Nicola Bulley: Missing mum's family 'stuck in a nightmare'

Nicola Bulley has not been seen for almost a week

The family of missing Nicola Bulley have made an emotional appeal for her safe return, with her sister insisting "people don't just vanish into thin air".

The 45-year-old was last seen on a riverside dog walk in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, last Friday morning.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Bulley's sister Louise Cunningham said it felt like they were "stuck in a nightmare".

Detectives earlier said they had found a potential witness.

"We're going round and round in circles trying to piece together what could have possibly happened," Ms Cunningham said.

Lancashire Police earlier released a CCTV image of a woman who was walking a small white dog in the area.

She had since been identified, the force said.

Officers previously said the woman, who was captured on CCTV at about 08:50 GMT on Allotment Lane, close to where Ms Bulley was last seen, might have information to help the investigation.

A major search involving police divers, drones, a helicopter and sniffer dogs has been continuing, but no trace of Ms Bulley has been found.

Her sister added: "We just want her home, we need her home, her children need her home. It's absolutely heartbreaking."

Ms Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, 44, said the family was living in "perpetual hell" with two girls "desperate to have their mummy back".

Timeline of events

• 08:43 - Ms Bulley walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her children off at school

• 08:50 - A dog-walker who knows Ms Bulley saw her walking along the lower field. Their two dogs interacted briefly

• 08:53 - Ms Bulley sent an email to her boss

• 09:01 - She logged into a Teams call

• About 09:10 - A witness who knows Ms Bulley saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow

• 09:30 - The Teams call ended but she stayed logged on

• About 09:35 - Ms Bulley's mobile phone and dog Willow were found at a bench by the river

Police were alerted after Ms Bulley's dog was found running loose off Garstang Road about 25 minutes after she was last spotted by a witness.

Her phone was later found on a bench, still connected to a work call.

A harness and lead for her springer spaniel, Willow, was also discovered on the bench.

Police said officers were keeping an "open mind" about what happened, but did not believe Ms Bulley had been attacked.

There is nothing to suggest any third party involvement in Ms Bulley's disappearance, the force added.

Supt Sally Riley said: "We know that Nicola going missing has caused a great deal of concern for the wider local community, as well as obviously being an awful time for her family.

"I appreciate that there are unanswered questions about what has happened to Nicola, but I would urge people not to speculate or spread false rumours."

Ms Bulley's phone was found on the bench (top left) where police continue to search

Ms Bulley's parents earlier told the Mirror that her two daughters, aged six and nine, who she had just dropped off at school, were "sobbing their hearts out" because "mummy is lost".

A key witness, who was walking a white fluffy dog in the area, was located and spoken to on Tuesday.

Specialist search teams from Lancashire Fire and Rescue and police scour the River Wyre

A woman called Amanda said she and her husband saw Ms Bulley and her dog shortly before she disappeared.

"It is a lady that comes on [the walk] every day. The dog you see every day. I believe there has been a telephone left," she said.

"Just an absolute mystery. Can't explain it."

Nicola Bulley has been missing since she took her dog for a walk on Friday morning

Another woman in the area told the BBC she had seen the dog moments after it was found.

She recognised the spaniel and knew who it belonged to, adding that it was "bone dry" and showed no signs of having been in the river that morning.