The housemate of missing Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop has been arrested as part of the police investigation into her disappearance, three weeks after the 17-year-old vanished.
James Wood, 34, was taken into custody in Bundaberg on Wednesday and is assisting police with inquiries. While no charges have been laid, his arrest marks a significant development in a case that has gripped the state and devastated Pheobe’s family.
Pheobe was last seen on May 15 when she was due to board a flight at Bundaberg Airport but failed to show. Her disappearance prompted an intensive search of her home in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg, and surrounding bushland, including the vast Good Night Scrub National Park.
That physical search, involving Queensland Police and the State Emergency Service (SES), was officially suspended on May 28 after five days of combing through the rugged terrain. Police say that, while ground operations have paused, the investigation remains active and multiple leads are still being followed.
“There are currently no physical searches for Pheobe at this stage, however physical searches will happen as needed and as information is provided,” a police spokesperson said.
The arrest of Wood comes amid mounting public scrutiny and a desperate plea from Pheobe’s mother, Kylie Johnson, who posted an emotional update on Facebook as the search entered its 20th day.
“I don’t know if life will ever be the same again,” she wrote. “What I do know is that people have information on where you are, Phee, and we need that reported to police.”
Ms Johnson also shared a photograph of Pheobe and urged the public to come forward with any sightings or footage of a grey Hyundai ix35 with Queensland registration 414 EW3 – a vehicle owned by Wood, which police believe Pheobe was travelling in before her disappearance.
Pheobe’s case has attracted widespread attention and support online, but it has also exposed Ms Johnson to heartless trolling – particularly after she appeared in a police video appeal asking for information. Despite the backlash, Ms Johnson has continued to post daily messages in the hope of keeping her daughter’s case in the public eye.
“My posts aren’t public to defend myself or react to negative comments,” she wrote. “In fact, negative comments also draw conversations and that’s what we as a family need to bring Phee home.”
She has called for empathy amid the criticism, writing: “Show me how to navigate this? Show me how to deal with the unknown and the uncertainty? Show me how to use perfect language and emotion in a situation that no parent ever wants to be in.”
Queensland Police reiterated that the greater Gin Gin area remains a focus of the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers or their local police station.
Images: Queensland Police / Facebook
