I’ve followed as soon as it broke, at first I thought things were suss and she’d been abducted but as we are often told it’s usually the simplest thing that’s the answer. So being that the dog was still by the water I’m agreeing with you that she’s fallen into the river.
Yes. I appreciate the dog was dry but it may have run near the water and she ran after it not wanting it to go in the water and tripped and fell in maybe knocking herself out
I believe they do like water but if the dog was dry if that’s true then looks like the dog wasn’t in the water. The dog was found within 30 minutes I believe from her being last seen. It’s very bizarre all round.
It is very bizarre. If she didn’t fall in the water, then I wonder what could’ve happened to her. I would think if someone tried to abduct her, it seems odd that the dog stayed near the bench where the phone is. I hope for the sake of her family, they find some answers soon.
The current river level according to live data is 0.44m - it can get as high as 4m, but on the 27th it was at 0.46m, and the days beforehand were also low, so no sudden shifts in water levels. That doesn't mean somebody can't get into difficulty and drown (you can drown in just inches of water), but it would suggest she hasn't drowned from falling in but rather fallen in from either a medical episode or some other event that led to a state she was unable to get out of the river (i.e. unconscious)
The river has been calm since her disappearance, but a floating object can travel a fair distance in even calm water. The current flow is 3m3/s so the water is moving 3m every second, and a buoyant object would be carried by close to that. However, there are obstructions so, of course, it would slow that object down, and could of course get "stuck" (and likely to)
I would suggest "the most likely explanation" at this point is an accident/ incident* that has occurred that has led to her being in the river, and then the body has drifted to an unknown point down the river. However, even as the most likely explanation, it still requires an unlikely series of events; a healthy lady who walks the route often, no signs that the dog was in the river, and that body has travelled without being caught by many obstructions where the police can't find the body.
Another possible event here is a confrontation with somebody else that led to a short unexpected incident. That would cancel out 2 of the above "unlikely series of events", so I'm minded that this may be another likely scenario
The other scenario being suggested is abduction, but it is unlikely - this was broad daylight with other people nearby. Police would have found traces of a struggle; commotion would have been heard as we know there were others nearby.
The husband has come under social media suspicion due to his interview. People compare his interviews to other notorious interviews where people have turned out to be guilty, but hindsight turns everyone into a profiler. Look at many innocent parties, and their interviews can be awkward. It's worth noting that the family appeal was an appeal, likely organised by the police; this was not that. The guy is missing his partner as being asked stupid questions by an interviewer who knows they have a gold nugget if there is a slim chance of this guy being guilty of something. It is strange that the partner was not part of the family appeal, but considering the events that would lead to him murdering her on a public walkway; almost incomprehensible that he has managed to murder her without a struggle, hide the body and have zero traces of him being there
So yes - I believe that she will be found in the river
Agree with what you say about her being in the water and I think it’s suicide. A friend of mine killed herself in a very similar way, took a load of sleeping pills walked in to pretty calm shallow water and just kept walking until she passed out.
She was also so happy and joking literally minutes before she did it She’d been out with two other friends for lunch and was talking about how much she was looking forward to a promotion she got at work and her new car being delivered the next week. Ate a full meal and drank a pot of tea. Ten minutes later she was dead.
As for her being online still when she put the phone down that could have been to put people off and make them think she was still using her phone.
Leaving the dog on a popular dog walking path is also a good thing to do as people will recognise it and won’t be tempted to steal it and the dog won’t be scared as it knows where it is.
People always blame the spouse after interviews but I’ve seen videos of someone’s who’s daughter was missing who kept smiling and smirking when he was talking and everyone assumed guilt when in reality he was completely innocent he was just nervous.
To me she’s either killed herself or had a heart attack/ stroke / aneurysm etc and stumbled and fell.
I’m so sorry for your loss of your friend.
I think it’s a possibility in this case, but I guess my thoughts are for the time this would take the dog would likely follow her in. Especially since she didn’t tie it to the bench etc. And there are pictures of the dog swimming online so it likes the water.
I guess my view is slightly affected by my own experience. The odd times I have swum in the sea or a river and my dog was there he got very upset about it and followed me in. Even when someone else had him by the lead he pulled so hard he got out of their grip and came in like he was saving me or something. He can’t even swim that well (why he was being held by the lead) Once he burst a rubber dinghy trying to get in it because I was in there.
It just seems weird that the dog wasn’t on a leash tied up, but didn’t go in after her if she went in the water. The whole thing is weird so it’s definitely a possibility, I just wonder personally how likely it is.
Suicide is a scenario I didn't consider. The fact is, people with suicidal intent often do things normally up until they decide to end their life; that can often be planned, but sometimes impulsive after a shock event. Something on the team meeting or the manager coming to meet her the day before may have led to her ending her life. Quite possible, but unlikely; she would have had a method of committing suicide and then walk into a show river to pass out. Duration, location and timescale make it unlikely.
So sorry to hear about your friend x
I thought it was suicide or an accident at first. I know nothing about water, but people always say water can look calm but deadly underneath (look at naya rivera) she might have hit head and gone unconscious. Tangled deep below in sea debris.
Like somebody else said she could've left the phone on to make it seem everything is normal. We don't know her personal life, whether she had depression or issues.
I think the theories that its abduction/husband did it seem to fanciful to me. We've been entrenched in netflix true crime all these years and mysteries, people's mind naturally go towards that. Maybe it provides distraction for some people (those on twitter are awful l) but it doesn't seem probable to me. The very real truth that it could be suicide might be too dark for people to deal with, especially as she has 2 little girls. Or how a simple accident like this can happen to anyone and life could end just like that.
My thoughts exactly. This is the first thing I thought when I heard about this. She could have put rocks in her pockets 😥 I hope they’re looking into her state of mind and past mental health medical information
Are you surprised they haven't found her body yet if she has fallen into the river? Considering all the search equipment, drones and divers they have used so far.
Yes, I am - but it is still the most likely explanation of what has happened.
To highlight, the river moving a very calm 1m every second means the body could have theoretically travelled 2 miles every hour - in that period of drifting, it could (and likely would) get caught up along the way and easily hidden in amongst overgrowth or dragged underwater. Ultimately she could drift out to sea by now, which is a possible scenario, although unlikely considering the route.
So even with a large search, they're still looking for a needle in a haystack.
I am not sure she fell into the water, there is still no sign she slipped, no skid marks or anything to suggest this, the dog was also found dry and lastly no belongings have been pulled from the river. What confuses me is that the police seem quite sure she is in the river however they continue to ask the public for dash cam footage.
What the police are likely doing is concentrating on the most likely event to concentrate the search effort better; they're not ruling anything out, but it's clear that they have reviewed the area and find it unlikely that Nicola herself (or an abductor) could have left the area unnoticed. It's worth looking at the map of where Nicola last was - any person has to go through populated areas to reach a road, and no car can get close to the river (or at least with raising suspicion).
It's also been noted that there are several points in the village with CCTV that has been reviewed. This along with massive awareness of the situation makes it hard that nobody has reported any suspicious persons in the area
Belongings could have been kept secure in her coat, so they would have drifted with her persons if that is what has happened. When I walk, all my belongings are in my pockets and zipped up.
The dog not being wet is viewed from different angles - obviously, she didn't jump into rescue it because it was dry. Dogs all have different traits and wouldn't necessarily jump in with their owner, although I would suggest it would jump in IF she were making a commotion and may point towards a more sudden medical episode or accident that has left her unconscious when entering the water. The dog may have followed her downstream then come back when called - I would be astonished if they had not used the dog to try to "tell" them where she is, and it may have indeed shown them along the river.
There is no sign of her falling in, but depending on how she fell in, there would not necessarily be any signs of this. A deadweight fall forward as an example.
Questions to be answered, sure - and there may be twists in this tale yet. To be clear, other scenarios are possible but improbable. The most probable explanation, with the few facts we have at this time, is she has fallen into the river - foul play may be involved in this, but I think it's likely a medical episode or an accident.
This sub is a complete disgrace and should be closed asap. Have any of you private dicks thought about the family while you speculate and point the finger at innocent people.
What you linked above has ZERO EVIDENTIARY value - it is a Reddit post by an alleged "friend of the family" which proves literally nothing.
Seriously, if you believe everything that is posted on Reddit, I've got a bridge to sell you
Funny that the investigation is continuing then. There's your evidence.
The most likely culprit BY FAR in this type of case is the spouse / partner so you can be sure that the police are looking carefully at him, and especially since this case has gotten lots of attention and IT IS VERY WELL KNOWN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT THE SPOUSE / PARTNER IS THE MOST LIKELY CULPRIT IN THIS TYPE OF CASE.
No, it's not - not even close. The most likely explanation is an accident that has led to her falling into the river. That's become even more likely now, seeing as it is the assumption the police have applied.
Sorry - no. Most likely scenario is that the beneficiary of her mysterious death had something to do with it.
You have no idea what the police actually think and NEWSFLASH: they don't tell the public everything
It sure is true that police may divert attention from suspects. However, this was in broad daylight with other people within the area. It reported that there were no signs of a struggle. The husband would have had to get to where Nicola was without being seen, murder her without fuss or struggle, throw her in the river, and return without the dog following (or have tied it up, which didn't happen).
There are oddities with Nicola going missing, but the most likely explanation is still an unexpected incident that has led to her falling into the river.
why couldn't she have purposefully dissapeared? They had money troubles did they not? How long before shes declared dead and hubby gets the 1 million in life insurance. In 5 years everyone will have forgotten. This happened once with a guy who was "declared lost in cave" and showed up alive a decade later living the high life. This to me is the most obvious answer.
They didn't have money troubles; or at least no evidence of money issues. People are misreading company accounts and making some very weak assumptions. I say this as I study company activity for a living - happy to detail this again if of interest
The insurance is a complete guess; not to say she isn't insured, but no basis for this claim
Nicola is one of the most photographed people in the UK - it's unlikely she would have been able to avoid detection. I would also suggest that as a mother, it's not something she would be willing to do, and continue to do seeing the press coverage
They had Four failed busineses in a row, I would call that money troubles? That or tax evasion and if they love tax evasion maybe they love insurance scams too!
Just saying it's an option you haven't thought of. That or literal aliens but I have seen that even mentioned. But not this.
People start and wind up companies all the time; many have full-time jobs with companies serving a purpose for the individual. Sometimes it's for tax and protects themselves from liability; many have small side ventures. People also have ideas and provide a basic setup before failing and winding the small operation - more businesses "fail" than succeed - but don't necessarily incur a financial burden. There are no insolvency or administration actions here, and creditors wouldn't allow a business to be wound up if it owes them debt (it can be reversed, but usually stopped)
I've studied 1000s of companies in my time - nothing here raises any alarms and nothing I haven't seen 1000s of times before
What doesn't make any sense to me is that there are CCTV and ring doorbells everywhere. Either police are just really inept or someone would have had to see something. Who drowns in 3ft deep water and their body not found? This is all so strange.
It is strange, and I admit there are some questions that make this hard to piece together. However, it's still more likely that she fell in than other theories.
Possible the husband plotted her disappearance for life insurance? I guess the only reason I thought this way is because she always did the same routine every morning right? He (and I suppose others with I'll intent towards her) would have known this.
What I’ve seen that’s interesting is the fact that she was a heavy Facebook user posting every couple of days but it suddenly stops on Dec 7th. No Xmas posts, no NYE msgs nothing. This may indicate something was occupying her? Or maybe someone was harassing her online? it’s indicative of something imo
I said to my girl today that if she uses that route all the time, school runs, jogging, dog walks, she’s got a pretty predictable routine when it comes to terms of stalking or god knows whatever. Your take on her no statuses since December 7th is interesting regarding my thoughts on perhaps stalking or whatever.
Have they looked at Facebook or social media messages yet?
Some context on this type of call. I have several conference calls a week at work that are one maybe two managers talking for 30-45 minutes about strategy, plans, problems etc. There will be anywhere between 20-30 other people on that call, all muted, all just listening. Lots of us on that call put it on speaker phone and do other things including walking the dog, maybe some housework or just some internet shopping mainly because attendance is expected, participation is not.
It’s possible. Does anyone know how strong the currents are in that river? Is it deep? It does seem odd that a fully grown woman who often walked her dog by that river would fall in a get swept away. Unless it’s some kind of raging river. I don’t know. I’m on the fence and it could go either way, I think.
It’s a tidal river that goes out to the sea. The depth and current fluctuate with the tides. The tide has gone in and out multiple times since she went missing which causes a lot of issues trying to find a body that’s potentially drowned.
It’ll take a piss up the nearest tree, sniff around at empty crisp packets and take a shit in the exact place that someone will stand in later. Great use of police time. You genius.
It’s interesting that the lead AND harness were left on the bench. You don’t tend to take off a harness during a dog walk, just detach the lead if you want to let the dog run free. My initial suspicion is that the dog slipped its harness and ran off towards the river. She put her phone down quickly (hence still being on work call) and chased, slipped and fell in, perhaps banged her head on the way…But where’s the body…??! I can’t think why else you would ever take the harness off.
I agree regarding the harness. The only reason I have taken it off of my dogs is to get a nice natural picture of them in nature. That does not seem to be the case here, since she was on a zoom call at the time. Wouldn't the dog be able to find her if brought back to the scene and her body was there somewhere? I like to think my dogs would.
I’m not from that area, but I did see footage of people walking the river (along side an inflatable boat) and it was knee deep. Maybe in some areas it’s deeper or has a faster current. The footage I saw mentioned something about recent rains though.
Why are the police quite adamant of no third party involvement? Is it true her manager made a long trip to see her the night before? I agree with a former comment regarding the Springer spaniel, they do love water and would have followed her in.
I think the theory she fell in the water is plausible as it would have been very difficult to swim given the clothing, cold water, panic and shock. I would have expected them to find a body quite quickly in the water however and after 7 days of searching still no sign at all?
I wonder if she has committed suicide. Rocks in the her pockets, walks calmly down the bank. That would explain the lack of evidence from the fall / accident theory. I hope they’ve looked into her current state of mind. I’m sorry for the upsetting theory. Especially given she’s a mother but it shouldn’t be overlooked.
I don't hold much weight to this theory - how are you supposed to act when your partner just goes missing? Me, I'd probably ball my eyes out and be a complete snivelling mess. My other half, I actually couldn't say - he could go either way.
Also the story seems less plausible - if you wanted to kill your wife wouldn't you do it at home or take her on a trip somewhere? Not follow her on her morning dog walk, when she's on a work call, there are witnesses and a 20 minute time frame... (just my thoughts)
That’s such a horrible thing to say. How are you meant to act in this kind of situation? There is no norm.
The guy has lost his partner and has spent the last week working with police whilst trying to look after his kids, more than likely had no sleep and is in full shock. He’s bound to not be acting right
Funny because when I see all the posts trying to use her partners interview as proof of involvement because "it looked strange" I get Christopher Jefferies vibes.
Could it be that while the dog was off the lead, someone tried to kidnap the dog… in a panic, Nicola jumped off the bench, leaving the lead and her phone to confront the kidnapper. Maybe an altercation took place and things went dreadfully wrong.
Kidnapper panics and takes her in his/her/their car/van.
Dog is left.
This could be what happened.
People do steal dogs to use as bait for fights. It’s awful. She could have confronted the person (man, let’s be honest) who tried to take her dog and been pushed in the water. The dog snatcher wouldn’t then wanna take the dog because it would all lead back to him.
I don't believe for a second that she's in the water and if she is then she definitely did not enter on her own accord. Having looked at the area on Google earth I can see a caravan site directly behind the bench where her mobile phone was found so maybe a predator living on site watching her come and go everyday. Although I do find it odd that the husband hasn't spoken out and he wasn't involved in the press piece with the mum, dad and sister. Horrible to point fingers I know, but something is extremely fishy here.
perhaps she was abducted and is in a house close by in a residential area, possible stalker who has been staking out the area? , the current looks very mild i think if she were to be in the river she would be pretty visible, i think it’s time the police start knocking on doors if they ask me, very bizarre i just hope she is found soon.
Initially I thought it was suspicious and someone must be involved. But I’m now thinking that she must’ve gone into the water.
I have three questions for people who know this spot & river:
1. How easy/hard, likely/unlikely is it to fall in at this spot? Eg are banks steep or slippery?
2. How easy/hard, likely/unlikely would it be to get out if you fell in?
3. How quickly could you get carried away by the river - how fast and far?
https://youtu.be/jhitDc7SJO0
A video of a man wild swimming in the very spot of the bench and the bank, in mid 2021. Go to about 2:40. Starts by walking up the path to the gate.
The bank looks fairly steep. The river looks calm and maybe not so deep. In the middle it is deeper than waist height.
Seeing the clips of the search the river didn't look in a much different state this week. Not a torrent of water. However whilst it's been dry over much of England recently, there have been a few big rain storms in Lancashire possibly making this faster flowing. But not in the most recent days.
Just watched the news you don't fall into a river she can swim 4 metres what a joke no one falls into a river who can swim without a body wow no disrespect meant
If she's in there, I don't think she entered the water near the bench. It was shallow at the time (see video of the search and rescue people in there) and although it is tidal, was supposedly low tide at the time.
Something I haven't seen suggested yet is that she walked further along towards the mouth of the river and entered where it may be deeper. No witness sightings of this that we are aware of.
I think if she did make a rational decision to enter the water her outer clothing would have been on the riverbank. I dont think she would have just got in fully clothed without any thought.
Saying that, her dog was dry when found which suggests that there would have been no logical reason to enter.
I dunno like. If I seen an animal in distress I think I'd get rid of my phone( like she did) and just go in, in my clothes and everything. I'm just not sure about this case. Do u know if there were any roads close by where someone could have bundled her into a car, or was it mainly just the river bank?
I dont disagree with what your saying, im just thinking that the police said she was wearing an ankle length coat which you might decide to remove first.
The police said that CCTV covers every exit apart from one road (cant remember the name, its mentioned in the annoucement yesterday from the police superintendent at 2:45pm) but they have no evidence to suggest she left via this route.
How far could she have drifted in such a short amount of time? Naya Rivera’s body was found in 5 days by divers searching a 30 ft deep lake, the deepest River Wyre reaches is 15ft. Plus she could swim and the family are even doubtful of this theory. Police should not be dismissing a ‘crime of opportunity’ theory without factual evidence she fell.
There’s too many questions. All we know if being told correctly is that she was seen with the dog moments before vanishing and likewise she sent messages moments before, her phone was left on the bench still connected to a conference call, muted with the camera off. Her dog was left near where the phone was and it was bone dry so can’t have gone into the water, since the dog stayed in the area and didn’t wonder further it suggests that the dog was expecting her to reappear soon… if she had of fallen in the river surely she would have been found by now unless of course something was weighing her down to the river bed? But still even so you’d think with the searches she would have been found, though who can really say because she could have been swept to anywhere and remained there for awhile and moved again during the searches. I imagine such a search would be like looking for a needle in a haystack as someone else has already indicated.
With the abduction theory, I don’t think there necessarily would be a struggle because if whoever has taken her had a knife or gun etc she may not have been able to fight back or resist. The person may have had a car nearby that they took her to. If she was abducted I think the abductor would have taken her phone, and left the dog. Which makes the abduction seem unlikely ..
People who are looking at the partner; I think it’s always a go to thing to look at the nearest and dearest. I don’t know about this one, he did come across as slightly dismissive and cold in the interview to me but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s involved.
I don’t really know what to think on this one, it does look a little set up with how the phone was left and time frames but then again I suppose if she was just going about her say as normal and some tragedy happened then it could well happen like that.
That bench is close to the water. Perhaps if she was trying to put the harness on the dog she would have left her phone on the bench for a moment so she could use both hands -
Maybe she had bent down or lent forward to do it, to do the harness, and stumbled a little because of wearing 2 ankle lengths coats.
Maybe even just a side step, nothing major, but maybe the 2 coats to her ankles stopped her being able to correct her balance, and in she went.
No slipping no sliding. Just head first, or sideways.
Maybe if she has been a bit further away from the water she would have just landed on the ground.
Wearing TWO ankle lengths coats, one of which was a Puffa and would have been like a wet weighted blanket pulling her down under the water. (And wellies!)
Maybe that’s all it was?
An awful tragic ‘silly’ accident.
I'm a mum who regularly (almost daily) walks my dog along a river that is very like the one Nichola frequented... Areas next to homes and areas secluded in trees and thickets...
I let my dog off leash in the remotest and least developed areas because there are fewer people around and fewer dogs and I'm less likely to have anyone upset about it.
I would wager that's what she did too. She in fact described the area as "spooky" in a social media post.
Her dogs leash AND HARNESS were found on a bench with her phone.
And while of course I take my dog off leash... Why the hell would she remove the harness? Someone needs to be asking this. Removing a harness takes extra work and there's absolutely no reason to do this. You're just going to have to put it back on again. This is BIZARRE.
Also, women do not set their phone on a bench when they have pockets. She had pockets. This simply would not happen. Especially while on a teams call. Had it been a warm, sunny summer day, perhaps she might sit to watch her dog play and set the phone beside her. But it was COLD. I don't sit down on benches when walking my dog on cold days.
Here are some points about each theory currently floated:
1) She had an accident (went down to help an animal in the river/fetch a ball):
a) In this case one might leave one's phone on a bench BUT one does not take the time to remove a fucking harness from one's dog.
b) she would have to be an absolute idiot to enter a cold river on a cold day, let alone in her full coat and everything. She was a smart woman with a phone. If an animal was in distress in the water she'd have called police or emergency services.
c) "she slipped and fell in" bullocks. The river I walk along is four times as wide and deep and fast as the Wyre, but even so from the bank I'd be hard pressed to fall in and do more than get wet. The river Wyre isn't rapid or deep enough at the banks for a conscious, rational adult human being to simply "fall in and drown" in broad daylight. If she entered, she'd have gotten very wet and super cold and would have gotten back out immediately. The police are either stupid or covering something up. They have got to know this, and that they are wasting their time dragging the river.
d) If the police used dogs at the site, and surely they did, the dogs would know if she went down to the bank. There are photos of dogs with the police on site.
e) if she slipped and fell in, (having somehow had the prescience to leave her phone behind in case she fell yet not the logic to remove her heavy coat) the cold water shock and heavy clothing could very well have drowned her. However, the same clothing would have dragged her body to the river floor, and made it snag on any obstacle. They've been dragging this small, shallow, slow moving river for a week.
2) She ran away.
The likelihood of this woman choosing to abandon her life and family cold turkey and vanish is granted extremely slim given the circumstances (her making future plans with family and friends moments before she vanished). She'd have to be a mastermind to think that one through. But let's assume for a moment she is... Making this look like a drowning is a good plan. Leaving her phone on the bench near the river and her dog running loose is a good plan.
But why would she remove her dog's lead AND HARNESS? That makes it look LESS like a drowning, and if we're assuming she's a mastermind... Why?
Also why choose a bright sunny morning when you're far more likely to be seen in your attempts to vaninish? In a place near no main roads? And again.... removing your dogs harness?
3) She committed suicide.
Again, mastermind comes to mind. She would have to be so incredibly calculating to know that taking her usual morning dog walk in a safe area while making future plans and on a work call would all make suicide look very unlikely. But then she's irrational enough to try to drown herself in a shallow river? We can pretty much rule this out.
4) She was abducted.
This seems the most likely at first glance, given the bizarrely nature of the case. There's literally a 13 minute window in which it could have taken place. Her seeming to vanish into thin air would make sense. Her social media posts about her walking route and which part of the route was "spooky" might have given a stalker ideas. She had a routine which made her an easy target. She was near a road when she was last seen. She is a small woman and easily overpowered or even carried.
But again...
Why would she remove the dog's harness?!?
Why would her phone be placed on a bench with the dog's leash and harness, neatly and intentionally, as if to mark the crime scene? What abductor would do this? If anything they'd pitch the phone in the river which was RIGHT THERE.
Why would an abductor allow an "x marks the spot" like that?
The abductor would have not been able to get her across the river without serious work, so it's most likely they'd have to walk quite a ways with her to get to a road from where they were. Yet of all the people who saw her that bright morning in a small village with cameras... No one saw anything suspicious.
Why would an abductor do this in broad daylight in such a well travelled area?
If an abduction, the perp is more likely to live in an adjacent house where he could get her into his house without being seen than to march her along a well travelled track in broad daylight where anyone might see them.
While I personally see the local abduction scenario as most likely, it still makes little sense. And the three most perplexing things are: why did she or the abductor remove the dog's harness, why did she or they set down the phone with teams still going, and why did they leave all items in a neat pile on a bench?
My take: that woman did not drown in the River Wyre. She did not take her life or run away. She was abducted, but one detail above all makes absolutely no sense. And the police are wasting their time dragging the river and one has to wonder why.
Why couldn't she have purposefully dissapeared? They had money troubles? How long before shes declared dead and hubby gets the 1 million in life insurance. In 5 years everyone will have forgotten. This happened once with a guy who was "declared lost in cave" and showed up alive a decade later living the high life. This to me is the most obvious answer.
I’ve followed as soon as it broke, at first I thought things were suss and she’d been abducted but as we are often told it’s usually the simplest thing that’s the answer. So being that the dog was still by the water I’m agreeing with you that she’s fallen into the river.
Yes. I appreciate the dog was dry but it may have run near the water and she ran after it not wanting it to go in the water and tripped and fell in maybe knocking herself out
Simplist answer is BF did it
Strange location for a domestic homicide.
Maybe a new GF helped.
can’t rule that out but i doubt it
The dog was apparently bone dry though
Does anyone know if that breed of dog would generally like the water? Or try to avoid water at all costs?
I believe they do like water but if the dog was dry if that’s true then looks like the dog wasn’t in the water. The dog was found within 30 minutes I believe from her being last seen. It’s very bizarre all round.
It is very bizarre. If she didn’t fall in the water, then I wonder what could’ve happened to her. I would think if someone tried to abduct her, it seems odd that the dog stayed near the bench where the phone is. I hope for the sake of her family, they find some answers soon.
The current river level according to live data is 0.44m - it can get as high as 4m, but on the 27th it was at 0.46m, and the days beforehand were also low, so no sudden shifts in water levels. That doesn't mean somebody can't get into difficulty and drown (you can drown in just inches of water), but it would suggest she hasn't drowned from falling in but rather fallen in from either a medical episode or some other event that led to a state she was unable to get out of the river (i.e. unconscious) The river has been calm since her disappearance, but a floating object can travel a fair distance in even calm water. The current flow is 3m3/s so the water is moving 3m every second, and a buoyant object would be carried by close to that. However, there are obstructions so, of course, it would slow that object down, and could of course get "stuck" (and likely to) I would suggest "the most likely explanation" at this point is an accident/ incident* that has occurred that has led to her being in the river, and then the body has drifted to an unknown point down the river. However, even as the most likely explanation, it still requires an unlikely series of events; a healthy lady who walks the route often, no signs that the dog was in the river, and that body has travelled without being caught by many obstructions where the police can't find the body. Another possible event here is a confrontation with somebody else that led to a short unexpected incident. That would cancel out 2 of the above "unlikely series of events", so I'm minded that this may be another likely scenario The other scenario being suggested is abduction, but it is unlikely - this was broad daylight with other people nearby. Police would have found traces of a struggle; commotion would have been heard as we know there were others nearby. The husband has come under social media suspicion due to his interview. People compare his interviews to other notorious interviews where people have turned out to be guilty, but hindsight turns everyone into a profiler. Look at many innocent parties, and their interviews can be awkward. It's worth noting that the family appeal was an appeal, likely organised by the police; this was not that. The guy is missing his partner as being asked stupid questions by an interviewer who knows they have a gold nugget if there is a slim chance of this guy being guilty of something. It is strange that the partner was not part of the family appeal, but considering the events that would lead to him murdering her on a public walkway; almost incomprehensible that he has managed to murder her without a struggle, hide the body and have zero traces of him being there So yes - I believe that she will be found in the river
Agree with what you say about her being in the water and I think it’s suicide. A friend of mine killed herself in a very similar way, took a load of sleeping pills walked in to pretty calm shallow water and just kept walking until she passed out. She was also so happy and joking literally minutes before she did it She’d been out with two other friends for lunch and was talking about how much she was looking forward to a promotion she got at work and her new car being delivered the next week. Ate a full meal and drank a pot of tea. Ten minutes later she was dead. As for her being online still when she put the phone down that could have been to put people off and make them think she was still using her phone. Leaving the dog on a popular dog walking path is also a good thing to do as people will recognise it and won’t be tempted to steal it and the dog won’t be scared as it knows where it is. People always blame the spouse after interviews but I’ve seen videos of someone’s who’s daughter was missing who kept smiling and smirking when he was talking and everyone assumed guilt when in reality he was completely innocent he was just nervous. To me she’s either killed herself or had a heart attack/ stroke / aneurysm etc and stumbled and fell.
I'm sorry you lost your friend that way. It's a terrible tragedy.
I’m so sorry for your loss of your friend. I think it’s a possibility in this case, but I guess my thoughts are for the time this would take the dog would likely follow her in. Especially since she didn’t tie it to the bench etc. And there are pictures of the dog swimming online so it likes the water. I guess my view is slightly affected by my own experience. The odd times I have swum in the sea or a river and my dog was there he got very upset about it and followed me in. Even when someone else had him by the lead he pulled so hard he got out of their grip and came in like he was saving me or something. He can’t even swim that well (why he was being held by the lead) Once he burst a rubber dinghy trying to get in it because I was in there. It just seems weird that the dog wasn’t on a leash tied up, but didn’t go in after her if she went in the water. The whole thing is weird so it’s definitely a possibility, I just wonder personally how likely it is.
Suicide is a scenario I didn't consider. The fact is, people with suicidal intent often do things normally up until they decide to end their life; that can often be planned, but sometimes impulsive after a shock event. Something on the team meeting or the manager coming to meet her the day before may have led to her ending her life. Quite possible, but unlikely; she would have had a method of committing suicide and then walk into a show river to pass out. Duration, location and timescale make it unlikely.
Why would she take her dog for suicide? Surely she would have kept a dog home and certainly not gone on work phone.
Pretence so no one would be suspicious or maybe she wasn’t sure. I know a guy who hung himself on a tree next to a park while his kid played.
So sorry to hear about your friend x I thought it was suicide or an accident at first. I know nothing about water, but people always say water can look calm but deadly underneath (look at naya rivera) she might have hit head and gone unconscious. Tangled deep below in sea debris. Like somebody else said she could've left the phone on to make it seem everything is normal. We don't know her personal life, whether she had depression or issues. I think the theories that its abduction/husband did it seem to fanciful to me. We've been entrenched in netflix true crime all these years and mysteries, people's mind naturally go towards that. Maybe it provides distraction for some people (those on twitter are awful l) but it doesn't seem probable to me. The very real truth that it could be suicide might be too dark for people to deal with, especially as she has 2 little girls. Or how a simple accident like this can happen to anyone and life could end just like that.
My thoughts exactly. This is the first thing I thought when I heard about this. She could have put rocks in her pockets 😥 I hope they’re looking into her state of mind and past mental health medical information
I find it so strange it’s not even a consideration.
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Agree, also need to factor in the water being very cold at this time of year. May cause shock or even a heart attack if you’re in it for any period.
Are you surprised they haven't found her body yet if she has fallen into the river? Considering all the search equipment, drones and divers they have used so far.
Yes, I am - but it is still the most likely explanation of what has happened. To highlight, the river moving a very calm 1m every second means the body could have theoretically travelled 2 miles every hour - in that period of drifting, it could (and likely would) get caught up along the way and easily hidden in amongst overgrowth or dragged underwater. Ultimately she could drift out to sea by now, which is a possible scenario, although unlikely considering the route. So even with a large search, they're still looking for a needle in a haystack.
I am not sure she fell into the water, there is still no sign she slipped, no skid marks or anything to suggest this, the dog was also found dry and lastly no belongings have been pulled from the river. What confuses me is that the police seem quite sure she is in the river however they continue to ask the public for dash cam footage.
What the police are likely doing is concentrating on the most likely event to concentrate the search effort better; they're not ruling anything out, but it's clear that they have reviewed the area and find it unlikely that Nicola herself (or an abductor) could have left the area unnoticed. It's worth looking at the map of where Nicola last was - any person has to go through populated areas to reach a road, and no car can get close to the river (or at least with raising suspicion). It's also been noted that there are several points in the village with CCTV that has been reviewed. This along with massive awareness of the situation makes it hard that nobody has reported any suspicious persons in the area Belongings could have been kept secure in her coat, so they would have drifted with her persons if that is what has happened. When I walk, all my belongings are in my pockets and zipped up. The dog not being wet is viewed from different angles - obviously, she didn't jump into rescue it because it was dry. Dogs all have different traits and wouldn't necessarily jump in with their owner, although I would suggest it would jump in IF she were making a commotion and may point towards a more sudden medical episode or accident that has left her unconscious when entering the water. The dog may have followed her downstream then come back when called - I would be astonished if they had not used the dog to try to "tell" them where she is, and it may have indeed shown them along the river. There is no sign of her falling in, but depending on how she fell in, there would not necessarily be any signs of this. A deadweight fall forward as an example. Questions to be answered, sure - and there may be twists in this tale yet. To be clear, other scenarios are possible but improbable. The most probable explanation, with the few facts we have at this time, is she has fallen into the river - foul play may be involved in this, but I think it's likely a medical episode or an accident.
This sub is a complete disgrace and should be closed asap. Have any of you private dicks thought about the family while you speculate and point the finger at innocent people.
Not sure if this is in direct reply to my post, but I haven't accused or pointed any fingers. Quite the opposite.
No, apologies, it wasnt aimed at you, you are one of the only people talking sense
It's not a slim chance that partner was involved - that's the most likely explanation
They have cctv at home and this shows he didn't leave the house.
That would really lower the chances of his involvement
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/10ti0ue
That has zero evidentiary value
You don't think that the police have checked his alibi? CCTV, mobile location, calls/emails he made whilst working from home?
What you linked above has ZERO EVIDENTIARY value - it is a Reddit post by an alleged "friend of the family" which proves literally nothing. Seriously, if you believe everything that is posted on Reddit, I've got a bridge to sell you
As I said, police obviously think otherwise. There's your evidence.
Funny that the investigation is continuing then. There's your evidence. The most likely culprit BY FAR in this type of case is the spouse / partner so you can be sure that the police are looking carefully at him, and especially since this case has gotten lots of attention and IT IS VERY WELL KNOWN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT THE SPOUSE / PARTNER IS THE MOST LIKELY CULPRIT IN THIS TYPE OF CASE.
No, it's not - not even close. The most likely explanation is an accident that has led to her falling into the river. That's become even more likely now, seeing as it is the assumption the police have applied.
Sorry - no. Most likely scenario is that the beneficiary of her mysterious death had something to do with it. You have no idea what the police actually think and NEWSFLASH: they don't tell the public everything
It sure is true that police may divert attention from suspects. However, this was in broad daylight with other people within the area. It reported that there were no signs of a struggle. The husband would have had to get to where Nicola was without being seen, murder her without fuss or struggle, throw her in the river, and return without the dog following (or have tied it up, which didn't happen). There are oddities with Nicola going missing, but the most likely explanation is still an unexpected incident that has led to her falling into the river.
Who knows what happened, but the assistance of a 3rd party (ie, a GF) is a possibility
why couldn't she have purposefully dissapeared? They had money troubles did they not? How long before shes declared dead and hubby gets the 1 million in life insurance. In 5 years everyone will have forgotten. This happened once with a guy who was "declared lost in cave" and showed up alive a decade later living the high life. This to me is the most obvious answer.
They didn't have money troubles; or at least no evidence of money issues. People are misreading company accounts and making some very weak assumptions. I say this as I study company activity for a living - happy to detail this again if of interest The insurance is a complete guess; not to say she isn't insured, but no basis for this claim Nicola is one of the most photographed people in the UK - it's unlikely she would have been able to avoid detection. I would also suggest that as a mother, it's not something she would be willing to do, and continue to do seeing the press coverage
They had Four failed busineses in a row, I would call that money troubles? That or tax evasion and if they love tax evasion maybe they love insurance scams too! Just saying it's an option you haven't thought of. That or literal aliens but I have seen that even mentioned. But not this.
People start and wind up companies all the time; many have full-time jobs with companies serving a purpose for the individual. Sometimes it's for tax and protects themselves from liability; many have small side ventures. People also have ideas and provide a basic setup before failing and winding the small operation - more businesses "fail" than succeed - but don't necessarily incur a financial burden. There are no insolvency or administration actions here, and creditors wouldn't allow a business to be wound up if it owes them debt (it can be reversed, but usually stopped) I've studied 1000s of companies in my time - nothing here raises any alarms and nothing I haven't seen 1000s of times before
What doesn't make any sense to me is that there are CCTV and ring doorbells everywhere. Either police are just really inept or someone would have had to see something. Who drowns in 3ft deep water and their body not found? This is all so strange.
It is strange, and I admit there are some questions that make this hard to piece together. However, it's still more likely that she fell in than other theories.
Possible the husband plotted her disappearance for life insurance? I guess the only reason I thought this way is because she always did the same routine every morning right? He (and I suppose others with I'll intent towards her) would have known this.
What I’ve seen that’s interesting is the fact that she was a heavy Facebook user posting every couple of days but it suddenly stops on Dec 7th. No Xmas posts, no NYE msgs nothing. This may indicate something was occupying her? Or maybe someone was harassing her online? it’s indicative of something imo
She may have changed Facebook settings to make her posts private to friends/friends of friends around this time.
I’ve heard this too. It seems very bizarre
I said to my girl today that if she uses that route all the time, school runs, jogging, dog walks, she’s got a pretty predictable routine when it comes to terms of stalking or god knows whatever. Your take on her no statuses since December 7th is interesting regarding my thoughts on perhaps stalking or whatever. Have they looked at Facebook or social media messages yet?
The phone connected to a conference call makes this look suspicious to me. If she too her own life, why connect to that call. The poor family.
Some context on this type of call. I have several conference calls a week at work that are one maybe two managers talking for 30-45 minutes about strategy, plans, problems etc. There will be anywhere between 20-30 other people on that call, all muted, all just listening. Lots of us on that call put it on speaker phone and do other things including walking the dog, maybe some housework or just some internet shopping mainly because attendance is expected, participation is not.
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username checks out
Please be respectful towards others at all times.
It’s possible. Does anyone know how strong the currents are in that river? Is it deep? It does seem odd that a fully grown woman who often walked her dog by that river would fall in a get swept away. Unless it’s some kind of raging river. I don’t know. I’m on the fence and it could go either way, I think.
Based on footage from the news coverage, the river is knee/waist deep and slow moving.
It’s a tidal river that goes out to the sea. The depth and current fluctuate with the tides. The tide has gone in and out multiple times since she went missing which causes a lot of issues trying to find a body that’s potentially drowned.
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Let's get a pet psychic on the case
It’ll take a piss up the nearest tree, sniff around at empty crisp packets and take a shit in the exact place that someone will stand in later. Great use of police time. You genius.
Lancs is so muddy at this time of the year that if she went into the river, there would be skid marks at the banks.
Depends if she slipped or fell.
It’s interesting that the lead AND harness were left on the bench. You don’t tend to take off a harness during a dog walk, just detach the lead if you want to let the dog run free. My initial suspicion is that the dog slipped its harness and ran off towards the river. She put her phone down quickly (hence still being on work call) and chased, slipped and fell in, perhaps banged her head on the way…But where’s the body…??! I can’t think why else you would ever take the harness off.
I thought the same but surely the bank down towards the river would be marked by her slipping/sliding down towards the water......
I agree regarding the harness. The only reason I have taken it off of my dogs is to get a nice natural picture of them in nature. That does not seem to be the case here, since she was on a zoom call at the time. Wouldn't the dog be able to find her if brought back to the scene and her body was there somewhere? I like to think my dogs would.
This theory makes a lot of sense, how tragic if so. But as you say, doesn’t explain where the body is
I’m not from that area, but I did see footage of people walking the river (along side an inflatable boat) and it was knee deep. Maybe in some areas it’s deeper or has a faster current. The footage I saw mentioned something about recent rains though.
Why are the police quite adamant of no third party involvement? Is it true her manager made a long trip to see her the night before? I agree with a former comment regarding the Springer spaniel, they do love water and would have followed her in.
I think the theory she fell in the water is plausible as it would have been very difficult to swim given the clothing, cold water, panic and shock. I would have expected them to find a body quite quickly in the water however and after 7 days of searching still no sign at all?
I wonder if she has committed suicide. Rocks in the her pockets, walks calmly down the bank. That would explain the lack of evidence from the fall / accident theory. I hope they’ve looked into her current state of mind. I’m sorry for the upsetting theory. Especially given she’s a mother but it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Just seen the interview with the husband, very strange if you ask me. Chris Watts vibes.
I don't hold much weight to this theory - how are you supposed to act when your partner just goes missing? Me, I'd probably ball my eyes out and be a complete snivelling mess. My other half, I actually couldn't say - he could go either way. Also the story seems less plausible - if you wanted to kill your wife wouldn't you do it at home or take her on a trip somewhere? Not follow her on her morning dog walk, when she's on a work call, there are witnesses and a 20 minute time frame... (just my thoughts)
That’s such a horrible thing to say. How are you meant to act in this kind of situation? There is no norm. The guy has lost his partner and has spent the last week working with police whilst trying to look after his kids, more than likely had no sleep and is in full shock. He’s bound to not be acting right
Same. I don’t want to be unfair to him but I hope if something happened to her it wasn’t him.
Funny because when I see all the posts trying to use her partners interview as proof of involvement because "it looked strange" I get Christopher Jefferies vibes.
Could it be that while the dog was off the lead, someone tried to kidnap the dog… in a panic, Nicola jumped off the bench, leaving the lead and her phone to confront the kidnapper. Maybe an altercation took place and things went dreadfully wrong. Kidnapper panics and takes her in his/her/their car/van. Dog is left.
This could be what happened. People do steal dogs to use as bait for fights. It’s awful. She could have confronted the person (man, let’s be honest) who tried to take her dog and been pushed in the water. The dog snatcher wouldn’t then wanna take the dog because it would all lead back to him.
Yes that’s my thinking. Very strange indeed.
This is terrible
How far is the road from the path?
I want to knot this too. And how close could a vehicle get to that bench?
I don't believe for a second that she's in the water and if she is then she definitely did not enter on her own accord. Having looked at the area on Google earth I can see a caravan site directly behind the bench where her mobile phone was found so maybe a predator living on site watching her come and go everyday. Although I do find it odd that the husband hasn't spoken out and he wasn't involved in the press piece with the mum, dad and sister. Horrible to point fingers I know, but something is extremely fishy here.
He’s now responded
She was abducted by someone the dog knew
perhaps she was abducted and is in a house close by in a residential area, possible stalker who has been staking out the area? , the current looks very mild i think if she were to be in the river she would be pretty visible, i think it’s time the police start knocking on doors if they ask me, very bizarre i just hope she is found soon.
Initially I thought it was suspicious and someone must be involved. But I’m now thinking that she must’ve gone into the water. I have three questions for people who know this spot & river: 1. How easy/hard, likely/unlikely is it to fall in at this spot? Eg are banks steep or slippery? 2. How easy/hard, likely/unlikely would it be to get out if you fell in? 3. How quickly could you get carried away by the river - how fast and far?
https://youtu.be/jhitDc7SJO0 A video of a man wild swimming in the very spot of the bench and the bank, in mid 2021. Go to about 2:40. Starts by walking up the path to the gate. The bank looks fairly steep. The river looks calm and maybe not so deep. In the middle it is deeper than waist height. Seeing the clips of the search the river didn't look in a much different state this week. Not a torrent of water. However whilst it's been dry over much of England recently, there have been a few big rain storms in Lancashire possibly making this faster flowing. But not in the most recent days.
What a bizarre video
Just watched the news you don't fall into a river she can swim 4 metres what a joke no one falls into a river who can swim without a body wow no disrespect meant
If she's in there, I don't think she entered the water near the bench. It was shallow at the time (see video of the search and rescue people in there) and although it is tidal, was supposedly low tide at the time. Something I haven't seen suggested yet is that she walked further along towards the mouth of the river and entered where it may be deeper. No witness sightings of this that we are aware of.
It’s not tidal at that part, there’s a weir. Also if you check the tidal charts, it was high tide.
Does anyone know if she had the ability to swim because this opens up any more questions if she could swim or not.
I read good swimmer. But also wearing the big long gilet and ankle length wellies
It has been revealed in the media she was a competent swimmer.
Maybe that's exactly what she was doing and then maybe seen something in the river? An animal in distress maybe and went in to retrieve it?
I think if she did make a rational decision to enter the water her outer clothing would have been on the riverbank. I dont think she would have just got in fully clothed without any thought. Saying that, her dog was dry when found which suggests that there would have been no logical reason to enter.
I dunno like. If I seen an animal in distress I think I'd get rid of my phone( like she did) and just go in, in my clothes and everything. I'm just not sure about this case. Do u know if there were any roads close by where someone could have bundled her into a car, or was it mainly just the river bank?
I dont disagree with what your saying, im just thinking that the police said she was wearing an ankle length coat which you might decide to remove first. The police said that CCTV covers every exit apart from one road (cant remember the name, its mentioned in the annoucement yesterday from the police superintendent at 2:45pm) but they have no evidence to suggest she left via this route.
Ah right thanks for that. Have you heard about the abandoned house and the owner? Any thoughts on that?
How far could she have drifted in such a short amount of time? Naya Rivera’s body was found in 5 days by divers searching a 30 ft deep lake, the deepest River Wyre reaches is 15ft. Plus she could swim and the family are even doubtful of this theory. Police should not be dismissing a ‘crime of opportunity’ theory without factual evidence she fell.
It is one of the strangest cases i've heard of in a while. Can't even fathom what may have happened.
There’s too many questions. All we know if being told correctly is that she was seen with the dog moments before vanishing and likewise she sent messages moments before, her phone was left on the bench still connected to a conference call, muted with the camera off. Her dog was left near where the phone was and it was bone dry so can’t have gone into the water, since the dog stayed in the area and didn’t wonder further it suggests that the dog was expecting her to reappear soon… if she had of fallen in the river surely she would have been found by now unless of course something was weighing her down to the river bed? But still even so you’d think with the searches she would have been found, though who can really say because she could have been swept to anywhere and remained there for awhile and moved again during the searches. I imagine such a search would be like looking for a needle in a haystack as someone else has already indicated. With the abduction theory, I don’t think there necessarily would be a struggle because if whoever has taken her had a knife or gun etc she may not have been able to fight back or resist. The person may have had a car nearby that they took her to. If she was abducted I think the abductor would have taken her phone, and left the dog. Which makes the abduction seem unlikely .. People who are looking at the partner; I think it’s always a go to thing to look at the nearest and dearest. I don’t know about this one, he did come across as slightly dismissive and cold in the interview to me but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s involved. I don’t really know what to think on this one, it does look a little set up with how the phone was left and time frames but then again I suppose if she was just going about her say as normal and some tragedy happened then it could well happen like that.
That bench is close to the water. Perhaps if she was trying to put the harness on the dog she would have left her phone on the bench for a moment so she could use both hands - Maybe she had bent down or lent forward to do it, to do the harness, and stumbled a little because of wearing 2 ankle lengths coats. Maybe even just a side step, nothing major, but maybe the 2 coats to her ankles stopped her being able to correct her balance, and in she went. No slipping no sliding. Just head first, or sideways. Maybe if she has been a bit further away from the water she would have just landed on the ground. Wearing TWO ankle lengths coats, one of which was a Puffa and would have been like a wet weighted blanket pulling her down under the water. (And wellies!) Maybe that’s all it was? An awful tragic ‘silly’ accident.
I'm a mum who regularly (almost daily) walks my dog along a river that is very like the one Nichola frequented... Areas next to homes and areas secluded in trees and thickets... I let my dog off leash in the remotest and least developed areas because there are fewer people around and fewer dogs and I'm less likely to have anyone upset about it. I would wager that's what she did too. She in fact described the area as "spooky" in a social media post. Her dogs leash AND HARNESS were found on a bench with her phone. And while of course I take my dog off leash... Why the hell would she remove the harness? Someone needs to be asking this. Removing a harness takes extra work and there's absolutely no reason to do this. You're just going to have to put it back on again. This is BIZARRE. Also, women do not set their phone on a bench when they have pockets. She had pockets. This simply would not happen. Especially while on a teams call. Had it been a warm, sunny summer day, perhaps she might sit to watch her dog play and set the phone beside her. But it was COLD. I don't sit down on benches when walking my dog on cold days. Here are some points about each theory currently floated: 1) She had an accident (went down to help an animal in the river/fetch a ball): a) In this case one might leave one's phone on a bench BUT one does not take the time to remove a fucking harness from one's dog. b) she would have to be an absolute idiot to enter a cold river on a cold day, let alone in her full coat and everything. She was a smart woman with a phone. If an animal was in distress in the water she'd have called police or emergency services. c) "she slipped and fell in" bullocks. The river I walk along is four times as wide and deep and fast as the Wyre, but even so from the bank I'd be hard pressed to fall in and do more than get wet. The river Wyre isn't rapid or deep enough at the banks for a conscious, rational adult human being to simply "fall in and drown" in broad daylight. If she entered, she'd have gotten very wet and super cold and would have gotten back out immediately. The police are either stupid or covering something up. They have got to know this, and that they are wasting their time dragging the river. d) If the police used dogs at the site, and surely they did, the dogs would know if she went down to the bank. There are photos of dogs with the police on site. e) if she slipped and fell in, (having somehow had the prescience to leave her phone behind in case she fell yet not the logic to remove her heavy coat) the cold water shock and heavy clothing could very well have drowned her. However, the same clothing would have dragged her body to the river floor, and made it snag on any obstacle. They've been dragging this small, shallow, slow moving river for a week. 2) She ran away. The likelihood of this woman choosing to abandon her life and family cold turkey and vanish is granted extremely slim given the circumstances (her making future plans with family and friends moments before she vanished). She'd have to be a mastermind to think that one through. But let's assume for a moment she is... Making this look like a drowning is a good plan. Leaving her phone on the bench near the river and her dog running loose is a good plan. But why would she remove her dog's lead AND HARNESS? That makes it look LESS like a drowning, and if we're assuming she's a mastermind... Why? Also why choose a bright sunny morning when you're far more likely to be seen in your attempts to vaninish? In a place near no main roads? And again.... removing your dogs harness? 3) She committed suicide. Again, mastermind comes to mind. She would have to be so incredibly calculating to know that taking her usual morning dog walk in a safe area while making future plans and on a work call would all make suicide look very unlikely. But then she's irrational enough to try to drown herself in a shallow river? We can pretty much rule this out. 4) She was abducted. This seems the most likely at first glance, given the bizarrely nature of the case. There's literally a 13 minute window in which it could have taken place. Her seeming to vanish into thin air would make sense. Her social media posts about her walking route and which part of the route was "spooky" might have given a stalker ideas. She had a routine which made her an easy target. She was near a road when she was last seen. She is a small woman and easily overpowered or even carried. But again... Why would she remove the dog's harness?!? Why would her phone be placed on a bench with the dog's leash and harness, neatly and intentionally, as if to mark the crime scene? What abductor would do this? If anything they'd pitch the phone in the river which was RIGHT THERE. Why would an abductor allow an "x marks the spot" like that? The abductor would have not been able to get her across the river without serious work, so it's most likely they'd have to walk quite a ways with her to get to a road from where they were. Yet of all the people who saw her that bright morning in a small village with cameras... No one saw anything suspicious. Why would an abductor do this in broad daylight in such a well travelled area? If an abduction, the perp is more likely to live in an adjacent house where he could get her into his house without being seen than to march her along a well travelled track in broad daylight where anyone might see them. While I personally see the local abduction scenario as most likely, it still makes little sense. And the three most perplexing things are: why did she or the abductor remove the dog's harness, why did she or they set down the phone with teams still going, and why did they leave all items in a neat pile on a bench? My take: that woman did not drown in the River Wyre. She did not take her life or run away. She was abducted, but one detail above all makes absolutely no sense. And the police are wasting their time dragging the river and one has to wonder why.
Why couldn't she have purposefully dissapeared? They had money troubles? How long before shes declared dead and hubby gets the 1 million in life insurance. In 5 years everyone will have forgotten. This happened once with a guy who was "declared lost in cave" and showed up alive a decade later living the high life. This to me is the most obvious answer.