Partner of Nicola Bulley will 'never give up searching' for missing mother
The partner of missing Nicola Bulley says he believes something has happened to the mum-of-two - claiming "people don't just vanish into thin air".
Ms Bulley, 45, disappeared in St. Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire, while walking her dog after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school two weeks ago.
She was on her usual walk when she disappeared, her phone - still connected to a call for her job as a mortgage advisor - was found on a bench overlooking the river.
Despite a huge search of the river and surrounding countryside by Lancashire Police, no trace of Ms Bulley, from nearby Inskip, has been found.
Her partner Paul Ansell says extensive searching of the river had left him "100% convinced" she was not there.
“Personally, I am 100% convinced it’s not the river, that’s my opinion,” he said, adding: "People don't just vanish into thin air, it's absolutely impossible.
"So something has happened. Something has happened. Find out what it is. Find out what it is.
"There has to be a way to find out what happened, there has to be. You cannot, you cannot walk your dog down a river and just vanish into thin air.
"Something happened that day, something.
"Personally I want every house, every garage, every outbuilding, the land scruitinised, I want it all searched. Every piece of it."
Speaking to 5 News presenter Dan Walker, Mr Ansell said the family was going through "unprecedented hell".
He said he is trying his best to look after his daughters, telling them "the world are looking for mummy".
“What any parent knows you know, that all you wanna to do is make everything better for your children isn’t it… and I can’t you know, I can’t do that," he said.
“The only thing, the only thing that I can do is tell them that everybody is looking for mummy.
"The best people like, in the world are looking for mummy, just to give them that, you know, that level of hope that they can understand that everything that can be done to find mummy, is being done.”
Mr Ansell, who says he feels like he is "in the Truman show" and will "wake up at any moment" said the family have not given up hope that they will find Ms Bulley.
"What we’re going through now is like unprecedented hell," he said. "But that hope and that positivity in me is stronger than ever, and I’m never, ever going to let go.
"Nikki would never give up on us ever. She wouldn’t give up on anybody. And we’re not gonna ever give up on her like, we’re going to find her."
Police have discounted foul play and are treating the incident as a missing person enquiry, believing that Ms Bulley has fallen into the water.
But police say they are still keeping an “open mind” and have been appealing for information.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "Based on all the work we have done up to now our belief remains that Nicola may have fallen into the river for some reason, but we are continuing to investigate all possible leads, and this involves viewing CCTV, Dashcam footage and speaking to people who are providing us with information.
"It remains the case that at the present time there is absolutely nothing in all the extensive enquiries we have made that suggests anything untoward has happened or that there is any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance, but the investigation is ongoing."
Mr Ansell told Dan Walker he "categorically" could not fault the police effort to find his partner.
He said: “I mean I have to categorically say I cannot fault the police in any of this, they have been incredible, and the relationship that we have working on this is still very, very strong, it’s very good.
"So this isn’t any criticism of them at all, I just want to make that clear.”
Mr Ansell makes a plea to anyone with information.
‘Vanished: Where is Nicola Bulley?’ will air on Channel 5 at 9pm, Friday 10 February.
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