Death of Nicola Bulley

On 27 January 2023, 45-year-old British woman Nicola Bulley disappeared whilst walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, England. Lancashire Constabulary said that there was no evidence of either suspicious activity or third-party involvement in the disappearance and quickly stated that their working hypothesis was that she had fallen into the River Wyre. However, an extensive search of the river and surrounding land involving police divers, helicopters, sniffer dogs and drones found no body.

On 19 February, two walkers found Bulley's body in the river, about one mile (1.5 kilometres) downstream of St Michael's on Wyre. The inquest, which concluded in June 2023, determined that Bulley's death was due to accidental drowning.

The police were criticised for their handling of the case, including releasing private details of Bulley's health and poorly communicating with the media which resulted in public speculation. Members of the public, particularly users of social media, were also criticised for travelling to the area during the search and for what the police described as "[playing] private detectives".