Third person charged after Pheobe Bishop’s death

A third person has been charged in connection to the alleged murder of Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop.

A 30-year-old man allegedly used Pheobe’s phone to interfere with the police investigation.

He was arrested about 7pm on Monday in Bundaberg West, and charged with two counts of accessory after the fact to murder.

Pheobe Bishop, 17, with her mother, Kylie Johnson.Credit: Facebook

The man will appear in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The arrest came hours after Pheobe’s family held a private funeral service for the slain 17-year-old girl they remembered as a “free-spirited” girl.

Pheobe was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend.

Queensland police allege her housemates from the small, nearby town of Gin Gin – Tanika Bromley and James Wood – drove Pheobe close to the airport in a grey Hyundai, but no one left the car.

Pheobe was allegedly murdered and her body was moved more than once from the Good Night Scrub National Park, an hour’s drive from the airport.

Phone data had led officers to focus their search on the park before her remains were found on June 6.

Pheobe’s mother, Kylie Johnson, had promised to bring the teen home throughout the long search, which generated national attention.

She later said she was “devastated this is something we have had to navigate”.

“I would tell people to hug their kids a little tighter, tell them you love them multiple times a day, watch that silly movie, dance to the song and capture every moment in your memories,” she told the ABC.

Candlelit vigils attended by hundreds have been held across Bundaberg and Gin Gin in recent weeks, remembering how Pheobe lived life to the fullest.

Wearing bright colours in Bundaberg on Monday, those who knew and loved Pheobe gathered to farewell the teenager six weeks after she disappeared.

A sunny photo of Pheobe in front of Victoria’s Twelve Apostles featured on the front of the funeral program. Below were the words: “Forever 17.”

Inside the program, a message from the family said: “Pheobe’s family would like to thank you for your kindness and support.

“Your expressions of sympathy and thoughtfulness will always be gratefully remembered and deeply appreciated.”

Security was present to ensure the service went ahead only with family and friends in attendance, with media asked to stay away.

Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33, remain behind bars to appear in court on August 11, charged with murder and interfering with a corpse.

with AAP

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