The detective leading the search for missing Nicola Bulley was today absent from the press conference where under-fire Lancashire Police confirmed that the body pulled from the river yesterday was the mother-of-two.
Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith criticised social media for ‘distracting the investigation’ as the force came under fire after it took them 24 days to find remains in the reeds of the Wyre less than a mile from where mortgage advisor Ms Bulley was last seen.
She did not appear at tonight’s press conference where officers confirmed the body was Ms Bulley.
It comes after Lancashire Police sparked fury today after it replied to a tweet showing the senior officer depicted as a Lego figure with a heart emoji during the search for Ms Bulley.
Force staff admired the toy lookalike of Det Supt Smith, saying ‘we will make sure she sees this’ alongside a heart emoji.
Sharing a picture of the figurine on Twitter on February 16, as the hunt for the missing mother continued, its creator wrote: ‘I don’t know Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith of Lancashire Police but I do know she’s doing everything in her power to find Nicola Bulley. DSU Smith makes a pretty formidable Lego Minifigure too, if I do say so myself! Please give it a retweet so she sees it.’
Lancashire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson listens next to Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables at a press conference after Nicola Bulley’s body was found in the River Wyre
During a press conference on February 15, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith mentioned for the first time Ms Bulley had ‘specific vulnerabilities’
The exchange on Twitter prompted criticism from force followers during the missing probe
Lancashire Police have been criticised over the handling of Ms Bulley’s missing person case
However the brief exchange sparked outrage from people following the force.
In a reply sure to raise further questions over police judgement, staff responded with a blue heart emoji and said: ‘We’ll make sure she sees this.’
There was no response to MailOnline this afternoon on if and when Det Supt Smith was shown the Lego figure.
One asked: ‘Why don’t you focus on conducting yourselves with dignity and integrity instead of engaging with tweets and liking pro Lancashire police tweets? You’re turning this case into a farce, now you’re engaging with irrelevant tit for tat online, publicly, it’s disgusting.’
Another said: ‘Utterly inappropriate response. Just mind numbingly irrelevant.’
The figure was was made by popular Twitter account Brick Cop, who is an anonymous real-life officer who makes the toys in their spare time.
Lancashire Police has come under criticism for the way it has handled the disappearance of Ms Bulley on January 27.
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Police officers walk past flowers and yellow ribbons tied to a bridge for Nicola Bulley over the River Wyre this morning
The force gave no hint she may have been vulnerable when they posted an appeal for witnesses.
Instead, experts said, it portrayed her as an ‘everymum’ with no problems or reason to go missing.
On February 3 the force suggested she was not unwell and not being treated for any illness or taking any medication.
Then on February 15 it mentioned for the first time Ms Bulley had some ‘specific vulnerabilities’.
Hours later it went even further and in an extraordinary briefing, disclosed she had ‘significant issues with alcohol brought on by ongoing struggles with menopause’.
And on February 16, just after 2.06pm, it released a statement from the family.
It read: ‘It has now been three weeks since Nikki went missing. We, as a family, believe that the public focus has become distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her and Paul’s private life.
‘As a family, we were aware beforehand that Lancashire Police, last night, released a statement with some personal details about our Nikki.
A red rose, daffodils and a yellow ribbon with a message on a footbridge over the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre
‘Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop.
‘The police know the truth about Nikki and now the public need to focus on finding her.
‘Due to the perimenopause Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT to help but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT, thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis.’
It comes as police said a body found in a river has been identified as missing mother-of-two Ms Bulley.
Speaking at a press briefing at police headquarters, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said: ‘Sadly, we are now able to confirm that yesterday we recovered Nicola Bulley from the River Wyre. Nicola’s family have been informed and are of course devastated. Our thoughts are with them at this time as well as with all her loved ones and the wider community.
‘We recognise the huge impact that Nicola’s disappearance has had on her family and friends, but also on the people of St Michael’s.
‘We would like to thank all of those who have helped during what has been a hugely complex and highly emotional investigation. Today’s development is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, but we hope that it can at least start to provide some answers for Nicola’s loved ones, who remain foremost in our thoughts.’
In a statement, Ms Bulley’s family said she was ‘the centre of our world’ adding they would ‘never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us’.
