Grim update in search for missing Phoebe Bishop, 17, who vanished on way to airport as homicide cops join search
THE desperate search for missing teenager Phoebe Bishop, 17, has taken a grim turn as it enters its tenth day.
The Australian teen was supposed to board a flight on May 15 to see her boyfriend – but mysteriously she never checked in and hasn’t been seen since.
She was last seen in the morning of the day of her flight, after she was driven to the airport by her two housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley.
The trio had been living in a derelict pad together, which cops have now declared a crime scene.
Her distressed mum, Kylie Johnson, has made a series of heartbreaking pleas begging anyone with information to come forward.
She also claimed that her daughter’s sudden disappearance was out of character.
Police have launched an extensive search effort – but they have failed to locate Phoebe or any of her belongings.
And to make matters worse, homicide unit officers have now been brought in to aid the rescue mission.
Police dogs have also joined the search for the missing teen.
It comes after the car she was brought to the airport in – a grey Hyundai ix35 – was seized by police.
Bromley and Wood, who are said to be in a relationship, were questioned and have since been cooperating with police.
But this was all whilst officers made a series of bizarre discoveries surrounding the pairs’ property.
Firstly, they revealed that there were four dead dogs found in the house.
Secondly, they noted the horrific stench emanating from the house.
And they also found a strange derelict bus parked outside their property with the words “Let it ride” written on it.
In another shocking twist, it was revealed that Bromley is currently facing unrelated charges for possessing a sawn-off shotgun, as well as a flick knife in public.
Despite these findings, cops have emphasised that there is no suggestion that either Bromley or Wood are involved in the teen’s disappearance.
Specialist firefighters, SES crews, and police have been searching remote dirt tracks near Good Night.
They have also deployed drones to scan dense scrub and creek beds.
Bundaberg’s child protection and crime teams have been leading the search, and they have now called on homicide officers to aid the efforts.
Queensland Police detective Ryan Thompson confirmed that the search had been expanded to cover a wider area.
He also said police have spoken to numerous individuals connected to the case.
This has been providing them with a significant amount of information, according to the detective.
He said: “Obviously as time goes by, police have greater concerns as to her disappearance.
“There’s no specific persons of interest.
“However, police are following up all avenues of inquiry.”
Phoebe Bishop timeline
by Harvey Geh
May 14: Pheobe Bishop’s last known bank transaction occurs.
May 15: Pheobe is reportedly dropped off near Bundaberg Airport’s terminal by her housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley, intending 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 24: Nine days after disappearing, Phoebe’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.
Pheobe was last seen around 8.30am on May 15 near Airport Drive in Bundaberg.
She was supposed to board a flight to Brisbane, and then to Perth to see her childhood sweetheart boyfriend.
The teen had reportedly been saving for months to buy a ticket there.
The house she was staying at is a decrepit property in Gin Gin, around 40 minutes west of Bundaberg.
Her last bank activity was recorded a day before her disappearance.
And shockingly, she has made no social media posts since she vanished.
A family member revealed that her phone had been switched off since a mysterious call to her boyfriend just moments before she was supposed to fly.
The family member said: “She didn’t check in for her flight to visit her boyfriend who she spoke to on the phone at 8.30am.
“Her phone has been switched off from this point. She hasn’t contacted anyone at all, no one has seen her.”
After reviewing Pheobe’s recent social media activity, police have gathered that the teen had been been “in and out” of home for several years.
Contact with her mum was also not very frequent.
On Friday, Pheobe’s mother released a heartfelt plea to the public:
But her heartbroken mum pleaded on Friday: “It’s getting harder to breathe, and the numbness that we feel at the not knowing is eating at us.
“I would do anything just to hear your voice… to have you curl up in my lap and hold you tight.”
