
Sister's emotional plea at candlelight vigil for alleged murder victim Pheobe Bishop
Hundreds of people attended a second candle lit vigil in two days paying tribute to the 17-year-old whose body is believed to have been found in dense scrub land on Friday.
Bishop's older sister, Kaylea Bishop, made an emotional plea for everyone to cherish their siblings through the good and the bad.
'I want to tell everybody, as much as your siblings p*** you off and grind your gears — because god, they know how to do that — don't take them for granted,' she said.
'Love every minute of it.'
Kaylea said she would pay $1,000,000 to have her sister walk through the door and 'punch her on the arm'.
'Don't take it for granted, just cherish it,' she said.
'Love the good and the bad. Worship it all. Capture the memories.'
Community leaders, friends, family and supporters joined the vigil in Buss Park in central Bundaberg, in the coastal Wide Bay-Burnett region of southern Queensland, on Monday night.
Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn said people had gathered to remember Bishop 'not just for how she passed, but for how she lived'.
'Her passing has left a silence we all feel deeply,' Backburn said.
'In the midst of this sorrow something beautiful has happened, we have come together, we've paused our busy lives, set aside our differences and stood side-by-side.
'In times like these, the true character of a community is revealed.'
Bishop's mother, Kylie Johnson, highlighted the importance of programs such as the Making a Difference (MAD) Camp and Y School in Bundaberg — both of which had positive impacts on her daughter's life, Johnson said.
MAD Camp aims to help teenagers struggling with everyday challenges and to 'build positive relationships and find a sense of hope, purpose and meaning', while the Y School offers alternative, holistic education that places a priority on the mental and emotional health of students with a 'trauma-aware' approach to teaching.
Johnson also thanked people from her community and overseas for their support, saying Bishop would be 'proud that she got to travel the world without even leaving Australia'.
'She'd be blown away by that support,' she said.
Candles, flowers, photos and glass jars filled with prayers and memories written on paper were placed in the park as those gathered listened to music chosen by Bishop's family.
The event marked three and a half weeks since Bishop went missing on her way to Bundaberg Airport.
She was preparing to fly to Western Australia on May 15 to visit her boyfriend but failed to check in.
After weeks of searching, human remains believed to belong to Bishop were discovered in dense bushland in an area of the Good Night Scrub Park near Gin Gin, a rural town about 50m west of Bundaberg, on Friday afternoon.
The remains are yet to be formally identified, with police confirming it will take ' significant' forensic examinations before investigators will be able to identify Bishop's cause of death.
Police have still not found her luggage or her phone.
Bishop's housemates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33 have each been charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse.
Investigations are ongoing.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

9 News
6 days ago
- 9 News
Accused cold case killer bailed but case against him 'not weak'
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here An accused murderer will walk from court after a judge found his special vulnerabilities will make his time in custody more difficult. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Rita Incerti granted bail to Steven Johnson, 73, this morning, five months after he was charged with the murder of Christopher Jarvis. Johnson, who was seated in the dock wearing a neck brace, pulled off his glasses and wiped away tears as he learnt of the decision. Christopher Jarvis disappeared and his car was found burnt out in 2006. His body was never found but investigators believe it is buried in the forest. (Victoria Police) (Nine) "Thank you, Your Honour," Johnson told Justice Incerti. "I will obey all those (bail) orders, as I have previously." Jarvis, 38, was last seen leaving his home in Wangoom, near Warrnambool, in Victoria's west, in June 2006. His body has not yet been found but police believe it is buried in Framlingham Forest, a native woodland owned by an Indigenous trust. Johnson was first charged with Jarvis' murder in November 2022 but the charge was dropped in August 2023. His alleged co-accused Glenn Fenwick ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after agreeing to make a statement to police against Johnson. Fenwick, who could be released on parole as early as October, claims he joined Johnson in confronting Jarvis over outstanding rent. It's alleged Johnson struck Jarvis in his driveway, threw him to the ground and then fired a starter pistol near his ear when he would not stop screaming for help. Fenwick claims he only helped hold Jarvis down and then load him into the boot of the car, before they all drove to Framlingham Forest. It's alleged Johnson then struck Jarvis to the head with a baseball bat before removing his clothes and burying him in a shallow grave. Johnson's barrister Patrick Doyle SC on Thursday argued the prosecution case against his client was weak as it centred around Fenwick's evidence. Steven Johnson arrives at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Thursday, August 14, 2025. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) (AAP) There were discrepancies in Fenwick's story and the fact he made the statement to receive a discounted sentence would give a jury reason to pause, Doyle said. But Justice Incerti today found the prosecution's case against Johnson could not be described as weak, although there were triable issues. She accepted much of the evidence against Johnson came from Fenwick and the ultimate strength or weakness of his account would be examined at a committal hearing in January. "Credibility and reliability will be a central issue in this case," Justice Incerti said. The judge pointed to Johnson's "special vulnerabilities" including his age and medical conditions as exceptional reasons why he should be granted bail. She noted those vulnerabilities have made his time in custody more difficult, as he has not received some of the medical care he needed. Justice Incerti also rejected prosecution claims Johnson was an unacceptable risk of contacting Fenwick or moving Jarvis' body if released. She said a series of bail conditions, including a no-contact order and a ban from entering Framlingham Forest, could alleviate any concerns. Johnson's wife put forward a $500,000 surety as part of his bail, while the 74-year-old will also have to follow a 9pm to 6am curfew. He will return to Warrnambool Magistrates Court in January for his committal hearing. Melbourne Victoria national Australia courts CONTACT US Auto news: Honda here to stay in Australia, announces growth plans.


Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
Accused killer bailed but case against him 'not weak'
An accused murderer will walk from court after a judge found his special vulnerabilities will make his time in custody more difficult. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Rita Incerti granted bail to Steven Johnson, 73, on Friday morning, five months after he was charged with the murder of Christopher Jarvis. Johnson, who was seated in the dock wearing a neck brace, pulled off his glasses and wiped away tears as he learnt of the decision. "Thank you, Your Honour," Johnson told Justice Incerti. "I will obey all those (bail) orders, as I have previously." Mr Jarvis, 38, was last seen leaving his home in Wangoom, near Warrnambool, in Victoria's west, in June 2006. His body has not yet been found but police believe it is buried in Framlingham Forest, a native woodland owned by an Indigenous trust. Johnson was first charged with Mr Jarvis' murder in November 2022 but the charge was dropped in August 2023. His alleged co-accused Glenn Fenwick ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after agreeing to make a statement to police against Johnson. Fenwick, who could be released on parole as early as October, claims he joined Johnson in confronting Mr Jarvis over outstanding rent. It's alleged Johnson struck Mr Jarvis in his driveway, threw him to the ground and then fired a starter pistol near his ear when he would not stop screaming for help. Fenwick claims he only helped hold Mr Jarvis down and then load him into the boot of the car, before they all drove to Framlingham Forest. It's alleged Johnson then struck Mr Jarvis to the head with a baseball bat before removing his clothes and burying him in a shallow grave. Johnson's barrister Patrick Doyle SC on Thursday argued the prosecution case against his client was weak as it centred around Fenwick's evidence. There were discrepancies in Fenwick's story and the fact he made the statement to receive a discounted sentence would give a jury reason to pause, Mr Doyle said. But Justice Incerti on Friday found the prosecution's case against Johnson could not be described as weak, although there were triable issues. She accepted much of the evidence against Johnson came from Fenwick and the ultimate strength or weakness of his account would be examined at a committal hearing in January. "Credibility and reliability will be a central issue in this case," Justice Incerti said. The judge pointed to Johnson's "special vulnerabilities" including his age and medical conditions as exceptional reasons why he should be granted bail. She noted those vulnerabilities have made his time in custody more difficult, as he has not received some of the medical care he needed. Justice Incerti also rejected prosecution claims Johnson was an unacceptable risk of contacting Fenwick or moving Mr Jarvis' body if released. She said a series of bail conditions, including a no-contact order and a ban from entering Framlingham Forest, could alleviate any concerns. Johnson's wife put forward a $500,000 surety as part of his bail, while the 74-year-old will also have to follow a 9pm to 6am curfew. He will return to Warrnambool Magistrates Court in January for his committal hearing.


Perth Now
7 days ago
- Perth Now
Case against cold case murder accused is 'weak': lawyer
An accused murderer should be released on bail because the prosecution's weak case centres around an unreliable key witness, a barrister has argued. Steven Johnson, 73, made the application in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday after he was charged in March with the cold case murder of Christopher Jarvis. Mr Jarvis, 38, was last seen leaving his home in Wangoom, near Warrnambool, in Victoria's west, in June 2006. His body has not yet been found but police believe it is buried in Framlingham Forest, a native woodland owned by an Indigenous trust. Johnson was first charged with Mr Jarvis' murder in November 2022 but the charge was dropped in August 2023. His alleged co-accused Glenn Fenwick ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after agreeing to make a statement to police against Johnson. Fenwick, who could be released on parole as early as October, claims he joined Johnson in confronting Mr Jarvis over outstanding rent. It's alleged Johnson struck Mr Jarvis in his driveway, threw him to the ground and then fired a starter pistol near his ear when he would not stop screaming for help. Fenwick claims he only helped hold Mr Jarvis down and then load him into the boot of the car, before they all drove to Framlingham Forest. It's alleged Johnson then struck Mr Jarvis to the head with a baseball bat before removing his clothes and burying him in a shallow grave. Fenwick received a discounted sentence because he assisted police and will give evidence against Johnson in court. Johnson's barrister Patrick Doyle SC argued there were real issues with Fenwick's evidence, given his account had changed over the years. Mr Doyle pointed to an earlier claim from Fenwick that he and Johnson both "bashed" Mr Jarvis with a tomahawk and cut off his fingers. Fenwick also previously described assaulting Mr Jarvis while he was in the boot of the car, the court was told. Those allegations were not in the signed statement Fenwick provided to police, Mr Doyle noted. The barrister said the discrepancies in Fenwick's story and the fact he made the statement to receive a discounted sentence would give the jury reason to pause. "There are plainly problems with this crown case," the barrister argued. "The case is weak and readily defensible." Mr Doyle claimed there was limited other evidence connecting Johnson to the crime and there was a strong chance he would be acquitted. The barrister also pointed to Johnson's old age, medical issues and previous good record on bail as reasons why he should be released from custody. Prosecutor Jenaya Ellis argued the prosecution's case was far from weak, saying Fenwick's statement was compelling alongside the other evidence. She noted an imitation pistol was found at Johnson's home during a 2022 search and he was seen grading Mr Jarvis' driveway hours after the alleged murder. Ms Ellis also claimed Johnson was an unacceptable risk of trying to interfere with Fenwick or move Mr Jarvis' body if released. Justice Rita Incerti is due to hand down her bail decision on Friday.