On a chilly January morning, 45-year-old Nicola Bulley and her dog set out for a walk along the River Wyre in the quiet village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. It was January 27, 2023, and this ordinary start to the day would soon become the centre of a tragic mystery that gripped the nation. Nicola, a mortgage advisor and mother of two, vanished without a trace, leaving behind more questions than answers.
As the hours turned into days and weeks, the search for Nicola intensified, sparking global news interest and a social media frenzy. With her phone still active on a Teams call and her dog running loose, speculation mounted. Had Nicola fallen into the river, or was there something more sinister at play? The police suspected an accidental drowning, but many feared abduction.
The case took a darker turn as online conspiracies swirled and intimate details of Nicola’s personal life were revealed by the police. So-called “TikTok sleuths” even descended on the village, conducting their own amateur investigations, adding to the media circus that surrounded the quiet Lancashire community.
The documentary, with exclusive access to Nicola’s family, Lancashire Police, journalists, and social media creators, explores the impact of the events on Nicola’s loved ones and raises important questions about the handling of the case by authorities and the media. It examines the unprecedented level of scrutiny Nicola’s family endured during their traumatic ordeal, even after Nicola’s body was tragically found in the river, about a mile from where she was last seen.
The Disappearance of Nicola Bulley airs Thursday, October 3, 2024, at 9:00 PM on BBC One.
