Human Remains Found in Bushland Confirmed to Be Missing Teen Pheobe Bishop: Police

Police have confirmed that the human remains found in the search for missing Australian teen Pheobe Bishop are that of the 17-year-old.

Bishop vanished after failing to check in for a flight at Bundaberg Regional Airport in Queensland on May 15. On June 6, police found human remains near Good Night Scrub National Park near Gin Gin, Queensland, which have now been positively identified as Bishop, Queensland Police announced.

“Police have confirmed human remains located at an area near Good Night Scrub National Park are that of missing teenager Pheobe Bishop,” Queensland Police said in a news release on Tuesday, June 17. “The remains were discovered during a search of the area on June 6.”

“Investigations into locating more items of interest in relation to this matter remain ongoing,” the authorities continued. Police continue to ask for any information concerning Bishop or “the movement of a grey Hyundai IX35 between May 15 to 18 in the greater Gin Gin area.”

The Bishop family also confirmed Pheobe’s death in a statement: “Our family would like to thank everyone involved from information reported to searching and everyone that has sent heartwarming messages. We just would also like to have time to process and grieve this new information as a family and ask for privacy at this time,” per the Daily Mail.

A 34-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were charged in connection with Bishop’s death, Queensland Police said in a press release on June 5. The two suspects are Bishop’s housemates James Wood and Tanika Kristan Bromley, Australia’s ABC News, SBS World News and news.com.au reported.

They were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse.

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Police allege that the suspects rode with Pheobe in the car to Bundaberg Airport, but the teen never reached the terminal, ABC Australia reported. 

According to the outlet, police and emergency service teams began searching Good Night Scrub National Park, an hour from Bundaberg where Pheobe was from, on May 23, before suspending the “physical” search on June 4. Detective Inspector Mansfield said police would allege Pheobe’s body “was moved more than once,” per the outlet.

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Bundaberg mayor Helen Blackburn said in a statement, per ABC Australia, “We’ve been waiting to have the confirmation that it was Pheobe that was found … to have this now confirmed just means that we can move forward together. The family will be able to lay her to rest in a respectful manner.”