DUBROVNIK, CROATIA – Croatian police refused the family of Australian Britt Lapthorne to conduct an independent investigation in Croatia through which they wanted to shed light into what happened to their daughter, the Heraldsun reported. 

The parents intended to hire divers to search the area of the sea in Dubrovnik where Britt’s body was found, but the police refused their request, as that would be illegal. According to Croatian law, foreign citizens cannot conduct investigations on Croatian soil and any evidence they might find would not be admissible in court because it was not found by a police officer.

- All we want to do is find the rest of Britt's body, as any family would. But this is not an unexpected response from the Dubrovnik police. It's as though they are scared of what we might find – Britt’s father, Dale Lapthorne said.

According to Australian media, the area of the sea in which Britt’s lifeless body was found is still considered a crime scene and only police divers are allowed to dive in that area. The Dubrovnik police are planning to conduct another investigation of the sea as soon as the weather clears.