September 27th 2024.
Paul had finally decided to speak to the BBC about his wife, Nicola's, tragic death. It was the first time he had spoken to the media since she was found dead. He opened up about the overwhelming public interest in her disappearance, which he described as a "monster" that got out of control.
At first, Paul and his family welcomed the attention from the media and the public. They hoped that it would help bring Nicola home, but instead, they received hurtful messages from amateur "sleuths" who were obsessed with the case. These individuals spread false information and hateful messages online, causing the family to receive online hate.
Paul shared, "I think anything like that is a double-edged sword. That's the problem. You're poking a monster." Despite their initial hope, the constant attention and speculation only added to the family's pain and suffering.
Nicola, a mother of two, had disappeared on January 27, 2023 while walking her dog near the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre. Her body was tragically found in the river on February 19. The inquest in June of that year concluded that she had died due to accidental drowning.
As a couple, Paul and Nicola shared two daughters who were deeply impacted by their mother's disappearance and death. A BBC documentary, titled "The Search For Nicola Bulley," explores the media coverage of the case and the impact of amateurs conducting their own investigations. It also features interviews with Lancashire Police and Nicola's family.
The documentary reveals the turmoil that the family went through during the search for Nicola and how it affected their young children. Paul shared, "The nights were the hardest. In the morning, the hope would be strong. But as the days got shorter, the darkness would set in earlier, and I would start to panic. We only had a limited time to find her before the girls came home from school and asked, 'Have we found mummy yet?'"
The ongoing search also sparked frenzied speculation and numerous conspiracy theories online, with amateur detectives even traveling to Lancashire to "help" the police. Paul shared that he received direct messages from strangers accusing him of hiding information and even threatening him.
He said, "On top of the trauma of the nightmare that we're in, to then think that all these horrendous things are being said about me towards Nikki – everyone has a limit."
At a news conference held shortly before Nicola's body was found, Lancashire Police revealed that she had been struggling with significant alcohol issues due to the menopause. Her sister, Louise Cunningham, shared that Nicola had stopped taking her HRT medication and turned to alcohol to cope.
She said, "It was literally a normal, weird blip. That's the most honest answer I can give you."
Paul still sees glimpses of Nicola in their daughters every day, in their mannerisms and actions. He shared, "I see her in the girls every single day. I see all these little mannerisms in them and I'm like, 'That was Mummy, you know?' And that is worth everything, I think."
Last year, a coroner ruled Nicola's death as accidental, stating that she had fallen into the river and suffered from cold water shock. There was no evidence to suggest suicide. Despite this conclusion, the media frenzy and amateur investigations continued.
The police even accused individuals on TikTok of playing "detective" in the area, causing them to be overwhelmed with false information and rumors. A report by the College of Policing found that the force had lost control of the public narrative early on in the case, and that trust between the police and media needed to be rebuilt. It also concluded that releasing personal information about Nicola's health struggles was "avoidable and unnecessary."
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