Nicola Bulley latest update: Peter Faulding removed from expert list as mural of missing mother unveiled

On Wednesday, local artist Danny Bench completed a moving mural dedicated to Nicola on Hullbridge Road, after devoting four hours to the bulk of the artwork on Wednesday.

Mr Bench was a family friend and Nicola’s sister Louise Cunningham approved the mural before he began work on it. He had attended the William de Ferrers School alongside Nicola and had taken two days off to complete the play.

“A lot of people stopped and hung out of the windows,” said Mr. Bench Manchester evening news.

“I finished it just before the school run and it got a little crazy when everyone stopped and took pictures and laid flowers. It was really nice for people to stop and see.”

A TikToker who filmed police pulling Nicola Bulley’s body from the River Wyre has been revealed to be hairdresser Curtis Arnold.

The TikTok account dedicated to coverage of the Nicola Bulley case – spun as “media done differently” – has since been removed, but the videos remain on his other social media channels.

Approached by The sunWhen asked, Mr. Arnold admitted that he was behind the video. “Yes. How did you find me?” he replied, admitting that he lied to the police and hid in a field to film the content.

He told the newspaper: “I held the phone up as high as I could and put it on a fence.

“I couldn’t see anything, but I knew my camera would record everything that happened,” observed Mr. Arnold.

As social media spies tried to crack the case, TikTokers, including Mr Arnold, flocked to St Michael’s on Wyre to look for Nicola Bulley. His account amassed more than 13,000 followers and 100,000 likes.

By renaming his original YouTube channel Curtis Cool Stuff, his identity was traced through his digital footprint.

You can find the whole story here:

Specialist Group International (SGI), led by Mr Faulding, was suspended this week pending a review, law enforcement sources have confirmed The times.

Emily Atkinson has the full story:

A TikToker who filmed police lifting Nicola Bulley’s body out of the River Wyre has been named as hairdresser Curtis Arnold.

The 34-year-old posted footage of officers searching the water’s edge on multiple social media channels, with Mr Arnold admitting to making money from royalties.

The TikTok account dedicated to coverage of the Nicola Bulley case – spun as “media done differently” – has since been removed, but the footage remains online elsewhere.

Approached by The sun, Mr. Arnold admitted he was behind the account. “How did you find me?” he replied.

The public refers to it. You have connected to this traumatic event and are desperate for a solution.

When a loved one goes missing, hundreds of questions remain waiting to be answered. How could that happen? Where are they? Will they ever be found? Did they run away? Were they attacked? Is this a tragic accident? Has anyone harmed them? Do you suffer? Are you sure?

When a loved one goes missing, there are hundreds of questions waiting to be answered, writes psychologist Dr jessica taylor

The private specialist who helped find Nicola Bulley has been removed from the National Crime Agency’s list of experts.

Peter Faulding led a team of experts and divers to assist Lancashire Police in searching the river with special sonar equipment.

Their search lasted two and a half days, scanning a three-mile stretch of the river between St Michael and Cartford Bridge, but yielded no results.

Nicola Bulley was sadly pulled from the River Wyre last Sunday after members of the public alerted police to a suspicious body, more than three weeks after it was last sighted on January 27.

Specialist Group International (SGI) was suspended this week while a review is conducted.

Throughout the investigation, Mr. Faulding did not believe she was in the water.

Ms Bulley had disappeared on January 27 while walking her dog after taking her children to school earlier that morning.

Police said two hikers using a path well-trodden by officers found her and the body was officially identified the next day.

My colleague Matt Mathers reports:

Since Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, the police, social media spies and the media have been widely criticized.

The body of the 45-year-old was pulled from the River Wye in Lancashire on Sunday but a number of questions remained unanswered.

Here, the PA news agency examines what investigations have been launched since her body was recovered and why they are necessary.

TikTok has threatened to remove users who are spreading misinformation about Nicola Bulley after the social media app was criticized for allowing conspiracy theories to spread on its platform during the search for the mother-of-two.

The social media app said it will “take action” against people who violate its community guidelines when they post content about Ms Bulley’s case.

Police confirmed on Monday that a body found in the river about a mile from where Ms Bulley was last seen was that of the missing 45-year-old.

Ms Bulley has been missing for more than three weeks and amateur detectives, online investigators and social media influencers have descended on St Michael’s on Wyre to search for her.

They posted content containing misinformation and unsubstantiated claims about Ms. Bulley, some of which was viewed thousands of times.

My colleague Matt Mathers reports:

Police watchdogs have launched an investigation after an officer carried out a welfare check at Nicola Bulley’s family home days before she disappeared.

Ms Bulley’s body was pulled from the River Wyre in Lancashire on Sunday, more than three weeks after she was last seen on January 27.

On Wednesday, an inquest opening heard how the 45-year-old mother of two was identified from her dental records.

A spokesman for the IOPC confirmed an inquiry had been opened, saying: “Following a referral from Lancashire Constabulary on Thursday, we have opened an independent inquiry into the force’s contact with Nicola Bulley on 10 January 2023.