An underwater forensics expert believes missing mother Nicola Bulley’s phone was left by the river as a decoy.
Police called in Specialist Group International (SGI) to help trawl the River Wyre for the dog walker.
The case has “truly baffled” founder Peter Faulding.
He admits there are many ambiguities, and prior to joining the search yesterday, he stated that if Nicola was in the river, SGI’s equipment would find her in under an hour.
Despite finding few clues so far, he has since stated that he believes she went into the water and is planning to return later today.
Mr Faulding stated that all the police have right now is Nicola’s phone, which was found on a bench overlooking the area where investigators believe she may have fallen in.
Her dog was discovered wandering alone nearby, without her harness or lead.
Mr Faulding stated on TalkTV last night: “After 25 years of doing this type of work and hundreds of cases, I am completely perplexed.”
“People who drown usually go down where they are. Even after a few days, we usually find them within five to ten metres of where they fell.
“This is the most baffling case that I have ever worked on. The police have nothing to go on.
“All they have is a mobile phone at the moment and they said it could possibly be a decoy.”