Six questions still needing answers from Pheobe Bishop case

The alleged murder of Gin Gin teen Pheobe Bishop created national headlines, but as we get some answers more questions arise.

• Hundreds gather for second Pheobe vigil

The alleged murder of Gin Gin teen Pheobe Bishop created national headlines, but as we get some answers more questions arise.

As her housemates are charged with her murder, we look at the six questions we still need to answer.

Who was the real Pheobe Bishop?

Mother Kylie Johnson said Pheobe made no apologies for her wild heart.

She said her daughter “left normal and regular to explore the outskirts of magical and extraordinary” and that she would be remembered for that brilliance.

The last thing Pheobe posted to social media before she vanished was a haunting conversation with her younger self.

Pheobe’s last activity on Tik Tok was May 13 – two days before she vanished.

She often posted and shared videos speaking about relationships, mental health, family, and inspirational messages.

Pheobe’s social media profile describes her as loving music and nature, saying both were her “church” and “religion”.

Pheobe – known affectionately as Flea or Phee – has been described by family as “loyal to the core” who “loves hard”.

Why was she living with another couple?

Pheobe was living at a Gin Gin property that featured a large bus parked out the front of it along with a boat.

Exactly how and why she came to be living at a home cluttered with rubbish remains to be seen.

The last thing she posted was a video of a conversation she would like to have with her younger self, saying she had “been in and out” of home for years, how she was “never going back”, and how she was focusing on herself now.

She also shared a video in March saying she wasn’t “built for this town” and those around her weren’t her “people”.

James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, have been charged with killing the teen.

What happened in the lead-up to her disappearance?

Detectives investigating said there is no proof she was ever dropped at Bundaberg Airport.

Ms Bishop 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.

She was last seen about 8.30am on Airport Drive with luggage.

A 2011 Hyundai ix35 was seized and marked a crime scene.

Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said police would allege that Pheobe was murdered and her body was moved more than once, with one of the locations linked to Good Night Scrub National Park.

“We will allege that Pheobe was moved on more than one occasion,” he said.

How did police put the case together?

The Gin Gin property and car used to drive her to the airport were both declared crime scenes.

Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said police would allege there was telephone data that led investigators to the national park where human remains were found.

He said the teen did not ever make it to the airport but did make it to Airport Dr.

“We will allege that our evidence will outline that three people arrived near to the airport and three people never exited that vehicle,” Insp Mansfield said.

Human remains were found in Good Night Scrub National Park.

What was the motive for the alleged murder?

Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said police would not comment about a motive.

“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,” he said.

Insp Mansfield thanked the Bundaberg and Gin Gin community, with more than 200 investigation calls and tip-offs.

James Wood and Tanika Bromley.

“While this part of our investigation has culminated in the arrests, we are not finished with this investigation, our primary focus has always been to locate Pheobe,” Insp Mansfield said.

“That will continue.”

James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, have been charged with killing the teen, who had been living with them.

They have also been charged with two counts each of interfering with a corpse.

The history of both James Wood and Tanika Bromley have been revealed.

What has Pheobe’s boyfriend said?

On May 28 her boyfriend Levi said he waited for hours at Perth Airport before becoming concerned, posting on social media the day after Pheobe vanished.

“Maybe I deserve all the pain I am feeling right now, I mean it is my fault, I should have done better”.

The 17-year-old had been due to fly from Bundaberg to Perth via Brisbane that day to visit her boyfriend in Western Australia.

Vigil for Pheobe Bishop. Picture: NewsWire / Paul Beutel

In a statement read out by a relative at the vigil, Levi said Pheobe’s “absence echoes louder than words can say”.

“Though your journey was cut short, your impact endures with every whispered memory, with every tear shed and every heart that carries you forward, you live on rest now, dear Phoebe, in the peace you deserve and know that you are loved forever and always. Love from Levi,” he wrote.

There is no suggestion he was involved in Pheobe’s disappearance.

Originally published as Six questions still needing answers from Pheobe Bishop case