Nicola Bulley police handed 'stained' glove just yards from where she disappeared as ex-detective highlights major error

Police searching for Nicola Bulley were handed a “stained” glove that had been in the same field that the missing woman was last seen.

The 45-year-old mum went missing on January 27 and the search has entered its third week.

Nicola was last seen walking her brown spaniel Willow near the River Wyre in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire.

Police believe Bulley may have “have fallen into the river for some reason”.

The police have said her disappearance was not being treated as suspicious.

Now, it has been revealed that a potentially key piece of evidence was taken away in an evidence bag last week while the police kept to their theory that Nicola fell into the river.

A blue ski glove was found by two walkers and posted onto the social media platform TikTok, the video has since been removed.

A former detective has said police should have removed the bench where Nicola's phone was found.
Peter Byrne

The person who shared the footage also claimed that the glove was stained but did not specify what with.

The glove was later bagged and given to the police for further investigation.

It comes as an ex-detective highlighted major errors made by the police in their initial investigation into Nicola’s disappearance.

Former Detective Chief Inspector at Sussex Police and crime commissioner for Dorset, Martin Underhill, said that the police should have removed the bench where Nicola’s phone was found and searched for any blood that may be on it.

“That bench on that river in my view should have gone to a forensic laboratory," he told The Times.

“If Nicola had been attacked there could be blood spattering on it. Sadly it’s still in situ. It is questionable to put it bluntly."

Yesterday, the forensic expert who led the river search for Nicola said there is “no evidence to rule anything out” in her disappearance.

Peter Faulding, the chief executive of Specialist Group International, said that it was “crazy” police have not considered other reasons other than drowning.

Police are looking into a key 10 minute window in which Nicola disappeared.
PA Graphics/Press Association Images

He explained: “The police divers who are highly professional, searched the river thoroughly that day, thoroughly all the way down that strip, and from all my experience of looking at cases like this, we find people where they go down.

“And that's a fact. They don't drift unless it's a really, really heavily flooded river when they move down. But it was not at the time and that was confirmed by the family.

“I don't think there's any evidence to rule anything out. I mean, I've already been very blunt with [Nicola’s partner] Paul, and I've spent a lot of time with Paul and just said to them, we've got to potentially be prepared for the worst here.”

The police are set to host a press conference later today to update the public on the process of their search into her disappearance.

The briefing will take place as speculation about what might have happened to her has continued to grow in the 19 days since she vanished.