Police searching for a missing mother who disappeared while walking her dog have found a witness they want to speak to.
Nicola Bulley, 45, was last seen walking along the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire a week ago.
Lancashire Police believe she may have fallen into the river.
On Saturday, police released a photo of a possible witness who was seen in the area at the time.
The force launched a search on January 27 to trace a woman who was seen walking along Garstang Road and Blackpool Lane, wearing a yellow coat and pushing a pram.
Later that evening, the force wrote that it was “delighted to say that the woman came forward very quickly”, stressing that she was “being treated very much as a witness”.
“[The woman] was one of many people in St Michael’s on Friday January 27,” Lancashire Police wrote in a Facebook post.
“Our inquiries to find Nicola are extensive and will involve speaking to as many members of the public as possible.”
Ms Billy was last seen walking her dog, Willow, near the River Wyre after dropping her two children off at primary school.
The spaniel was found about 25 minutes after Ms Billy was last seen by another dog walker at around 09:10 GMT.
Detectives have also launched a new appeal for drivers who may have dashcam footage of the area where Ms Bulley was last seen driving ahead.
“It’s really important that we collect as much footage as possible from the area this morning, so that we can scrutinize every piece to see if Nicola can be seen,” a spokesman said.
A massive search is underway for Ms Bulley, involving police divers, drones and a helicopter – but so far, nothing has been found to explain her disappearance.
Police said their “working hypothesis is that she fell into the river for some reason”, adding that there was “no evidence” of anything suspicious.
Supt Sally Reilly of Lancashire Police told the Sunday Times that officers found “no evidence of a slip or fall” near the bench where Nicola’s mobile phone was found but said there was evidence of a sheer fall from the river bank. No trace may remain.
“I think if it was a sloping bank, a common sense theory would be that you would expect to find scuff marks,” Supt Reilly said.
“If it’s sheer and you lose your footing, you might not have a mark left on the grass. It’s all very detailed.”
Ms Bulley’s sister, Louise Cunningham, has urged people to “keep an open mind” about what may have happened, insisting there is “no evidence” she fell into the river.
In a post on Facebook, she said: “Please keep sharing my Nikki”, adding that suggestions she fell into the river were “just a theory”.
