Chilling new development as last people to see Pheobe Bishop identified

One of the housemates last to see missing teenager Pheobe Bishop is facing unrelated weapons charges over possession of a sawn-off shotgun and a knife, court documents show.

• Explained: Everything we know so far

One of the housemates last to see missing teenager Pheobe Bishop is facing unrelated weapons charges over a sawn-off shotgun and a knife.

The 17-year-old was living with Tanika Bromley and James Wood in a derelict Gin Gin house that has since become a crime scene, with forensic police scouring through the property.

The pair told police they had dropped Pheobe at Bundaberg Airport with her luggage, but officers said she never arrived, and her luggage has not been found.

A grey Hyundai ix35 which was used to drive Pheobe has been seized by police for forensic examination.

Court documents have revealed Ms Bromley, a mother of two, was on bail on multiple charges from earlier this year.

Both Ms Bromley and Mr Wood have been interviewed by police and there is no suggestion they were involved in Pheobe’s disappearance.

Tanika Bromley lived at the Gin Gin address with her partner James Wood.

Missing 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop.

There is no one in custody and police investigations are ongoing.

Court documents show Ms Bromley was charged with three weapons-related offences and appeared at Bundaberg Magistrates Court on March 28.

She was charged with unlawful possession of a shorted firearm in public, unlawful possession of a weapon category a, b or m and possession of a knife in a public place or school.

Police allege Ms Bromley had a sawn-off shotgun and flick knife at Emerald on the Capricorn Highway on February 24.

Bromley is due to appear again in Bundaberg Courthouse on June 23.

The Gin Gin home where Pheobe Bishop was living before she vanished. Picture: Adam Head

It comes as questions remain over why Pheobe was living with the couple at the derelict home cluttered with rubbish and dead dogs in the backyard.

Part of the police investigation will be determining what Pheobe was doing at the property in the lead-up to her disappearance.

In a chilling new development, police have expanded their search to two new areas.

Detectives investigating the suspicious disappearance of the teen on Wednesday said there was no proof she was ever dropped at Bundaberg Airport.

Pheobe was due to fly from Bundaberg to Brisbane and then on to Western Australia to visit a friend on May 15, but failed to board the flight.

James Wood.

Tanika Bromley.

Ms Bromley describes herself as an independent support worker who has lived in Gin Gin for 15 years.

She’s also a mother of two.

Mr Wood announced online that he was in a relationship with Ms Bromley in October last year.

Locals in the community have taken to social media to identify the two locals as the ones Pheobe had been staying with.

Police on Thursday said no one was in custody in relation to the investigation, however investigators were continuing to speak to people who know Pheobe.

The picture posted by Pheobe's mum on Friday morning.

Pheobe’s mother Kylie Johnson posted a new picture of herself and her daughter online on Friday morning.

“As another day starts it’s getting harder to breathe and the numbness that we feel at the not knowing is eating at us.. We would do anything just to hear your voice ... to have you curl up in my lap and hold you tight with your wild crazy hair in my face annoying my nose,” she wrote.

“I have no words to describe what this is doing to our family, to our friends and to our community.

“What we need right now from everyone is to hold your loved ones tight and tell them you love them.”

The Gin Gin property where the teenager had been living with the pair and a grey Hyundai ix35 — that was meant to drop her at the airport — have both been declared crime scenes.

The vehicle has been declared a crime scene. Picture: QLD Police

The SUV, with Queensland registration 414EW3, which is owned by the couple, is undergoing forensic examination at a Bundaberg holding facility.

Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson said on Thursday that information from the public was vital in piecing together Pheobe’s movements on May 15.

“You may have the small piece of information that leads us to finding Pheobe,” Detective Acting Inspector Thompson said.

“People don’t vanish – someone knows something and we’re urging anyone with information to contact police immediately.”

Police were confident Pheobe never made it to the airport despite being told it was the last place she was seen.

“We have received CCTV from the airport which indicated she did not enter the terminal,” Inspector Thompson said earlier.

“That’s why we are quite confident Pheobe didn’t make it to the airport.

Forensics at a home in Gin Gin as the investigation into a missing teen continues. Pic: Lexa Smith

“We do hold concerns for her safety due to it being nearly a week since she was last sighted.”

Pheobe was living in the Milden St home in Gin Gin with Ms Bromley and Mr Wood.

Police said she had lived at the property “for a while”.

Police have spoken to both residents, who are co-operating with officers and have provided “detailed accounts”.

Inspector Thompson said determining the movements of the vehicle and the timeline of events was now a crucial part of the investigation.

“That’s forming part of our investigation of how she travelled from Gin Gin to Bundaberg, we are currently appealing for information on whereabouts Pheobe was last seen,” he said.

“Police are trying to narrow down the timeframe and the timeline of where this vehicle has gone.

“We are asking for information on Samuels Rd, and all that information that the public is providing will assist us with our inquiries.”

Asked whether Pheobe had been met with foul play, Inspector Thompson said police weren’t ruling out any scenario.

Police were now focusing on the Avoca and Branyan areas, relating to the movements of the vehicle.

On Wednesday, police tape covered the entrance to the Milden St property where the teen was staying as police continued forensic examinations at the crime scene.

The property had a large bus parked out the front of it along with a boat.

Bags of rubbish were seen outside the property.

Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn said the entire region had been deeply affected by the “distressing” situation, but had come together and held on to the hope that Pheobe would be returned safely.

Police are still on scene at Milden Street, Gin Gin where missing girl Pheobe Bishop was living before her disappearance. Picture: Adam Head

“The Bundaberg Region community has come together in strength and solidarity as we hold hope for the safe return of Pheobe Bishop,” Ms Blackburn said.

“Our streets and social media channels have been filled with posters appealing for information — no matter how small — about Pheobe’s movements on the morning of Thursday, May 15.

“This situation has deeply affected our entire region, particularly the Gin Gin community, where Pheobe had been living.

Forensics at a home in Gin Gin as the investigation into a missing teen continues. Pic: Lexa Smith

“We are thinking of her family and friends during this distressing time and remain hopeful that Pheobe will be found safe and well.

“I encourage anyone who may have seen or heard anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward and share that information with the police.”