Police announce major development in search for missing teenage girl
The flatmates of a missing teenager have been charged with her murder.
Police arrested 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop's housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley in Bundaberg, Australia today. Both Wood and Bromley were arrested on Thursday night local time and have been charged with one count each of murder and two counts each of interfering with a corpse.
The teenager's disappearance has gripped Australia since she vanished 21 days ago. Pheobe, who had been living with the couple and cops believe the teen was supposed to have boarded a 8.30am flight to Brisbane then onto Perth to meet up with her boyfriend.
Detectives have suggested the pair drove Pheobe for 40 minutes to Bundaberg Airport but new CCTV footage has emerged in her case.
Queensland Police said: 'Detectives have charged a 34-year-old man and 33-year-old woman with murder in relation to the disappearance of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop.
'Pheobe has not been seen or heard from since May 15. The remains of Pheobe Bishop have not been located to date.'
Police continue to appeal for dashcam or CCTV footage of Ms Bromley's grey Hyundai ix35 the trio were travelling in, revealing it was a key component of the investigation into the teen's disappearance.
CCTV has shown a car, similar to the one Pheobe had been travelling in before she vanished, driving through Gin Gin at 10.30am the day she was last seen - two hours after the teen was thought to have been dropped off at the airport.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbroken mum reveals Pheobe's secret DISABILITY - as she hits back at the local whispering campaign that threatens to destroy her livelihood
The mother of Pheobe Bishop has revealed her daughter lived with a disability, and slammed local rumours she will shut down her NDIS-registered business. Pheobe, 17, went missing near Queensland's Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend. Last Friday, officers discovered the teenager's remains near Goodnight Scrub National Park. The teen's housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, have been charged with her murder, three weeks after she missed her flight and vanished. Police allege they moved her body more than once. Daily Mail Australia earlier revealed that Bromley was employed by Pheobe's mum as a support worker, until she was made redundant from her role last year. This week rumours have circulated in the Gin Gin community that Pheobe was an NDIS recipient through her mother's company. Claims also emerged that Smiley's Support Services, the business run by Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson, was 'unregistered' with NDIS. However, NDIS records show that Smiley's has approved registration status and is in force until it's up for renewal in February 2026. Ms Johnson took to social media on Thursday to hit back at the allegations. 'We've heard a few rumours about ourselves lately, however, we'd like to assure you all that Smiley's has NO intention of closing,' she wrote, adding that the business was 'continuing as usual'. Ms Johnson implied the rumours had come from other NDIS providers in the area. 'Imagine people from your own industry using this tragedy to benefit themselves?' she wrote. 'After 23 years of working between the disability and aged care sector I'm actually pretty disappointed. 'My journey started as a carer, cleaner and worked in dementia specific units and aged care homes. I've worked and studied for the last 23 years to be professionally where I am today. 'My company was established at the same time our NDIS registration was applied for. We were approved for all levels of support that we provide.' Ms Johnson mentioned that 'our last audit in June 2024 was completed as per the NDIS Guidelines'. 'This means we had meet the significant NDIS industry standards which we did with beautiful feedback,' she added. 'This has given my staff a high level of confidence and transparency in their service delivery. 'Team Smiley's won't let the bullies and trolls WIN and even though I'm not there at the moment, this company has an amazing team that continues to go above and beyond for everyone. 'Your disability only defines you if you allow it to and Phee never let hers define her.' Ms Johnson did not specify what Pheobe's disability was. However, before she disappeared, the teen had shared a post to TikTok about bipolar disorder. 'Having a partner with bpd means... getting blocked or left over small incidents... they will say very harsh things they don't mean when having an episode,' the post said, apparently in an attempt to explain her sometimes unpredictable behaviour. Ms Johnson previously said Pheobe 'didn't fit the mainstream school model' and struggled with her education until she was enrolled at the alternative Y School in Bundaberg. Pheobe's final posts to social media suggested the troubled teen had fallen out with her mother and would not return home. She also claimed in text messages to her aunt, Caz Johnson, that her mum had told her to 'get out'. The rubbish-strewn flat where she lived with Wood and Bromley was just down the road from her mother's business. Prior to registering Smiley's Support Services in 2021, Ms Johnson ran another Queensland business called Butterfly Spiritual Healing and Massage from 2015 to 2017, ABN records show. The business offered services such as reiki healing and aura cleansing. NDIS declined to comment when asked if Pheobe was a care recipient, citing privacy reasons. Support workers are potentially subject to a range of requirements prior to employment, such as working with children checks and police checks. Pheobe's cousin Whitney Woodfield replied to Ms Johnson's post, adding: 'These rumours are utterly ridiculous. 'The things this company has done for the community is incredible 'Phee would never've been okay if they were taken down over this. Proud of you for standing your ground.' Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in court when Pheobe's alleged murder was mentioned in Bundaberg Magistrates Court last Friday. They have not entered pleas and have now been sent to jail on remand -after previously being being in police custody for several days after they were charged. Wood is now being held at Brisbane Correctional Centre, and with Bromley in Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How Pheobe Bishop's alleged killers will be treated in jail - as a criminologist warns they'll be a target of 'convict justice'
Pheobe Bishop's alleged murderers will have to be isolated from other prisoners to protect them from 'convict justice', a leading criminologist says. Pheobe, 17, went missing near Queensland's Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend. On Friday, officers discovered what were believed to be the teenager's remains near Goodnight Scrub National Park. The teen's housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, have been charged with her murder, three weeks after she missed her flight and vanished. Police say they moved her body more than once. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared when the case was mentioned in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, and both were still being held in custody in a police watch house on Tuesday afternoon. They have not entered pleas and are expected to be sent to jail on remand. A Queensland Police Service spokesperson declined to comment while the matter was before the courts. Dr Vincent Hurley, a criminologist at Macquarie University who was a NSW police officer and negotiator for 30 years, told Daily Mail Australia the pair would be under massive 'anticipatory stress' while they await being sent to jail. 'They will be terrified of the unknown, so that anticipatory stress, along with things like poor nutrition, fear of ramifications for family, and just the sheer danger, will emotionally exhaust them,' Dr Hurley said. 'I anticipate they'll be put into protective custody because of the age of the girl, Pheobe. 'That means they'll be further isolated from the mainstream prison population. They'll be housed in a different wing, exercise and take their meals at different times. 'What would be considered a normal life in prison - they'll be at the extreme end of that situation.' Dr Hurley said Wood and Bromley will have to be housed in protective custody with other inmates at risk of harm for the full extent of their time in jail in order to prevent acts of 'convict justice' being carried out on them. 'In jail, those accused of murdering a child are held in even lower esteem than a police informant,' he said. 'Under the social norms of jails, they will have a target on their backs and hardened criminals will try to flog them within an inch of their life.' Dr Hurley also predicted that Bromley would have a more difficult time in a women's prison than her partner, Wood, in a men's facility. 'She'll be treated far worse than he will be,' he said. 'Some of the inmates will be mothers with children of similar ages to Pheobe.' Dr Hurley's grim prediction comes after Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson urged the Gin Gin community to 'respect' Bromley's family following the charges against her. At a candlelight vigil for her daughter on Sunday, Ms Johnson called on the local community to remain peaceful and said her daughter would want people to show 'compassion'. 'I also want to remind our community - a very important reminder - and this is imperative for our family and for us to move forward in our healing,' she said. Bromley cares for two children, including one living with a disability, as part of a shared custody arrangement. Ms Johnson continued: 'I know Tanika has been charged. I know her family live within our community and I expect them to receive respect... those kids mean the world to us as a family. 'They meant the world to Pheobe as a family as well. It is imperative to us, as a family, that they are supported just as much as us. They are hurting probably more than us, even though we have lost our child. 'But I really need you to know that Pheobe's compassion would have reached that depth. 'There is to be no anger or hate towards that family.' Ms Johnson read out two poems in memory of her 'gypsy warrior' daughter and shared how Pheobe 'always sung her own tune' and 'lived to the fullest'.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside disgusting house of horrors where Pheobe Bishop ‘lived with her killers'… as even ‘the air tastes dirty'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HARROWING footage has revealed the disgusting conditions teen Pheobe Bishop was living in with her two alleged killer housemates. Towering piles of rubbish, chains, dog toys and dirty bed sheets can all be seen in the sickening home where Pheobe stayed with James Wood and Tanika Bromley. 9 Harrowing footage has revealed the disgusting conditions teen Pheobe Bishop was living in with her two alleged killer housemates Credit: 7 News 9 Chains and dirty bed sheets can be seen inside the home Credit: 7 News 9 The floor to the bedrooms could barely be seen through the piles of rubbish Credit: 7 News 9 Cops believe Pheobe Bishop was murdered Credit: Facebook Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33, were both formally charged with the 17-year-old's murder earlier this month. And just a day later, human remains were discovered on June 6 by police after a major three week search for a body. As investigations continue into Pheobe's tragic death, the shocking state of her home in Gin Gin has been uncovered. Australian news outlet 7News managed to get access to the property and revealed the squalor Pheobe was enduring in the weeks before her passing. Before entering, the landlord can be heard in the video announcing: "I can't prepare you enough for this." In almost every room the floor was impossible to see due to the mounds of rubbish. Footage shows mountains of half empty soda bottles, unopened packages and full black bin liners in each room. The furniture was all out of place across the house with the sofas falling apart and the beds stained yellow. Even dog poo appeared to be on the floors of the old Queenslander-style home. Due to the horror conditions and poor cleaning, a major issue with the property was the smell. Watch moment cops arrest Pheobe Bishop murder suspect flatmate The landlord added: 'The air tastes dirty… I don't know how people can be breathing this.' He also revealed the home was officially leased out by Bromley six months ago but she had been given a notice to leave after a recent inspection. Pheobe, from Gin Gin north of Brisbane, hadn't been seen or heard from since Thursday, May 15. Police first arrested Wood as he was the last person to see the teen as he reportedly took her to the airport. Cops believe during the drive to the airport, Wood, his girlfriend Bromley, and Pheobe all argued over stopping on the trip. Pheobe wanted to do her makeup in the car as she was on her way to Perth to visit her "high-school sweetheart" boyfriend, Wood said. The teen got her way in the end as Wood said he pulled over less than a kilometre away from their destination. He said: "We wanted to give her five minutes, give her her own space to do what she needed to do." 9 Full black sacks could be seen next to piles of rubbish Credit: 7 News 9 The landlord at the home even admitted 'the air tastes dirty' Credit: 7News 9 Phoebe with her heartbroken mum Credit: Facebook Wood and Bromley then said they walked off and were away from the car for around five minutes. When they returned, Wood said Pheobe and her bag were gone. This was the last time Pheobe was seen as an intense search operation was launched. On May 26, cops made a harrowing revelation. They believed evidence of a potential murder had been moved to cover up what had happened. On this same day, a new number plate was discovered to have been suspiciously painted and taped over Bromley's Hyundai car which drove to the airport. On June 5, police officially charged the couple with murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. Cops allege Wood, Bromley and Pheobe were all in the car when it arrived at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Airport. They believe that the trio never left the car. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said: "Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport, and three people never exited that vehicle." The pair continue to say they had nothing to do with Pheobe's disappearance or death. Wood and Bromley will appear in court on August 11. Pheobe Bishop timeline May 14: Pheobe Bishop's last known bank transaction takes place. May 15: Pheobe is reportedly dropped off near Bundaberg Airport's terminal by her housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley, in order to catch a flight to Brisbane and then to Perth to visit her boyfriend. May 15, 8:30am: Pheobe makes a final phone call to her boyfriend before her scheduled flight. Her phone is then switched off and has remained inactive since. May 15, post-8:30am: Pheobe fails to check in for her flight. CCTV footage confirms she did not enter the airport terminal. May 16: Family and police initiate search efforts. Pheobe's social media accounts show no activity during this period. May 21: Police declare Pheobe's disappearance as suspicious. May 24: Nine days after disappearing, Pheobe's distressed mum pleads the public for information. She says she is "absolutely begging anyone with any information to contact the Queensland Police Service". May 25: The search effort is widened to cover more area and homicide officers are brought in to help. June 4: Police call off the "physical search for Pheobe, who has now been missing for three weeks. June 5: Bromley and Wood are both arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse June 6: Police find human remains near the area Pheobe was last seen. 9 33-year-old housemate Tanika Bromley Credit: Enterprise
