Coroners confirmed the body found in the River Wyre last weekend was Nicola Bulley, 45, after identifying her via dental records.

The details were delivered as an inquest into her death opened at Lancashire Coroner’s Court today.

The inquest commenced with an initial hearing at 12pm today at Preston Coroner’s Court.

Expectations are that the initial hearing will prove short-lived, with a full inquest following later this year. 

Lancashire’s Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley confirmed the details to Lancashire Live.

The inquest will seek to determine the circumstances around the late mother-of-two’s tragic death.

Coroners typically hold inquests when a reported death is deemed unnatural, unexpected or suspicious. 

The first step in the process is a post-mortem, which sees officials clarify the cause of death. 

According to Lancashire Live, officials use non-invasive methods such as CT scans to carry out their investigations. 

If this doesn’t produce the required results, they may turn to more invasive methods. 

Ms Bulley’s disappearance on January 27 launched a frantic investigation carried out by Lancashire Police. 

Officials combed the area around St Michael’s Upon Wyre for three weeks after she went missing without any significant developments. 

Her body was discovered just a mile from the footpath on the River Wyre, where she was last seen walking her dog, Willow.

Her devastated family said in a statement that, with the search now concluded, she can now “rest”. 

They said: “Nikki, you are no longer a missing person, you have been found, we can let you rest now.

“We love you, always have and always will, we will take it from here.”

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