The fact that the police have done cell site on his phone suggests they have classified him as high risk, because we can’t get those enquiries authorised otherwise.
Missing persons
It will be a resource-intensive investigation, led by a senior detective, and in terms of staffing, resource provision, tactics etc will be similar to a murder investigation. The fact that it is getting scrutinised by national media and his mother has criticised their response means it will also be deemed a critical incident
Introduction
which means more hands-on scrutiny from more senior managers. One of those managers will have as part of their responsibility the press strategy. In a case I have familiarity with this went as far as taking independent expert advice on the gender, ethnicity and age of the police officer used to make the statements that would be most likely to generate a response from the target audience (which wasn’t the general public).
The decision not to search a landfill will not have been taken lightly, and will not have been influenced by lack of staff or costs.
And just to add to all that, bizarrely the officers involved are normal people with their own families and loved ones, and might just have some empathy with his family and take some personal interest in trying to find someone’s missing son…