Nicola Bulley’s heartbroken family said said she could ‘rest now’ – as it was revealed her body was discovered by a ‘psychic’.
Her family said police confirmed their ‘worst fears’ after officers said the body pulled from the River Wyre was the missing mother-of-two.
The 45-year-old was discovered a mile from the bench on the banks of the Lancashire river where her mobile phone was recovered 23 days earlier.
Peter Lawson, Lancashire’s assistant chief constable, said her family were ‘devastated’.
He added: ‘Today’s development is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, but we hope it can at least start to provide some answers for Nicola’s loved ones.’
Her partner Paul Ansell, 44, and relatives said officers had confirmed their worst fears when the body found on Sunday was formally identified as the mother of two.
The 45-year-old was discovered a mile from the bench on the banks of the Lancashire river where her mobile phone was recovered 23 days earlier.
Peter Lawson, Lancashire’s assistant chief constable, said her family were ‘devastated’.
He added: ‘Today’s development is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, but we hope it can at least start to provide some answers for Nicola’s loved ones.’
Grieving relatives were not at the press conference but said in a statement: ‘Our family liaison officers have had to confirm our worst fears today.
‘We will never be able to comprehend what Nikki had gone through in her last moments and that will never leave us.
‘We will never forget Nikki, how could we, she was the centre of our world, she was the one who made our lives so special and nothing will cast a shadow over that.
‘Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most.’
Paying further tribute to Ms Bulley at the end of their statement, the family added: ‘To those who genuinely helped and supported us, privately, we thank you.
‘The community support in St Michael’s, friends, neighbours and strangers has been nothing short of comforting and heart-warming. Friends you know who you are. Thank you.
‘Our hearts truly break for others who have missing loved ones. Keep that hope alive.
‘Finally, Nikki, you are no longer a missing person, you have been found, we can let you rest now.
‘We love you, always have and always will, we’ll take it from here.’
They also spoke of the pain they felt for other families after the case became a focal point for the 170,000 people who go missing in the UK every year.
The family also addressed the upset caused by the intrusion they had suffered after Lancashire Constabulary lost control of the case. Despite detectives believing Ms Bulley had fallen in the river due to her ‘specific vulnerabilities’, they allowed a vacuum of information to open that led to cruel online sleuths suggesting Mr Ansell or other friends and family could be involved in some sort of criminal act.
Addressing the upset caused by this, Ms Bulley’s family said they would one day ‘have to explain’ to her daughters how her friends and relatives were ‘vilified’. ‘This is absolutely appalling, they have to be held accountable, this cannot happen to another family,’ they said.
The family also criticised some of the press coverage and asked for privacy as they thanked those who ‘genuinely helped and supported us’.
Police did not disclose the reasons it had taken 23 days to find her body in the river.
Speaking at the force’s HQ, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said the body had been identified as Ms Bulley and described the investigation as ‘hugely complex and highly emotional’.
He did not take questions from the media.
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’.
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.’
The sudden disappearance from the quiet village of St Michael’s on Wyre sparked a national frenzy.
For more than three weeks wild theories circulated online that she could have been snatched or run away as Lancashire Constabulary failed to explain why it was focusing its efforts on the river.
Mr Ansell and their two daughters, aged six and nine, held out hope she was alive, asking how she could have ‘vanished into thin air’. But those hopes were cruelly dashed when self-styled ‘spiritual medium’ Jason Rothwell saw her entangled in the reeds on Sunday morning.
The fact that a psychic discovered Ms Bulley – and not one of hundreds of police involved in the search – is a final embarrassment for the beleaguered Lancashire force, which had scoured that stretch of river at least twice.
Officers did not reveal Ms Bulley was ‘vulnerable’ when she went missing and painted her as an ‘every mum’, sparking frenzied speculation as to how she could have vanished. Their probe became derailed by TikTok detectives and mediums flooding the small village to try to trace her.
Among them was spiritual medium Jason Rothwell, 33, found the mother-of-two’s body in the River Wyre yesterday.
He was seen in pictures pointing to the waters where Lancashire Police massed yesterday afternoon.
Mr Rothwell, from Oldham, said before the press conference: ‘I was not asked by the police or Nicola’s family to become involved in this case, but having seen the wild speculation and hurtful commentary that has been ongoing, and having previously assisted in the recovery of Michael Brooks, I decided to use whatever ‘gift’ it is we mediums possess to try and locate Nicola Bulley.
‘My thoughts and prayers are with her family, friend and loved ones at this time.’
Ms Bulley’s family were informed following the discovery of the body and while Lancashire Police began identification procedures.
In a message to Sky News on Sunday, before the body was identified, Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell said: ‘No words right now, just agony.
‘We’re all together, we have to be strong.’
It is understood that a man and a woman discovered the body and called police.
Lancashire Constabulary said officers were called to the River Wyre close to Rawcliffe Road at around 11.35am.
‘An underwater search team and specialist officers have subsequently attended the scene, entered the water and have sadly recovered a body,’ a statement said.
The body was found on a stretch of the river just past a slight bend, a mile or so outside the village, close to where a tree had fallen on its side half in and half outside the water, with branches and undergrowth partially submerged.
Police had earlier erected a tent and cordoned off the lane while police divers were called in, but the road was reopened around three hours later once the body was recovered.
On Monday morning, police officers and community support officers were in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre.