Gabby Petito: police are criticized for handling the case after the disappearance of Brian Laundrie

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Police have been criticized for failing to interview Gabby Petitos’ boyfriend after the Youtuber went missing.

A body has been found in Wyoming and is believed to be that of the missing Gabby Petito, US officials said on Sunday.

Her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who had refused to cooperate with any police investigation, is now also missing.

Brian Laundrie would have shown up at his parents’ house in Florida without Gabby Petito on September 1.

He had been traveling with her since July in a converted van on a hike across the country to visit the national parks of the Americas.

Ms Petitos’ family filed a September 11 missing persons report with Suffolk County Police in New York City, and Mr Laundrie, 23, has been identified as a person of interest in the case.

He was last seen on Tuesday by family members in Florida. Investigators had asked Mr. Laundrie and his lawyer for days to cooperate with the search, only to learn during a visit to his home on Friday that his parents had not seen him for three days.

Police are now facing questions as to why they did not obtain a search warrant for Mr. Laundrie.

Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade homicide detective, told Fox News: Why would you want [try to] get the guy’s consent, and now get a search warrant?

You can get a search warrant for everything in this house, including his laptop.

Mr Diaz said an examination of the laundry electronics on the day Gabby Petito went missing could have given police clues as to her whereabouts. Mr Diaz said police would not necessarily have needed to suspect a crime to obtain a search warrant in a missing persons case.

A spokesperson for the North Port Police Department said they were limited in what they could do.

Spokesman Josh Taylor said: The department does not have the authority to execute a potential federal search warrant on its own. I fail to see how anyone without all the facts in this matter can come to a reasonable conclusion and opinion on the matter.

He added: There is no information that a crime has taken place here in North Port. It is our competence.

Counsel for Ms Petitos’ parents, Richard Stafford, said on Friday: The whole Gabbys family wants the world to know Brian hasn’t gone missing, he’s in hiding. Gabby is missing.

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