Authorities have charged two people in connection with the disappearance of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop. She had most recently been staying in Bundaberg since May 15. She had been due to fly out from Bundaberg Regional Airport, according to reports, but never made it to the airport’s terminal building. Her last known sighting occurred on Airport Drive at approximately 8:30 a.m. on that day.
Less than a week after her disappearance, Queensland Police became suspicious about the case. In response, they immediately mobilized wide-spread searches across the region, including Good Night Scrub National Park, and even on a private property in Gin Gin. All these efforts combined haven’t really yielded anything in terms of law enforcement being able to find any trace of Pheobe Bishop’s remains.
Thursday evening police arrested two of Pheobe’s housemates. Police arrested 34-year-old James Wood and 33-year-old Tanika Bromley in the Bundaberg region, southeast Queensland. Each is charged with one count of murder and two counts of tampering with a corpse. In the meantime, the arrests have generated widespread concern and interest from the local community as the investigation continues.
Megan Fogarty, Pheobe’s mother, said she was devastated to learn that Wood and Bromley were being charged.
“Our world has just been shattered into the most horrific place I’ve ever been.” – Kylie Johnson
She made a personal appeal for details to be released about her daughter’s case, stressing that the family was in urgent need of closure.
“I need my baby home to put her to rest! I’m absolutely begging anyone that knows anything to come forward. WE need to put her to rest, we need to put her to peace.” – Kylie Johnson
Queensland Police have assured us that detectives from Task Force Maxima are continuously and actively investigating this issue. By no means will this halt physical searches, they said, as new information comes in.
“Detectives continue to investigate this matter, and physical searches will continue as needed as information is provided.” – Queensland Police
This tragic case has received much media attention already, and we are grateful to media including 7NEWS for following up with more to come. For anyone who wants to follow every update as more news breaks about what’s happening in Phoebe Bishop’s case, the 7NEWS app is now available for download.
