Australian teen Pheobe Bishop, 17, vanished while she was on her way to meet her boyfriend in a different city, with new texts shedding light on the situation following her disappearance
17:55, 26 May 2025Updated 18:00, 26 May 2025
Leaked text messages from the friend of missing Pheobe Bishop have emerged, throwing a new twist into the case of the vanished teen.
Pheobe, 17, was last spotted leaving a rundown home in Bundaberg, Queensland, at about 8am on May 15. She had been staying with couple Tanika Bomley and James Wood at the time of her disappearance. She had been due to board a flight to Brisbane and then continue on to Peth, Western Australia where she had planned to meet her boyfriend. Police in Queensland believe the couple had driven 40 minutes to Bundaberg Airport in Bromley’s 2011 silver Hyundai ix35 hatchback with the registration number 414-EW3.
The car has since been declared a crime scene along with Gin Gin house, according to MailOnline. Private messages obtained by the outlet showed what Mr Wood sent after the teen went missing.
“Hey hey how are you,” a concerned friend messaged at 9:45pm on May 16. Mr Wood replied at 6:18am on May 17: “Yeah been better ayy darlz how bout you?”
“That’s not good, any word on Pheobe at all?” the friend went on to ask. “No, nothing atm, but we are just printing up more flyers to go around and stick up every where a keep searching an hope she makes contact with someone ayy,” Wood replied.
The concerned friend said their fingers were “crossed for her” before quizzing about whether any CCTV could shed any more information about her disappearance. “Surely the airport has footage,” they asked.
Mr Wood replied the following morning: “I don’t know ayy but how’s this cause I was one of the last people to see her alive cops basically asked me if I did her in or hurt her at all ayy.” He went on to say he felt frustrated about questions that were asked by police.
“I was like WTF, so yeah that’s nice to know that purely because I’m a male and look the way I do,” he continued. Mr Wood went on to offer a reward for anyone that could reveal any information about Pheobe’s whereabouts.
Queensland Police have since charged Pheobe’s flatmate Bromley with unrelated weapons offences. Officers found a shortened firearm and ammunition as well as two replica handguns when they searched the Hyundai.
Bromley faces two counts of possessing explosives without authority as well as one count each of possessing restricted items and unlawful possession of weapons. It is not clear why Pheobe had been living at Gin Gin house with some of her last messages posted to social media indicating she had a falling out with her mum and would not return.
The property was covered in rubbish and a dilapidated bus. MailOnline reported there was a stench of decay coming from the property with witnesses claiming it could be due to dead dogs that were reportedly found at the site.
