On May 21, the investigation took a significant turn. Authorities officially named the missing teen as Pheobe Bishop and announced that her disappearance was now being treated as suspicious.
Two crime scenes were declared: a property in Gin Gin, where Pheobe had been living, and a grey Hyundai ix35 believed to have transported her to the airport. The vehicle, bearing Queensland registration 414EW3, has been seized for further investigation.
Police urged the public to provide any dash-cam or CCTV footage that may show the grey Hyundai ix35 around Airport Drive and Samuels Road in Bundaberg or in the Gin Gin area on May 15. Investigators believe the footage could be critical to tracing Pheobe’s movements that day.
As of May 26, the search for Pheobe continues with the involvement of specialist police units, including the Dog Squad, SES teams, and aerial support. The expanded search now covers the greater Good Night Scrub National Park and the Gin Gin region.
Some items potentially linked to Pheobe’s disappearance have been recovered and are undergoing forensic testing. Investigators have also revealed that certain evidence may have been moved from the Good Night Scrub area before law enforcement arrived.
Authorities are now seeking further public assistance and are particularly interested in any information, footage, or sightings of the grey Hyundai ix35 in the Gin Gin region from May 15 to May 18.
Meanwhile, Pheobe’s family continues to grapple with the growing anguish of her absence. In a Facebook post dated May 26, her mother, Kylie Johnson, shared a raw account of the emotional toll the ordeal has taken.
“As we enter day 11 of Pheobe still not being home,” she wrote, “our numbness to our tears, to our hearts breaking and this hell is heavy.” She described the daily emotional waves of confusion, grief, and helplessness as the family struggles to function amid the uncertainty.
Kylie expressed the pain of not knowing what steps to take or how to keep going while feeling trapped in a “cyclone of uncertainty.”
