The last man to see missing teen Pheobe Bishop before she disappeared is living in his car and staying on the move as locals hound him for answers.
Pheobe was last seen on May 15 leaving the rundown house she shared with housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley in Gin Gin, near Bundaberg.
Pheobe’s housemates have told detectives they drove her to Bundaberg Airport for an 8.30am flight to Brisbane and then on to Perth, where she planned to meet up with her boyfriend.
They claimed to have dropped the teen off at the airport in Bromley’s 2011 grey Hyundai ix35 hatchback. No CCTV of her at the airport has been found.
The pair have since been charged with unrelated weapons offences after police impounded the car and allegedly discovered a shortened firearm, two replica handguns and ammunition in the car. Bromley’s strict bail conditions include that she not see Wood.
No charges have been laid over Pheobe’s disappearance and it is not suggested that Bromley and Wood were involved in her disappearance.
Police have since released the Hyundai to Wood, which he appears to have been living out of since the Gin Gin home where he lived with Bromley and Pheobe was declared a crime scene.
Daily Mail witnessed Wood being confronted by an irate local as he slept in the driver’s seat of his car under a tree in a local park on Thursday.
An irate resident discovered Wood’s location, and woke the 34-year-old by prodding him with a beach umbrella through the driver’s window.
‘He’s here, he’s hiding here,’ she yelled, while other concerned locals watched on.
‘I think there’s a dead dog in the car… Justice for Pheobe! Justice for Pheobe!’
Wood started the car and sped away. But a short time later, he was spotted again in the drive thru of a Hungry Jack’s. A live dog was visible on the back passenger seat as he left the restaurant car park.
Police confirmed on Wednesday night that Wood had been charged with unrelated weapons offences over the guns allegedly found in the Hyundai when they searched it.
He was charged with one count each of unlawful possession of weapons Category D/H/R (short firearm) and authority to possess explosives.
He is due to appear in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on June 13.
Wood was questioned by police after Pheobe vanished, but released without charge. On May 16 he told a friend he had been printing flyers to go up around town, and ’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 also took to social media offering his tinnie boat as a reward for any information about Pheobe’s whereabouts.
His bizarre public appearance on Wednesday came as Pheobe had been missing for two weeks, and a bitter rift erupted among members of the teen’s family.
Pheobe’s mother Kylie Johnson, and her sister Kaylea, have hit back at her aunt who went on TV to share disturbing texts from the missing teen, and blasted her claims about the youngster’s upbringing.
Caz Johnson – sister of Pheobe’s mum Kylie Johnson – made her allegations about the 17-year-old’s tumultuous family life on Network Ten’s The Project on Wednesday.
Her aunt revealed Pheobe sent text messages out of the blue on April 26 to say her mother had told her to ‘get out’, but didn’t want to talk about the matter as it was ‘a long story’.
‘Up s*** creek but s*** happens,’ Pheobe wrote, in texts shown on Ten.
‘I’m flying the f*** out of here to see my boyfriend.
‘If it goes to plan I’m not coming back. I can’t do s*** anymore. I need to get out of this hell hole.’
Caz claimed Pheobe had an unsettled childhood, regularly changing schools and having to deal with new stepdads coming in and out of her life.
But Pheobe’s mother reacted immediately on social media after The Project segment aired, saying her sister knew ‘nothing’ about her daughter.
Ms Johnson has issued regular pleas to the public for help in finding Pheobe, but hasn’t commented specifically on Pheobe’s living situation, Wood or Bromley, explaining in one post she did not want to jeopardise the police investigation.
Detectives launched an intense search for Pheobe in a nearby bushland area, scouring it for several days with cadaver dogs.
On Monday they announced they had found several items and sent them for forensic testing – but they also revealed that key evidence may have been moved from the park. On Wednesday, cops confirmed they had suspended their search of the park.
‘Investigations are ongoing and police are continuing to run out several lines of inquiry,’ a Queensland Police spokesperson said.
‘In addition to investigative work, physical searches will continue as needed and as information is provided.
‘The greater Gin Gin area remains the focus of the investigation.’