Pheobe Bishop: 12 wildest moments in search for missing teen
As the search continues for missing teen Pheobe Bishop, we look at the 12 wild, unbelievable moments in this case so far.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The suspicious disappearance of teen Pheobe Bishop has already delivered a series of truly bizarre and unbelievable moments.
These are 12 shocking, bizarre and wild moments from the case so far>>>
Turning sinister
Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson confirmed they were investigating reports the teenager had been fighting with someone in the car and had been kicked out of it.
The teenager has not contacted friends or family, and her bank accounts have not been accessed since the day she was last seen.
Police have urged anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the vehicle in the Airport Drive, Samuels Road and Gin Gin areas on May 15 to contact investigators.
Airport mystery
Detectives investigating the suspicious disappearance say there is no proof she was ever dropped at Bundaberg Airport, seizing a car and setting up a crime scene at a property where she was staying.
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.
Police had been told she was last seen at Airport Dr with luggage, however investigators said they have no confirmed sightings of the teen at the airport. They have also not found her luggage.
Dead dogs found
Questions also remain over why the missing 17-year-old was living with a couple at a derelict home cluttered with rubbish and dead dogs in the backyard, now declared a crime scene.
The homicide squad and police dive squad were on May 24 sent in to help in the investigation, with a local national park now being searched by police.
Police said she had lived at the property “for a while”, but the other occupants were not direct family members.
Police have spoken to those who lived in the house, who are co-operating with officers and have provided “detailed accounts”.
Flatmate’s reward offer
A Facebook post from one of Pheobe’s housemates desperate to find her began circulating on social media.
Pheobe’s housemate James Wood shared a post from the Queensland Police Service on May 16 in which he offered a “reward” for anyone with information or a “legit address” where the 17-year-old could be.
The flatmates were the last people to see Ms Bishop before she vanished. They have not been charged with any offences relating to Pheobe’s disappearance and it is not suggested they were involved.
Haunting final message
It was revealed 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.
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”.
Searching the scrub
The search for Pheobe involved police, SES crews and a QFD drone operator on the scene in Good Night Scrub National Park.
SES personnel from Bundaberg, Elliot Heads, Moore Park, Gin Gin, Gladstone, Calliope, Mount Perry, Bargara and Tiaro were called in to assist with the search.
It came as Queensland police believe crucial items of evidence may have been moved from the main search area at Good Night Scrub National Park near Gin Gin before police arrived.
Police have found multiple items of interest.
Number plate allegations
On May 26 the Hyundai ix35 appeared on the streets of Bundaberg with what appeared to be altered number plates.
The original number plate – 414 EW3 – had been painted and taped over to appear as 474 BW8. Black electrical tape and maroon paint appeared to have been used to change the letters and numbers.
The original registration was also a Queensland plate, but it had been covered and “NSW” written on it instead.
The Hyundai symbol at the rear had also been changed to a Toyota symbol.
Police were aware of the changes and were approached for comment.
Unrelated charges
The flatmate of Pheobe was charged over explosives and weapons allegedly found inside a car at the centre of her disappearance.
Ms Bishop’s flatmate Tanika Kristan Bromley, 33, was charged over a shortened gun, explosives and replica handguns found in a Hyundai ix35 at the crux of the investigation.
Ms Bishop’s flatmates told police they dropped her off in the Hyundai near Bundaberg Airport, but officers have found no evidence or CCTV she ever made it to her flight.
They were the last people to see Ms Bishop before she vanished. They have not been charged with any offences relating to Pheobe’s disappearance and it is not suggested they were involved.
Ms Bromley made her first public appearance on May 28 as details about her past emerged.
Court appearance … and that hair
On May 25 police charged Tanika Bromley with two counts of authority required to possess explosives, and one count each of possessing/acquiring restricted items and unlawful possession of weapons.
Police allegedly located a shortened firearm, ammunition and two replica handguns during a search of the Hyundai.
Ms Bromley made an application for bail in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on May 26, but the matter was adjourned until May 27.
Mr Wood supported his partner at court, sporting dyed blonde hair, a large beard, sunglasses and a cap. It was the first time he had been spotted publicly since Ms Bishop’s disappearance.
The documentary
The flatmate of the missing teen showcased his ute in a documentary, with knives and mock blood covering the tray of his vehicle during a muster competition.
James Wood is featured in a 10-minute documentary featuring his ute called “Bad Company”, in the lead up to a muster at Calliope in 2017.
At the front of his ute the infamous Ned Kelly-linked phrase “Such is Life” is featured on a sign on his bonnet, along with another saying “Beware of gun owner!”.
Leaked text messages
Leaked text messages sent by Mr Wood in the immediate aftermath of Pheobe Bishop’s disappearance were published by Daily Mail Australia on May 26.
When asked by an unknown person if there had been any news about Pheobe, Mr Wood said there was no update but confirmed police asked him if he had been involved.
“No nothing atm, but we are just printing up more flyers to go around and stick up everywhere and keep searching and hope she makes contact with someone ayy,” Mr Wood replied.
“Fingers crossed for her, I commented on Tanikas Post. Surely the airport has footage,” the friend said.
“I don’t know ayy but how’s this cause I was one of the last people to see her alive cops basically asked me if I did her in or hurt her at all ayy,” Mr Wood said.
Mr Wood reportedly told the friend he was frustrated to be asked those questions by police.
“I was like WTF,” he wrote.
Mum’s anguish
Ms Bishop’s mother, Kylie Johnson, said their family was living a “heavy” hell not knowing what had happened to their daughter.
“The tears come, the anger and frustrations come and most of all our hearts are shattering more and more each day,” she said.
“Your little man/brother asked yesterday ‘Why won’t Phee take our calls? She always takes our calls!’ ”
“Mate I wish I knew but we have to believe that the police and the lights that our amazing community are leaving on will … bring her home to us.”
Anyone with information was asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Pheobe is described as about 180cm, pale complexion, long dyed red hair, and hazel eyes.
Originally published as Pheobe Bishop: 12 wildest moments in search for missing teen
‘Check out properly’: Mackay councillor blasted for not showing up
After news of the exit of George Christensen, a Mackay councillor has sensationally asked one of her unnamed colleagues to step down if he won’t step up as another weighed in with a football analogy.
Carer charged over double fatal to be released from hospital
The Sunshine Coast-based carer charged with deliberately crashing a car into a tree at Brooloo and killing a beloved local brother and sister was represented in the Gympie court today. DETAILS
‘This is not our town’: Dead dogs, missing teen rattle locals
A resident describes seeing a lone dog walking ‘like a ghost’ past the property which is now a crime scene. Everyone has a theory on what happened to Pheobe Bishop.
Unmasking Tanika: Secret life of Pheobe’s OTHER housemate
As the search for Pheobe Bishop continues, more information continues to surface about her housemate, Tanika Bromley.
Exposed: How police note caught out Pheobe’s housemate
The flatmate of missing Queensland girl Pheobe Bishop has shown her face in public for a second time in two days – but was caught out by a police note. WATCH THE VIDEO
Leading kitchen brand’s hefty payout over false online claims
Thermomix has paid $79,200 in penalties after falsely advertising its appliances as NDIS-approved.