A final text sent by Nicola Bulley has been revealed during an inquest into her death.

The mum-of-two drowned after entering cold water in St Michael’s, Lancashire, on January 27.

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There would have been a ‘fairly rapid incapacitation’ after Ms Bulley went into the River Wyre, which could have been as cold as 3C.

There is no evidence anyone else was involved in her death, her inquest heard throughout yesterday.

The inquest has also heard about a final text Nicola received before she entered the water.

A friend, Lucy, had been messaging the 45-year-old to discuss a playdate for their children.

The waitress told the inquest how Nicola had messaged her about potential plans the night before she went missing.

Lucy had seen the text the following morning at 8.13am and responded that her daughter would ‘love to come and play.’

At 8.59am, Nicola replied and confirmed a time and added a smiley face emoji to her message, Manchester Evening News reports.

Lucy also told the inquest: ‘We were going to be meeting up, a group of mums, on the Saturday night for a few drinks.’

Yesterday, the inquest was told how two witnesses heard a scream coming from the area of the River Wyre where the 45-year-old was last seen on the day she disappeared.

Drowning experts told the hearing entering into cold water can cause a victim to gasp and inhale water and drown within seconds.

It may have been just seconds before Ms Bulley began to lose consciousness in the river, the hearing was told.

Professor Michael Tipton, a world expert in drowning said he agreed with Home Office pathologist Alison Armour, who conducted a post-mortem examination and concluded the mum-of-two drowned.

He said Ms Armour’s finding of water in the stomach and lungs is consistent with a ‘gasp response’ under water, with liquid entering the body’s organs.

Ms Bulley vanished after dropping off her daughters, six and nine, at school, and taking her usual dog walk along the river in St Michael’s, Lancashire, on January 27.

Her mobile phone, still connected to a work Teams call, was found on a bench overlooking the water. Her body was found in the river about a mile from the bench on February 19.

Prof Tipton told the inquest: ‘In my opinion, given the nature of the likely entry into the water, I would suspect Nikki had a gasp response under the water, initiating the drowning process.

‘On the balance of probability there was a fairly rapid incapacitation due to the cold shock.’

Pc Matthew Thackray, a police underwater diver, said the area where Ms Bulley is believed to have gone into the water has a steep slope.

He added: ‘The river was 4C, so almost freezing, and if she fell in, the muscles would probably seize, making it difficult to swim properly.’

Police analysis of Ms Bulley’s iPhone and Fitbit watch showed the phone’s last human generated interaction was at 9.18am and the watch stopped recording steps beyond 9.30am.

This suggested she entered the water between those two times, the hearing was told.

Ms Bulley, a mortgage adviser originally from near Chelmsford and living in Inskip, was immediately deemed a ‘high risk’ missing person when she disappeared.

Her partner Paul Ansell will give evidence on Tuesday at Preston’s County Hall.

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