Nicola Bulley: Missing mum's family 'stuck in a nightmare' - BBC

The household of missing Nicola Bulley person made an affectional entreaty for her harmless return, with her sister insisting "people don't conscionable vanish into bladed air".

The 45-year-old was past seen connected a riverside canine locomotion successful St Michael's connected Wyre, Lancashire, past Friday morning.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Bulley's sister Louise Cunningham said it felt similar they were "stuck successful a nightmare".

Detectives earlier said they had recovered a imaginable witness.

"We're going circular and circular successful circles trying to portion unneurotic what could person perchance happened," Ms Cunningham said.

Lancashire Police earlier released a CCTV representation of a pistillate who was walking a tiny achromatic canine successful the area.

She had since been identified, the unit said.

Officers antecedently said the woman, who was captured connected CCTV astatine astir 08:50 GMT connected Allotment Lane, adjacent to wherever Ms Bulley was past seen, mightiness person accusation to assistance the investigation.

A large hunt involving constabulary divers, drones, a chopper and sniffer dogs has been continuing, but nary hint of Ms Bulley has been found.

Her sister added: "We conscionable privation her home, we request her home, her children request her home. It's perfectly heartbreaking."

Ms Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, 44, said the household was surviving successful "perpetual hell" with 2 girls "desperate to person their mummy back".

Police were alerted aft Ms Bulley's canine was recovered moving escaped disconnected Garstang Road astir 25 minutes aft she was past spotted by a witness.

Her telephone was aboriginal recovered connected a bench, inactive connected to a enactment call.

A harness and pb for her springer spaniel, Willow, was besides discovered connected the bench.

Police said officers were keeping an "open mind" astir what happened, but did not judge Ms Bulley had been attacked.

There is thing to suggest immoderate 3rd enactment engagement successful Ms Bulley's disappearance, the unit added.

Supt Sally Riley said: "We cognize that Nicola going missing has caused a large woody of interest for the wider section community, arsenic good arsenic evidently being an atrocious clip for her family.

"I admit that determination are unanswered questions astir what has happened to Nicola, but I would impulse radical not to speculate oregon dispersed mendacious rumours."

Ms Bulley's parents earlier told the Mirror that her 2 daughters, aged six and nine, who she had conscionable dropped disconnected astatine school, were "sobbing their hearts out" due to the fact that "mummy is lost".

A cardinal witness, who was walking a achromatic fluffy canine successful the area, was located and spoken to connected Tuesday.

A pistillate called Amanda said she and her hubby saw Ms Bulley and her canine soon earlier she disappeared.

"It is simply a woman that comes connected [the walk] each day. The canine you spot each day. I judge determination has been a telephone left," she said.

"Just an implicit mystery. Can't explicate it."

Another pistillate successful the country told the BBC she had seen the canine moments aft it was found.

She recognised the spaniel and knew who it belonged to, adding that it was "bone dry" and showed nary signs of having been successful the stream that morning.