Police confirm body found in river is missing mom Nicola Bulley

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Body found in a Lancashire river confirmed to be Nicola Bulley

A mother of two went missing over two weeks ago while walking her dog in St. Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire, England. Her body is confirmed to be found and was located in a river about a mile down the area she disappeared.

British police have confirmed that the body found in the River Wyre Sunday is missing mother Nicola Bulley. 

Lancashire police made the announcement during a news conference Monday. They said Bulley's family has been notified and are "devastated."

"She was the center of our world," a family statement read by police said. "Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most."

The statement continued to say that it saddened the family to think that one day they will have to explain to Bulley's children that the media and members of the public accused their father of wrongdoing in the disappearance, as well as "misquoted" and "vilified" friends and family. 

BODY FOUND DURING SEARCH FOR NICOLA BULLEY, MISSING MOTHER OF 2: REPORT

Body found in the search for a missing British mother of two who went missing Jan. 27 confirmed to be Nicola Bulley, pictured left. (Facebook/Nicola Bulley)

Bulley, 45, vanished on Jan. 27 after dropping her children off at school. She was last seen walking her springer spaniel on a path by the river, but her cell phone was found on a nearby bench still connected to a work conference call and her dog was found between the bench and the river. 

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Her body was found about a mile from where she was last seen, BBC stated. 

The Lancashire police department, which dedicated 40 detectives to the investigation, came under increasing criticism the longer the case went unsolved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.