Why are armchair detectives and TikTok sleuths obsessed with the case of Nicola Bulley?

On Friday, January 27th, Nicola Bulley (45) dropped her two children to primary school in a Lancashire village. She walked around the corner to a popular local riverbank where she was in the habit of walking her dog, Willow, after school drop off. And then she disappeared.

A timeline has been established: she works as a mortgage adviser and at 8.53am, she emailed her boss. She logged into a Teams call at 9.01am and was seen walking the dog in a nearby field 10 minutes later. Mobile phone data puts her at a riverside bench at 9.20am, where 13 minutes later a local found her phone, still logged in to the Teams call. Willow was there – his harness was on the riverbank but Ms Bulley had vanished. Police found no evidence of foul play and believe she somehow entered the river.

While the official police search continues, there is a parallel – unofficial - investigation. Call it the true crime Netflix effect or the result of a popular culture soaked in glossy TV police procedurals but the puzzling disappearance has prompted a troubling surge in amateur detectives getting involved – online and on the ground. Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul visited St Michael’s on Wyre, the village where Ms Bulley disappeared – and the impact of the amateur sleuths is clear to see.

This episode of In the News is presented by Bernice Harrison; produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlan