The name “Tim Barnes” has gone viral on TikTok as internet detectives continue to offer theories about the Nicola Bulli case.
Nicola Bulli was last seen at 9:15 am on Friday, January 27, after driving her two daughters to school. She took the family dog Willow for a walk to the River Wire, as she often did.
The search for the Lancashire mum, which has included scouring divers, mountain rescuers, sniffer dogs and helicopters, continues as she has been missing for two weeks.
After the disappearance of Nicola Bulli, TikTok investigators, that is, the general public, began to invest in this case, creating a network of unproven theories around abandoned houses, attics, and now the name “Tim Barnes”.
The Tim Barnes TikTok Conspiracy
TikTok users are sharing videos trying to link the name “Tim Barnes” to the Nicola Bulli investigation. According to the video, someone named Tim Barnes commented “take care” in Bulli’s Facebook post at some point after her disappearance.
In a completely unrelated 2000 criminal investigation, a man with the same name was under suspicion for the murder of his fiancée, also named Nicola, but he was never charged.
The TikTok videos that made “Tim Barnes” go viral essentially claim it could be the same person.
The police have not released any information regarding “Tim Barnes”.
It should be made clear that this claim has no evidence whatsoever and the police have not released any information linking anyone with that name to the disappearance of Nicola Bulli.
Lancashire Police issued two dispersal orders to disperse groups that had arrived in the village of St Christopher (where Bully lives), including amateur investigators and people filming police action in the area where Nicola went missing.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Bully’s friend Emma White said: “The dispersal order is what an abuse of police time and a waste of valuable resources that almost deprives us of the ultimate goal of getting Nikki home.” She added: “That’s why we say: don’t speculate, don’t make up any conspiracy theories and certainly don’t take the law into your own hands.”
The search for Nicole Bulli moves to the sea
Police believe Nicola fell into the river, but underwater searches have so far failed to find her. With the search now in its 14th day, the police have moved the search effort out to sea to begin trawling in Morecambe Bay.
Three blind spots were reportedly found around the area where she went missing after police admitted she may have left the area via a path not covered by cameras.