Human remains believed to belong to missing teenager Pheobe Bishop have been discovered just hours after her two housemates appeared in court charged with her murder.
Police found the remains at around 2.30pm near Good Night Scrub National Park, close to Gin Gin in Queensland, Australia. Although formal identification is yet to take place, officers are in contact with Phoebe’s family. A crime scene has been established at the location, and forensic examinations are ongoing.
The discovery came shortly after James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, faced Bundaberg Magistrates Court, each charged with murder and interfering with a corpse.
Pheobe, 17, had been living with the pair at a home in Gin Gin before her disappearance on May 15. Wood and Bromley were reportedly the last people to see her alive after driving her towards Bundaberg Airport.
Following the announcement by Queensland Police, Phoebe’s mother, Kylie Johnson, described the news as “ripping me apart”.
She said: “I didn't think my heart could break anymore then it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid, but this! This is ripping me apart.”
She added: “Like most rural families we are resilient, proud and strong but this has brought us to our knees like no drought ever could. This vigil is a way of our family acknowledging Phoebe's impact on our community. While we don't have Phee home to put to rest just yet, our community needs the healing process to start.”
A candlelight vigil is planned in the local community on Sunday night.
Pheobe went missing after failing to board a flight from Bundaberg Airport to Brisbane, from where she was due to fly to Western Australia to visit her boyfriend. Her luggage has not been found, and police said neither her phone nor bank accounts have been accessed since her disappearance.
Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said police would allege Phoebe was murdered and her body had been moved more than once.
“Both of those accused have engaged with their lawyers and we are hoping to engage with them in the near future with that very prospect,” he said.
He confirmed that telephone data led investigators to Good Night Scrub National Park.
Detective Inspector Mansfield added that Pheobe had not actually reached the airport, but had arrived at Airport Drive. He said: “We will allege that our evidence will outline that three people arrived near to the airport and three people never exited that vehicle. Our investigations have been complex and protracted over the past three weeks. Those investigations have afforded us evidence to put both of those individuals before the court.”
Police continue to appeal for information about Pheobe’s disappearance and the movements of a grey Hyundai IX35 between May 15 and 18 around the greater Gin Gin area.
When Wood was arrested, he was barefoot, wearing grey sweatpants, a silver identity bracelet, and a black "Phantom Menace" t-shirt. Police were heard placing him "under arrest for the homicide of Phoebe Bishop" before he was put into an unmarked police vehicle.
During Friday’s hearing, Pheobe's sister, Kaylea Bishop, 18, sat in the front row of the courtroom, dressed in black with visibly red eyes. She stared straight ahead as details of the charges were read out, flanked by family, friends, and a court security guard.
