Family gives back after tragic end for missing girl
Pheobe Bishop's family is aiming to give back to a community that rallied around them in their darkest hour.
A fundraiser backed by Pheobe's family has been organised to support local volunteer groups in what they hope creates a fitting legacy for the 17-year-old.
Pheobe went missing on her way to Bundaberg airport in southern Queensland on May 15.
Her housemates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were charged with her murder on June 6, more than three weeks after Pheobe disappeared.
Officers discovered what were believed to be the teenager's remains later that day near a national park, an hour's drive from Bundaberg airport.
The community rallied around Pheobe's family, with hundreds attending two emotional candlelight vigils.
Family friend Tracey Berends hoped the fundraiser would help return the love.
She organised the GoFundMe campaign that has received the family's backing, with money to be raised for local volunteer and not-for-profit groups.
More than $7000 had been donated by late Thursday, with the local SES volunteer group and Pheobe's former school set to benefit.
"The GoFundMe was created after speaking with Pheobe's family with the sole purpose of supporting local charities and volunteer organisations that were involved in the search for her, particularly the SES," Ms Berends told AAP.
"These volunteers worked tirelessly on their hands and knees through difficult terrain and did so without expecting anything in return.
"It's important to the family that these selfless efforts are acknowledged and supported in Pheobe's name."
Pheobe's former school - the not-for-profit learning centre Y School in Bundaberg that is assisted by volunteers - has also been targeted for the fundraiser.
"There is absolutely no financial gain being taken by the family," Ms Berends said.
"Their only hope is to create something beautiful and lasting in remembrance of Pheobe, a way to honour her kind, gentle spirit and the impact she had on so many lives."
Pheobe's mother Kylie Johnson said the fundraiser was a way to acknowledge a school where her daughter thrived as well as the SES volunteers who helped "bring our baby home".
"I've even had a few (SES volunteers) approach me with hugs and sorrys that they couldn't get her home sooner to us. They didn't give up and they got her back to us!" she posted on Facebook.
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Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson breaks her silence
Almost two years after four of her husband's family members fell deathly ill following a lunch she hosted, alleged poisoner Erin Patterson has broken her silence. For eight days, the 50-year-old sat in the witness box of a regional Victorian courtroom as she answered thousands of questions about her life, her relationships and the events surrounding July 29, 2023. Her evidence was, at times, intensely personal as the alleged triple-murderer spoke about issues in her marriage, feeling ostracised from her husband's family, lies she told and an eating disorder no one knew about. And it all played out in front of a jury of her peers, her in-laws and a packed public gallery – some lining up for hours in near-zero temperatures to ensure a seat in the second-floor courtroom. Erin Patterson has finished her marathon session giving evidence in her triple-murder trial. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP This Thursday, on day 31 of the trial, senior Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC closed off five days of cross-examination with three questions that lie at the heart of the Crown's case. 'I suggest that you deliberately sourced death cap mushrooms in 2023; agree or disagree?' Dr Rogers asked. 'Disagree.' 'I suggest you deliberately included them in the beef Wellingtons you served to Don Patterson, Gail Patterson, Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson; agree or disagree?' 'Disagree.' 'And you did so intending to kill them; agree or disagree?' 'Disagree.' Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder with her defence arguing she did not intentionally poison anyone and the case is a tragic accident. Her estranged husband Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson died from death cap mushroom poisoning in the week after eating a beef wellington lunch she hosted. The fourth guest, Heather's husband Korumburra Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson, recovered and has been a regular face in the Morwell courtroom alongside other members of the Wilkinson and Patterson families. Korumburra pastor Ian Wilkinson and wife Heather Wilkinson also ate the beef wellington. Supplied. Credit: Supplied On the stand, Ms Patterson denied wanting to harm any of her four guests and said the July 29 lunch was spurred by a desire to close some distance she had felt in recent months. She told the jury after her separation from Simon in 2015, Don and Gail had remained central figures in her life, particularly after the deaths of her own parents. But she felt Simon had a hand in ostracising her from his family and had decided to be more proactive 'so I didn't lose that connection'. She said Simon and her had struggled to communicate over the entirety of their relationship but remained close after their split until a child support dispute in late 2022 created tension. 'We didn't relate on friend things, banter, like we used to. That changed at the start of the year,' she said. Ms Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Patterson told the jury she chose to make beef wellington for the lunch because it was a dish her mother would make for special occasions, modifying Nagi Maehashi's recipe from a log to individual portions because she could only find eye-fillet steaks. She said she primarily used button mushrooms from Woolworths to make the duxelles, or mushroom paste, but added dried mushrooms from her pantry because the dish 'seemed a little bland'. She gave evidence the dried mushrooms were purchased from an Asian grocer in Melbourne's east in about April the same year and had a 'pungent smell'. 'I thought it was the perfect dish for them,' the accused woman said. Ms Patterson said she made six beef wellingtons, serving five to herself and her guests, and serving the last one to her children for dinner the following night with the pastry and mushrooms scrapped off. She said in the aftermath of the lunch she believed she only used mushrooms from the two sources but now accepts she 'may' have added dehydrated wild mushrooms to the Tupperware container in her pantry. The jury heard Ms Patterson bought a dehydrator on April 28, 2023. She told the court she bought the Sunbeam device so she could preserve foods including wild mushrooms and denied a suggestion by prosecutors that the purchase was made two hours after picking death cap mushrooms in the nearby town of Loch. She further disputed Dr Roger's suggestion that a photo located in the Google Photos cache data on a Samsung tablet depicts death caps on a dehydrator tray with the last modified date of May 4. Erin Patterson is facing trial accused of murdering three of her husband's family members. NewsWire / Paul Tyquin Credit: News Corp Australia In her recorded interview with police a week after the lunch, Ms Patterson said she'd never foraged for mushrooms. On the stand however, she admitted this was a lie, telling the jury she developed an interest in wild mushrooms during the early 2020 Covid lockdowns. Over a period of months she said she grew confident in identifying field and horse mushrooms in the paddocks on her property, before 'eventually' eating them. 'I cut a bit off one of the mushrooms, fried it up with some butter, ate it, and then saw what happened,' she said. 'They tasted good and I didn't get sick.' Ms Patterson said over the following years she would go foraging in nearby areas and cook the wild mushrooms into meals for her and her children. But she said she'd never foraged at two locations, Loch and Outtrim, where prosecutors allege phone records indicate a possible visit after death cap sightings were posted on iNaturalist. In cross-examination, she refuted a suggestion by Dr Rogers that her interest in mushrooms was invented 'to try and explain why you put foraged death cap mushrooms in the meal'. In her evidence, the accused woman disputed several aspects of lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson's account to the jury of the event. He described the four lunch guests eating off large grey plates while Ms Patterson ate off a smaller 'orangey-tan' plate and her sharing an ovarian cancer diagnosis and asking for advice on how to tell the children. Ms Patterson said she did not own grey plates, nor an orangey-tan one or even four plates of a set. The jury was shown images taken from the police walk-through on August 5 which show two white plates, two black plates, a black and red plate and a multi-coloured plate. Ms Patterson confirmed these were the only plates she owned. A supplied image obtained on Saturday, August 12, 2023, of Don Patterson and Gail Patterson who died in hospital after eating a meal suspected to have contained poisoned mushroom. Homicide squad detectives are continuing to investigate how four guests became seriously ill after attending a lunch at a Leongatha home in Victoria's southeast on July 29. (AAP Image/Supplied by IntraWork Business Services) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY Credit: SUPPLIED / PR IMAGE She also disputed that she told the guests she had cancer, claiming she said she might have some 'upcoming treatment' after telling Don and Gail she was receiving testing on a lump on her elbow earlier that year. Ms Patterson admitted she lied to Don and Gail about undergoing a needle biopsy and MRI but said she was planning on using the lump, which has resolved itself, as cover for weight-loss surgery. 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'I couldn't be sure what was in my vomit,' she said. Ms Patterson disputed a suggestion by Dr Rogers that her account of vomiting was a lie to account for why she didn't fall seriously ill like her guests. 'I wish that was true, but it's not,' she said. Ms Patterson said she had a pre-assessment scheduled for gastric bypass surgery at the ENRICH Clinic in Melbourne two months after the lunch but cancelled it in the fallout. In a last-minute statement produced by prosecutors on June 11, ENRICH Clinic testified they'd never offered gastric bypass surgery. Ms Patterson refused to concede she lied, saying that was her memory but perhaps it was another weight loss procedure, such as liposuction. Her barrister Colin Mandy SC later produced a screenshot of the ENRICH Clinic's website, which contained a post saying they stopped offering liposuction in June 2024. After Ms Patterson's evidence concluded on Thursday, jurors were told by Justice Christopher Beale that marked the 'completion of the evidence in this case'. The trial is expected to resume on Monday as prosecutors deliver their closing address before the defence follows suit. The trial continues.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'The stress brought the cancer on': 64yo woman scammed out of $223,000
Six months before Jenny Egan was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, she was scammed out of $223,000. Ms Egan, 64, was diagnosed on her birthday on May 7. She saw her doctor that day, who told her "there's a mass on your lung". "I was devastated," said Ms Egan, of Fishing Point in Lake Macquarie. She connected on social media with a man from the US last year. "He basically tricked her into investing money in cryptocurrency," Jenny's daughter Brittney Egan said. Brittney, 29, has set up a GoFundMe for her mum, titled "Jenny's lung cancer battle". "My mum means the world to me. She's not just a parent, she's also my best friend," she said. "She inspires me with her kindness and generosity. She's been knocked down many times and got back up. I believe she can do it again." Ms Egan shared her story to raise awareness to prevent others from being scammed. "He had my phone number and pressured me non-stop to add more money," she said. "I was suicidal when I realised I'd been scammed. I just think the stress has brought the cancer on." She was a smoker, but had never been in hospital before and felt healthy. Ms Egan reported the scam to police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The security centre's scam portal sends such reports to the police and/or the ACCC's ScamWatch. A National Anti-Scam Centre spokesperson said it had "referred the website to be assessed for takedown". "We encourage all Australians to report suspicious scam activity via the Scamwatch service to support the disruption of scam networks." A nurse for 20 years at Wyong Hospital and in aged care, Ms Egan now works in patient transport. She was diagnosed with lung cancer after suffering from "pains in the right side of my chest". "I thought I'd pulled a muscle," she said. A doctor referred her for a CT scan. "I had five days of pain and each day the pain got less and less and then went," she said. She considered cancelling, but went because it was free. Her doctor, based at Tuggerah where Brittney works as a nurse, phoned the next day. She was referred to a respiratory physician in Gosford. "I had to go to hospital for a biopsy and bronchoscopy," she said. "The doctor said if it's not too bad, he'd do a resection of my lung. "Unfortunately, it was bad. He rang me a week later with the results and said it's inoperable." The doctor confirmed a tumour on her lung had spread to an adrenal gland and was a stage four cancer. She will begin radiation on the adrenal gland at Gosford Hospital on Wednesday. She will then have chemotherapy and further radiation for her lung. "I'm a mess, but I'm trying to stay at work. That's the only thing that keeps me sane and stops me from falling in a heap. "I try to think about other people and my job, rather than myself. I don't want to upset my kids." Her children, including son Chad, want her to "stay mentally strong because they believe that helps". "I'm a fighter and I'm not giving up," she said. Lake Macquarie Police began investigating after Ms Egan reported she had been scammed from August to November 2024. "As inquiries into the incident continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Lake Macquarie Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000," a police statement said. "Police urge anyone observing suspicious online activity and unknown solicitation of investment opportunities to be cautious and consider fraud prevention advice." Six months before Jenny Egan was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, she was scammed out of $223,000. Ms Egan, 64, was diagnosed on her birthday on May 7. She saw her doctor that day, who told her "there's a mass on your lung". "I was devastated," said Ms Egan, of Fishing Point in Lake Macquarie. She connected on social media with a man from the US last year. "He basically tricked her into investing money in cryptocurrency," Jenny's daughter Brittney Egan said. Brittney, 29, has set up a GoFundMe for her mum, titled "Jenny's lung cancer battle". "My mum means the world to me. She's not just a parent, she's also my best friend," she said. "She inspires me with her kindness and generosity. She's been knocked down many times and got back up. I believe she can do it again." Ms Egan shared her story to raise awareness to prevent others from being scammed. "He had my phone number and pressured me non-stop to add more money," she said. "I was suicidal when I realised I'd been scammed. I just think the stress has brought the cancer on." She was a smoker, but had never been in hospital before and felt healthy. Ms Egan reported the scam to police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The security centre's scam portal sends such reports to the police and/or the ACCC's ScamWatch. A National Anti-Scam Centre spokesperson said it had "referred the website to be assessed for takedown". "We encourage all Australians to report suspicious scam activity via the Scamwatch service to support the disruption of scam networks." A nurse for 20 years at Wyong Hospital and in aged care, Ms Egan now works in patient transport. She was diagnosed with lung cancer after suffering from "pains in the right side of my chest". "I thought I'd pulled a muscle," she said. A doctor referred her for a CT scan. "I had five days of pain and each day the pain got less and less and then went," she said. She considered cancelling, but went because it was free. Her doctor, based at Tuggerah where Brittney works as a nurse, phoned the next day. She was referred to a respiratory physician in Gosford. "I had to go to hospital for a biopsy and bronchoscopy," she said. "The doctor said if it's not too bad, he'd do a resection of my lung. "Unfortunately, it was bad. He rang me a week later with the results and said it's inoperable." The doctor confirmed a tumour on her lung had spread to an adrenal gland and was a stage four cancer. She will begin radiation on the adrenal gland at Gosford Hospital on Wednesday. She will then have chemotherapy and further radiation for her lung. "I'm a mess, but I'm trying to stay at work. That's the only thing that keeps me sane and stops me from falling in a heap. "I try to think about other people and my job, rather than myself. I don't want to upset my kids." Her children, including son Chad, want her to "stay mentally strong because they believe that helps". "I'm a fighter and I'm not giving up," she said. Lake Macquarie Police began investigating after Ms Egan reported she had been scammed from August to November 2024. "As inquiries into the incident continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Lake Macquarie Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000," a police statement said. "Police urge anyone observing suspicious online activity and unknown solicitation of investment opportunities to be cautious and consider fraud prevention advice." Six months before Jenny Egan was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, she was scammed out of $223,000. Ms Egan, 64, was diagnosed on her birthday on May 7. She saw her doctor that day, who told her "there's a mass on your lung". "I was devastated," said Ms Egan, of Fishing Point in Lake Macquarie. She connected on social media with a man from the US last year. "He basically tricked her into investing money in cryptocurrency," Jenny's daughter Brittney Egan said. Brittney, 29, has set up a GoFundMe for her mum, titled "Jenny's lung cancer battle". "My mum means the world to me. She's not just a parent, she's also my best friend," she said. "She inspires me with her kindness and generosity. She's been knocked down many times and got back up. I believe she can do it again." Ms Egan shared her story to raise awareness to prevent others from being scammed. "He had my phone number and pressured me non-stop to add more money," she said. "I was suicidal when I realised I'd been scammed. I just think the stress has brought the cancer on." She was a smoker, but had never been in hospital before and felt healthy. Ms Egan reported the scam to police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The security centre's scam portal sends such reports to the police and/or the ACCC's ScamWatch. A National Anti-Scam Centre spokesperson said it had "referred the website to be assessed for takedown". "We encourage all Australians to report suspicious scam activity via the Scamwatch service to support the disruption of scam networks." A nurse for 20 years at Wyong Hospital and in aged care, Ms Egan now works in patient transport. She was diagnosed with lung cancer after suffering from "pains in the right side of my chest". "I thought I'd pulled a muscle," she said. A doctor referred her for a CT scan. "I had five days of pain and each day the pain got less and less and then went," she said. She considered cancelling, but went because it was free. Her doctor, based at Tuggerah where Brittney works as a nurse, phoned the next day. She was referred to a respiratory physician in Gosford. "I had to go to hospital for a biopsy and bronchoscopy," she said. "The doctor said if it's not too bad, he'd do a resection of my lung. "Unfortunately, it was bad. He rang me a week later with the results and said it's inoperable." The doctor confirmed a tumour on her lung had spread to an adrenal gland and was a stage four cancer. She will begin radiation on the adrenal gland at Gosford Hospital on Wednesday. She will then have chemotherapy and further radiation for her lung. "I'm a mess, but I'm trying to stay at work. That's the only thing that keeps me sane and stops me from falling in a heap. "I try to think about other people and my job, rather than myself. I don't want to upset my kids." Her children, including son Chad, want her to "stay mentally strong because they believe that helps". "I'm a fighter and I'm not giving up," she said. Lake Macquarie Police began investigating after Ms Egan reported she had been scammed from August to November 2024. "As inquiries into the incident continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Lake Macquarie Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000," a police statement said. "Police urge anyone observing suspicious online activity and unknown solicitation of investment opportunities to be cautious and consider fraud prevention advice." Six months before Jenny Egan was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, she was scammed out of $223,000. Ms Egan, 64, was diagnosed on her birthday on May 7. She saw her doctor that day, who told her "there's a mass on your lung". "I was devastated," said Ms Egan, of Fishing Point in Lake Macquarie. She connected on social media with a man from the US last year. "He basically tricked her into investing money in cryptocurrency," Jenny's daughter Brittney Egan said. Brittney, 29, has set up a GoFundMe for her mum, titled "Jenny's lung cancer battle". "My mum means the world to me. She's not just a parent, she's also my best friend," she said. "She inspires me with her kindness and generosity. She's been knocked down many times and got back up. I believe she can do it again." Ms Egan shared her story to raise awareness to prevent others from being scammed. "He had my phone number and pressured me non-stop to add more money," she said. "I was suicidal when I realised I'd been scammed. I just think the stress has brought the cancer on." She was a smoker, but had never been in hospital before and felt healthy. Ms Egan reported the scam to police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The security centre's scam portal sends such reports to the police and/or the ACCC's ScamWatch. A National Anti-Scam Centre spokesperson said it had "referred the website to be assessed for takedown". "We encourage all Australians to report suspicious scam activity via the Scamwatch service to support the disruption of scam networks." A nurse for 20 years at Wyong Hospital and in aged care, Ms Egan now works in patient transport. She was diagnosed with lung cancer after suffering from "pains in the right side of my chest". "I thought I'd pulled a muscle," she said. A doctor referred her for a CT scan. "I had five days of pain and each day the pain got less and less and then went," she said. She considered cancelling, but went because it was free. Her doctor, based at Tuggerah where Brittney works as a nurse, phoned the next day. She was referred to a respiratory physician in Gosford. "I had to go to hospital for a biopsy and bronchoscopy," she said. "The doctor said if it's not too bad, he'd do a resection of my lung. "Unfortunately, it was bad. He rang me a week later with the results and said it's inoperable." The doctor confirmed a tumour on her lung had spread to an adrenal gland and was a stage four cancer. She will begin radiation on the adrenal gland at Gosford Hospital on Wednesday. She will then have chemotherapy and further radiation for her lung. "I'm a mess, but I'm trying to stay at work. That's the only thing that keeps me sane and stops me from falling in a heap. "I try to think about other people and my job, rather than myself. I don't want to upset my kids." Her children, including son Chad, want her to "stay mentally strong because they believe that helps". "I'm a fighter and I'm not giving up," she said. Lake Macquarie Police began investigating after Ms Egan reported she had been scammed from August to November 2024. "As inquiries into the incident continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Lake Macquarie Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000," a police statement said. "Police urge anyone observing suspicious online activity and unknown solicitation of investment opportunities to be cautious and consider fraud prevention advice."
West Australian
21 hours ago
- West Australian
Travis Decker: Police close in on dad accused of murdering young daughters
Police say they are closing in on a man wanted over the gruesome murders of his three young daughters. And, in a direct message to Travis Decker, who is on the run in Washington State forest, they told him he is just one mistake away from being caught. Mr Decker collected daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, for a custody visit but failed to return them at an agreed time on May 30. Three days later they were found dead at a campground with plastic bags on their heads and zip ties around their wrists. It is believed the girls died of asphyxiation. 'Every single day that Travis is out there he is going to have to aim for perfection, he is not going to be able to make a mistake because all we need is one mistake and one day to go in our favour, and he's going to be in our custody. So I hope he's watching and I hope he knows we haven't given up,' Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said. 'You have to be perfect every single day, Travis, we only have to be perfect one day.' A recent tip-off led search teams to a lone hiker who appeared to be avoiding others and was 'ill prepared for trail and weather conditions', an update from Chelan County Sheriff's office read. Tracking teams then spotted an off-trail hiker in the Colchuk Lake area who fled when a helicopter passed over the area. It's understood authorities have recovered possible evidence tied to the case. People who live or have cabins in the area have been urged to remain 'highly vigilant' and report any suspicious activity. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up to help Whitney Decker, the devastated mother of the three girls has so far raised an extraordinary US$1.2 million ($1.9m) from more than 27,000 donations. In an update on the fundraiser's page, organiser Amy Edwards thanked people for their ongoing support as the family prepares for a memorial for the girls. 'To everyone who has donated, thank you for your generosity and compassion. Your support continues to lift Whitney and her family during an unimaginably difficult time. 'To the countless people who have sent messages of love and encouragement, your words are a powerful reminder that we are not alone in our grief. 'To those who have shared beautiful memories of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia in the Facebook group, your reflections have brought light and comfort to so many.' The memorial will be held on June 20 and attendees have been asked to wear 'what makes you feel beautiful'. Organisers have suggested wearing something with the colours purple, pink and green to honour the girls.
