police boats were spotted scouring Morecambe Bay and upstream of the river mouth.
The Times reported divers, underwater drones and sonar were all used to scan the river nearest to where Bulley went missing in the first days of the investigation.
But they were said to have moved their searches downstream after dive expert Peter Faulding arrived on February 6.
The expert, who had used his "state of the art" sonar technology, was said to have searched from where Nicola was last seen, to Cartford Bridge, three miles downstream.
Peter declared at the time: "If Nicola was in that river, I would have found her. She’s not there."
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said the cops now have serious questions to answer – including around their search of the river.
He told Sky News: "The bottom line is Lancashire Police and all their experts and all their doctrines did not find Nicola.
"Two people walking along a river bank did.
"Leading experts in their field helped with the search in terms of tide and river movements.
"River movements can be complex but [Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith] also went on to say that a nationally-recognised searching doctrine had been followed."
What was Nicola's cause of death?
Cops confirmed last night that the mum-of-two's death had been referred to the coroner.
This could mean police and her loved ones face weeks waiting for answers around how she died.
There is also the possibility an inquest into her death will follow, which could extend the process even further.
The Coroners' Courts Support Service says an inquest is an investigation into a death which appears to be due to "unknown, violent or unnatural causes".
Will the cops be investigated over their previous contact with her?
Five days ago Lancashire Police confirmed they had referred themselves to the cop watchdog.
It came after officers revealed they were called to Nicola's family home just weeks before she vanished.
The police said they rushed to her home on January 10 after "a report of concern for welfare".
An IOPC said on February 16: "Lancashire Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the contact the force had with missing mother Nicola Bulley on January 10, prior to her disappearance."
The IOPC is yet to give another update.
Will they be probed over releasing personal details about the mum?
Home Secretary Suella Braverman yesterday hit out at police chiefs, saying she "wasn't wholly satisfied" with their reasons for releasing personal information about Nicola.
Ms Braverman was speaking after police confirmed the mum was treated as a high-risk missing person when she disappeared.
The force revealed Nicola had "vulnerabilities" at the time she went missing they were made aware of by partner Paul Ansell and her family.
These included "significant issues with alcohol" in the past that were brought on by her "ongoing struggles with the menopause".
This saw the Home Secretary reveal she had serious "concerns" about the investigation.
She said: "We need to let the police carry out and conclude their investigation.
"I did have concerns earlier in the week about some of the elements relating to the release of personal information of Nicola Bulley into the public domain.
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"I raised those concerns with the chief constable – I wasn't wholly satisfied, I have to say, with some of the responses I got but it is a matter for the police themselves.
"We must just let the investigation conclude, and then we will see what the investigations and inquiries come back with."
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