May 29, 2025 • 46 mins
On May 15, 2025, 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop wasdropped off outside Bundaberg Regional Airport, Queensland. She was scheduled to fly to Western Australia to visit her boyfriend, but never entered theterminal, and hasn’t been seen since.
In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we unravel the chilling timeline ofPheobe’s disappearance. From CCTV footage that contradicts the official story,to a rural property in Gin Gin declared a crime scene, and the sudden arrest of one of her housemates, this case raises urgent questions:
Why did Pheobe never board her flights?
What happened at the Gin Gin address?
With detailed breakdowns and a trauma-informed approach, we examine what we know to be true, what is missing, and how you can help bring awareness toPhoebe’s case.
If you have any information, you can contact Crime Stoppers Australia on 1800333 000
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:17):
Welcome to Exhuming the Truth, the podcast where we delve into
the mysterious worlds of cold cases, missing persons, true
crime, and the fascinating science that is forensics.
I'm forensic scientist and criminologist Asha Walther, and
I am so thrilled to have you with me on this journey as we
dance in the shadows of the world of crime, shining a light
(00:39):
on scientific discovery while becoming another voice for those
who need it most. So grab a drink and get
comfortable while we jump into this episode together.
As always, I would like to extend a content and trigger
warning. This podcast is recommended for
persons over the age of 18 and contains explicit content not
suitable for minors. We will be covering sensitive
(01:01):
content that ranges from sexual assault, physical, mental,
social and emotional abuse, suicide, homicide, murder,
attempted murder, and other violent crimes including crimes
involving weapons and drugs. This often extends to drug
misuse and other harmful and illegal activity.
If you find any content to be distressing, I have listed a
(01:24):
number of resources that may be able to help you.
In the podcast notes, I would like to also remind our
listeners that all victims and all perpetrators are someone's
loved 1 So I ask that any discussions in our group or on
our social accounts remain respectful of that at all times.
And by listening today, you acknowledge that all persons of
interest remain innocent and to improve in other lives.
(01:47):
Hi guys, I am coming to you tonight from my bed and I know
that sounds super lazy. However I'm actually really
proud of myself to be at the point where I can record from my
bed or anywhere in my house. I wish I had of been on to this
sooner. So when it was like 6
consecutive weeks of heat waves I could be in the air con but I
(02:08):
just wasn't that wise at the time.
So for housekeeping this week, Ihave a couple of things.
The first thing and the most exciting thing is it is our six
month birthday, which is really exciting.
I know it doesn't sound that great, but for us that's a huge
milestone. I honestly wasn't sure how far
(02:32):
that this would go. And I knew that I wanted it to
be a, a podcast that be much more than that and much bigger
than that. And I wanted to definitely add
victim advocacy to my business, which I've started to do, which
is awesome. So I can't believe we're still
digging. In six months, we've released 12
true crime episodes. I have started the human
(02:54):
Condition series to share real life resilience.
So I have that coming up next season.
I've designed our first cold case subscription box that's
coming. I've built workshops that teach
kids to handle big feelings detective styles.
So that is actually going to be our little mascot for that.
After school incursions is Sherlock Bones.
(03:16):
I've worked with drone teams over the last six months and
forensic experts on missing persons cases and current cases,
which, sorry, I had to stop. My phone alarm went off.
It's very unprofessional, but I want this to be as personal as
possible. So here we are.
Yeah, There's been a lot of missing persons cases and a lot
(03:39):
of systemic gaps that need to befocused on, which gives us a
really good place to be, I think, obviously not in terms of
where we are in society, but where we need to be.
And that's the direction I want to head.
And I want to bridge those gaps and I want to give voices to
those families. And in saying that, I have been
able to connect with thousands of listeners, literally
(04:02):
thousands. I've had so many emails and
social media messages. I've literally on boarded.
One of my best friends Josh, I've spoken about him before he
helps me edit and he's helping me with the website.
But I literally messaged him today and I'm like can you
please be admin of these things?I just can't cope.
(04:22):
I think honestly I've only criedlike 8 times in this process of
how like learning how to do a podcast and learning how to edit
it. It was like super overwhelming.
So that's a great amount of breakdowns for me.
But to all my listeners and supporters and, you know, you're
(04:42):
at home sleuths, I guess thank you.
Your support makes it all possible and justifies my very
late nights. Most nights are late nights.
My partner Cameron can attest tothat.
He's sick of me being on the computer in bed.
But I'm so incredibly invested and I have some really exciting
things coming up business wise and a lot of cases and families
(05:05):
that want to use this platform and that's what it's for at the
end of the day. So here's to the next chapter.
More cases, more compassion, more coffee, more late nights,
maybe even ATV appearance comingup.
I can't believe I'm saying that,but yeah, thank you.
Thanks everyone. It's been really awesome and I
(05:26):
love my job so much. And when I first actually quit
doing postgraduate research, I was a bit like hesitant, I
guess, because I was like, Oh myGod, am I leaving something I've
worked so hard for for nothing? And by having you guys listen
and contribute and comment, eventhe negative comments, dare I
(05:48):
say it, that are like, oh, this case isn't real.
There was one on YouTube today and they're like, this is all
money making, which is just wildto me because I really haven't
made a dollar. But yeah, I thought, am I doing
the right thing? And I really feel like I am and
I'm on the right path. And yeah, I just, I seek work
(06:10):
that has a purpose and that's what this does.
So thank you so much to everybody who contributes in any
which way. And if you feel like sharing the
podcast or any of the pages or anything like that, please feel
free. I do also have a merchandise
drop coming. Woohoo.
I've just ordered all the samples, so once I'm pleased
(06:31):
with those, I'll share them withyou.
But that's another exciting thing.
Today's episode is about Phoebe Bishop.
I just want to say before I go into this case, this is going to
be a bit of a long episode because I was initially going to
split it into two and I thought,no, I'm just going to do 1.
I also want to say that this is a touchy subject, it feels
(06:54):
because obviously we have a young woman who's missing a
beautiful young girl, 17 years old.
It's incredibly sad. The whole situation is
incredibly sad. But on the other side of the
coin, it makes me really, reallysad for my other cases and my
other families who didn't get this exposure.
So while Phoebe absolutely deserves this exposure and I
(07:17):
hope it continues for her, I wish it was like this for our
indigenous families, our our families with elderly people
missing and our families with men missing, like our Jack
McLennan case. I just wish that this exposure
was the same for him. And I wish that all missing
persons cases really had this exposure right up until the case
(07:40):
is resolved. So it's really sad, but we do
have a number of resources in the podcast notes if you need
them. But let's get straight into it.
I'm going to start off with a timeline just so we're all on
the same page. So we start the timeline of
Phoebe Bishop's missing case. On Thursday the 15th of May
2025, at approximately 8:30 AM, Phoebe is reportedly dropped off
(08:04):
at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Regional Airport by her
housemates Tanika Bromley and James Wood.
She was scheduled to board a flight to Brisbane and from
there to WA to visit her boyfriend.
CCTV footage confirms that Phoebe never entered the airport
terminal and her luggage also remains missing.
(08:26):
Friday the 16th of May at six PMA Missing persons report is
filed with Queensland Police Service after Phoebe fails to
board her flight and cannot be contacted.
Saturday, May 17, Phoebe's mother, Kylie Johnson issues a
public appeal on social media expressing her concern over her
(08:46):
daughter's disappearance. Over 400 missing person posters
are distributed and displayed across the Wide Bay region,
including Bundaberg, Childers and Jinjin.
I hope I'm pronouncing that right again.
I know the Queensland people aregoing to come after me if I'm
not and I'm so sorry. Wednesday, May 21, police
(09:07):
declared the Jinjin property where Phoebe was living and a
2011 Grey to silver Hyundai 935 vehicle is 2 separate crime
scenes. Investigators confirm that
Phoebe never entered the airportterminal based on CCTV footage.
Friday, May the 23rd, the searchfor Phoebe expands to the Good
Night Scrub National Park, approximately 40 kilometers
(09:30):
South of Jinjin. Specialist units including
homicide detectives, dive teams,SES and cadaver dogs are
deployed to assist in the search.
Saturday, May the 24th reports amerge of deceased dogs being
removed from the Jinjin propertywhere Phoebe resided.
This is all alleged information at this point.
Phoebe's mother describes the ongoing ordeal as a nightmare
(09:53):
and continues to plead for public assistance via social
media. Sunday May 25th Tanika Bromley,
Phoebe's 33 year old flatmate, is arrested in Millbank,
Queensland on charges related tounlawful possession of weapons
and explosives. Firearms and ammunition are
discovered in the Hyundai at theJinjin property.
(10:13):
Authorities say this is not related.
Monday, May 26th Bromley appearsin a Bundaberg Magistrates
Court. Her partner, James Wood, also
attends but is not charged. Police continue to appeal for
information, particularly sightings of the Hyundai 935
between May 15 and May 18. As of right now, Phoebe still
(10:36):
remains missing along with her luggage.
There's been no social media or bank account activity under her
accounts. This case is being treated as
suspicious and the investigations are ongoing, with
authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
Phoebe is described as approximately 180 centimeters
tall with long dark hair that has been dyed red, Hazel eyes,
(10:58):
and was last seen wearing a green tank top and Gray
sweatpants. So without speculation, and I
know it's very hard in 2025, do you have an opinion without it
coming across as speculation? But I'm going to do both a
criminological analysis and a forensic analysis on this case.
(11:18):
That's basically what this episode is today.
So if that's of your interest, that's where we're headed.
I cannot give you any extra information then what the media
is sharing or information that I'm sharing with you on this
case has been derived by OSINT, which we've previously spoken
about. That is open source
intelligence. It's information anybody can
find. It's free information.
(11:41):
But the following information isbased off my knowledge as a
criminologist and forensic scientist.
So criminological analysis is fundamentally based off
theoretical and sociological standpoints.
If we're looking through a criminology lens, we are asking
why crime happens. So we're looking at human
behavior, power dynamics, cultural influences, and
(12:03):
structural inequalities. So criminological analysis, you
can say, is more of an idea driven rather than data-driven
purpose. We can use things like theories
such as strain theory, routine activity theory and labeling
theory, patterns of deviance or control, psychological patterns
(12:25):
I guess economic and social motivations, case studies, and
even lived experience from this standpoint.
So with that being said, on one hand, or as I like to explain
it, one side of my brain is forensics, which is telling us
what happened with things like DNA data, decomp, etcetera.
(12:47):
Criminology is the other side ofmy brain and it's asking why.
Why did Phoebe disappear? Why might someone cover it up?
Criminology is less about fingerprints in the lab and more
about power, vulnerability, and things like social pressure.
It's theory based, it's not testtube based, but it's just about
as equally as crucial in seeing the full picture here and also
(13:11):
critical in crime prevention, which is a huge 1.
So within our criminological analysis, we have victimology.
So as the word describes, we're essentially creating a victim
profile and it can be as straightforward as this profile.
Phoebe Bishop, 17, described as empathetic and spirited by her
(13:32):
family. Her last known movements were
allegedly being dropped off at Bundaberg Regional Air Airport,
Sorry by housemates, but never entered the terminal.
So her social and financial activity are also involved here
and there has been no activity on social media or bank accounts
since May 15th. Part of the victimology goes
(13:55):
into the residence. Where was she living?
What were her living conditions?Her residence has been described
by various media outlets as cluttered and unsanitary, and I
would have to agree with that. Reports from the Courier Mail
and Seven News say that Bromley,the female housemate, was living
in a bus outside the main house,which contradicts claims of a
(14:18):
stable residence as per other media reports.
Again, without speculation, we know that Tanika or Tanika, I
don't know how to pronounce it. I'm going to say Tanika, I don't
know. She was arrested as I previously
said with weapons and explosivesand charge charges on firearms
(14:42):
and ammunition being found in the Hyundai and at the residence
prior to Phoebe's disappearance.She also faced numerous weapons
related charges. So this isn't her first time and
I, I just want to make that clear because when you're
looking at the news, sometimes they like to just quickly jump
on the closest person. And while she, she may be
(15:04):
involved it, we cannot say that she is right now.
And it's really important to know that this isn't new
behavior of her housemate to have weapons related charges.
In March this year actually, shehad appeared in Bundaberg
Magistrates Court again on charges including unlawful
possession of a sworn off shotgun, possession of a flick
(15:25):
knife and carrying a knife in a public place.
At the time of her most recent arrest, she was on bail for
these offences. And that information you can
read more about on The Australian or on 7 News.
But after Phoebe's disappearance, police searched
the residence where they allegedly found a bunch of
weapons essentially. So that included a shortened
(15:47):
firearm, 2 handguns, ammunition,and they were located in the
vicinity of the residence and the Hyundai.
So I'm, I'm unsure specifically if they were in the car or the
residence or in the car that wasat the residence, but there's
that. So from there, the housemate was
then charged for two counts of authority required to possess
(16:10):
explosives, 1 count of possessing restricted items, and
one count of unlawful possessionof weapons.
These charges right now are considered unrelated to Phoebe's
disappearance, But that's just an important side note.
And put it on a sticky note and up there on your whiteboard.
So there's also speculation thatthe housemate may also share
(16:30):
custody of two children and thatshe's in an intimate
relationship with James Wood, who's also living at the same
address. Why are you waffling on about
this, you ask? This is all the criminological
side of analysis. Who is involved?
Who are they? Give us a little background on
them. That's essentially what we're
(16:51):
doing. That's all the information I
could find using OSINT that was appropriate to share.
It's also important to note thatthat Silver Grey Hyundai IX35
that was declared a crime scene as well as their place of
residence, that Hyundai belongedto the housemate, the female
housemate. So they're also, as we said, the
(17:15):
investigators are looking into Good Night Scrub National Park.
They're doing an intensive search with specialist units
like cadaver dogs, drones and all of the works.
So you will have probably seen if you've been watching the news
or reading on social media, theyhave been taking out some brown,
brown, been talking brown paper bags, which we know is usually
(17:40):
to contain evidence. So whether that is related to
her case or not, that's another thing.
It is believed to be linked to Phoebe's disappearance.
However, that's all being forensically tested.
So that's all we can talk about there.
Also, I just want to note, I mayseem a little bit vague, but
this is the active case and we've got to be really careful
with fresh active cases. We use the word allegedly a lot
(18:03):
like I've spoken about in previous episodes.
We have to allege everything because nothing is confirmed,
nothing's been charged or seen through the court and things
like that. So it's, it's difficult, but
we're going to get there guys and we're going to get into the
analysis and my opinion, which is it's a big one.
So just bear with me and I'm going to get into a geographical
(18:24):
analysis, which is lots of fun and you can do that yourself.
We have a lot of citizen sluts, as I like to call them, web
sluts. Great website.
And I think it's actually reallyuseful.
A lot of people are against it. I think it's useful.
I think the more brains on a situation or a case, the better.
(18:44):
And yes, it's obviously going tocome with a couple of odd, odd
people with odd opinions. That's fine.
We can filter those out. We we all know how to behave
like adults. But I think it's great.
And you don't need to have the background that I do to have an
opinion and have a look into things yourself.
Absolutely not. And what I do, even as a
(19:07):
professional is open up Google Maps.
I don't live in QLD, so Google Maps satellite fantastic, gives
me a view of where things are inproportion to each other, of
the, you know, topography are there, is it bushes, etcetera.
I love to do that. Street View all about it.
So jump on Google Maps and have a little look if you're not from
(19:31):
the area. So we've got three particular
places in question. We've got the Bundaberg Regional
Airport, that's where she was meant to be, so we can confirm
that. We can confirm that she lived in
Jinjin. I really hope that's how you say
it. And then the investigators are
(19:52):
looking at Good Night Scrub National Park.
So I am just sticking with thosethree.
OK, so they're confirmed. Those three places are
confirmed. Let's run with it.
So from Bundaberg Airport to Jinjin is approximately 51 KS.
Yes, I've done the maths OK. This is approximately a 36
minute drive. The significance of this, you
(20:14):
wonder. So the route between the airport
and Xinjiang is crucial because that encompasses the last known
locations associated with Phoebe, whether she actually was
dropped off at the airport that's alleged.
I'm not even going to go into myopinion on that.
So let's move on Jinjin to Good Night Scrub National Park.
(20:37):
So the distance there is between30 and 40 kilometers southwest
of Jinjin. The terrain is dense bushland
with limited access, making search efforts challenging.
Now the distance between Bundaberg Regional Airport and
Goodnight Scrub National Park isabout 95 kilometers by Rd.
So it's quite a distance. So depending on which route is
(21:00):
taken and of course dependent ontraffic conditions, but the most
common way involves travelling from Bundaberg to Jinjin.
OK, so keep that in mind becausethat is a route that would have
had to be taken if Phoebe was going from home to the airport.
OK, so the most common route involves traveling from
(21:22):
Bundaberg to Jinjin via the Bruce Hwy. then continuing
southwest to the park via Goodnight Road and Mingo Rd.
This journey would take typically around an hour and 15
minutes under normal driving conditions.
So what are you talking about, you ask?
Have I gone off on an investigative tangent?
(21:44):
Yes, I have, because I like to work with facts and I like to
work backwards. Don't ask me why, it just works
for me. Have you ever done those mazes?
I'm sure you have like in a kidsbook when you were a kid or with
your kid and it's like get the dog to his bone, like through
the maze. I always start with a bone.
I never start with a dog. Gives me the right answer the
first time and I don't need to go over it.
(22:05):
And that's how I operate in forensics.
So what am I talking about? How does this relate?
There's a number of businesses including security companies
that operate in the Bundaberg and Gin Gin areas.
Meaning there's options in reviewing CCTV along these
routes to see if they picked up the Hyundai IX35.
Now on media reports they say that Phoebe was seen arguing
(22:31):
with the driver of the Hyundai. Interesting.
I'd like to know where that was so I can place that on the map.
But as far as research goes, I have found Oz Spy Security
Solutions, Rechenberg Security and Locksmiths and Security
Enterprises who would potentially have lists of where
they have installed their security monitoring systems in
(22:51):
the Bundaberg and Jinjin areas. So while these companies to they
do supply and install, they would have information about
what businesses or residents have CCTV along these routes.
That's not public information obviously, but that would be
something authorities can look into.
So shout out QPS. In addition to that option, the
(23:13):
Bundaberg Regional Council operate CCTV cameras within the
Bundaberg and surrounding regions for public safety and
incidents response. So I'm sure that's not the
avenue that they will have taken.
If I know you can't see me and you can only hear me.
But that's a little wink and a nudge to QPS again.
But strategic, strategic, sorry,considerations, we have to
(23:35):
consider two factors into the search here.
And the first thing is accessibility and the second is
search challenges. So in terms of accessibility,
the remote nature of Good Night Scrub National Park, as I said,
jump on satellite, that'll help you out.
It suggests that it could be used to conceal evidence or
remains. OK, Now we're not saying that
(23:56):
Phoebe is deceased, but if we are looking for something to do
with Phoebe, we're either looking for her belongings,
weapons, items of hers or her herself, OK?
So if this is an effort to conceal evidence or remains, we
have to consider how a person could do so.
(24:18):
OK, So we're thinking how we're thinking worst case scenario,
OK, We're thinking do we have remains or heavy objects,
etcetera. And what we do have is Good
Night Scrub National Park and they have information that has
taken them there. We don't have that information,
but they do. So we have to just trust the
process, guys. And what are the access points?
(24:38):
OK, what are the access points? And are they by foot?
Are they by vehicle? Are there any areas that are
accessible by car? Could two people carry the
weight of a diseased body? Factoring in that a person's
body after death is not heavier by weight, but it is harder to
manoeuvre due to muscle tone being lost.
(25:00):
This loss of muscle tone after death makes the body limp, OK
and passive. And when a body is limp and
passive after death, it makes itmore difficult to lift and
carry, which gives a really realand realistic illusion of a
greater body weight. So when you hear the term dead
(25:22):
weight, that's what people are talking about.
We also have to factor in the timeline here because if there
was a potential deceased body being transported, for example,
and it was hours post death, again for example, a body then
goes into rigor OK and it stiffens, which again makes the
body super awkward to handle, particularly if the limbs are
(25:44):
locked into a certain position. I've previously worked on a case
of a victim who passed away, andat the time of death they had
fallen in a very unusual position.
And that person was there for quite some time and they went
into rigor before they were found.
And that means that that body was stuck in that position.
(26:04):
Once it hits rigor, the way thatit was found is the way that the
body will stay. So we don't know that either.
Again this is all just ideas, but the longer a body goes into
decomp again then the post mortem changes also change the
composition of the person. OK so in other words, in plain
English, the more time that has passed after somebody has passed
(26:28):
away, the more gas build up fromputrefaction which causes body
bloating. Again, that doesn't
significantly, significantly increase body weight, but
maneuvering a body that has all of that gas built up, that's
another factor and definitely not usually a one person job.
(26:50):
If I'm jumping into the behavioral and forensic insight
here, I just want to say, OK, there's a discrepancy in
accounts. So the housemates claim that
they dropped Phoebe off at the airport, Yes, or near the
airport on Airport Drive I believe they said.
Correct me if I'm wrong but thatinformation is contradicted by
(27:14):
the CCTV evidence showing that she never entered the terminal.
So what? What I'm saying here is,
forensically speaking, there is no evidence that they dropped
her off there. OK so that's why I just haven't
based it off that. I will base my theory around the
fact that she should have been there and she was travelling in
(27:35):
that direction. Can I confirm to you that she
was dropped off there? No, I cannot.
So the next point is the lack ofcommunication behaviourally.
Phoebe's sudden disappearance without any communication,
that's completely inconsistent with the character that has been
described. So that's by family accounts and
(27:58):
friends accounts. She obviously was also going to
travel to Washington to see her boyfriend, and he had not heard
from her. So this is just not typical
behavior of Phoebe, according toeverybody who knows her.
I also want to chat a bit about the significance, I guess of
declaring crime scenes because they had pretty early on
(28:20):
declared the Hyundai and the Residences crime scenes.
When authorities cordon off a property or a vehicle like they
have done in this instance, it'snot just about containment, it's
about preserving layers of narrative.
So blood, fibers, soil, even what's missing from a scene can
speak volume. So while we could speculate that
(28:44):
something had happened in the residence, they may also just be
looking for things of significance that should be
there that are not. So it's presence of evidence and
lack of evidence too. So that's also really
significant, particularly in missing persons cases.
We want to know what somebody has on them, what they don't
(29:05):
have on them. And the cadaver dogs, as far as
that goes, they are used to detect the scent of human
decomp, OK? That's what we're using them
for. And that can last even weeks
post a person's death because scent pulls in low lying areas.
It's called a sink. If you've ever done science at a
(29:28):
postgraduate level or environmental science, you will
know what I'm talking about. The scent pulling in low lying
areas like water and different parts of places like Goodnight
scrub that are lower lying. And if there's hills, scents
will pull at the bottom of the hills, at the bottom of the
ridges in the water, and they will hold in there like water in
(29:52):
a sink, I guess. And the cadaver dogs can smell.
What would you even say detect? I guess since even weeks after
something has been there in terms of marking the vehicle as
a crime scene, that could be forvarious reasons.
It's obviously a because Phoebe was in that vehicle.
(30:13):
She was confirmed to have been in that vehicle.
So they need to test whatever they can and that vehicle is
just basically going to be treated as a forensic container.
Don't touch this vehicle, it's ours.
We need to test everything we can.
There could be other things in there that we're not sure about.
They obviously found the weaponsrelated things for the
(30:36):
housemate. But in terms of good night
scrub, I want to talk about environmental DNA.
OK, which US forensic nerds callEdna.
But today we're going to say environmental DNA so you don't
get confused. I'd like to make this a pretty
informal chat just so you get used to the terms because once
(30:57):
I've said it a few times, I may go off on a tangent and I want
you to know what I'm talking about.
South Environmental DNA. OK, so we've got temperature, so
heat, humidity, what else have we got in a Bush?
Guys like insects, predators, all of these things combined and
separate, but potentially combined, they accelerate
(31:19):
decomposition. So again, if we're referring to
a person who has passed away, and again, we're not assuming
that that's what they're lookingfor because they could be
looking for weapons or luggage or mobile phones.
But if we are talking about a person who is deceased, all of
these things contribute to decomposition, accelerating.
(31:40):
And this effects how remains or clothing might be recovered.
So there's a theory in forensicscalled the soil transfer theory.
OK, So if remains were moved, there are traces on the soil or
soil on the clothing or tools. OK.
(32:01):
So just it's very, it's, it's like a chain reaction or tools
that could be matched back to areas within the park because
there's obviously different parts of the year, there's
different pollination going on. Like springtime would be a big
one for that. There's a lot going on in nature
that can tell you a lot about crime.
Do not be fooled by CSI and these things you're looking at
(32:23):
and they're like, oh, there's notire trucks, we can't do
anything wrong, Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
Way, way, way, way back to the start of forensics.
We have low cards exchange principle and that is one we
live by and it is a proven fact.It is science.
I live by it. Everyone else in forensics lives
by. It is that every contact leaves
(32:45):
a trace and you might not see itwith the naked eye if there has
been something there, those two things that have touched each
other, those two surfaces will leave an imprint on each other
one way or another if it's microscopically.
So maybe, and it probably would be.
That's why we have forensics. We can tell.
(33:05):
OK, but if you, for example, arewearing a cotton T-shirt and
you've just hugged your boyfriend and he's wearing a
cotton T-shirt, his is black andyours is blue.
Well, if we look at that under amicroscope, I can guarantee you
we are going to find a piece of fiber of his shirt on yours and
yours on his. And that's what we're talking
about here. So soil tells a very big
(33:28):
narrative behind this. We can detect soil disturbances.
We have a device called a groundpenetrating radar that will scan
the soil for disturbances. It can go quite deep.
We've got Lidar scanning. There's so many things that the
everyday person would not have heard of that can be used.
(33:51):
So the background on good night scrub I just went off absolutely
on attention background on good night scrub National Park.
OK, I've done my research. It's a room remote 6600 hectare
reserve with dense dry rainforest and rugged terrain.
It's huge you guys, absolutely huge.
But it is accessible only via limited 4 wheel drive tracks,
(34:15):
making searches logistically challenging.
However, not super challenging because if we are again looking
at an area and we say OK, if it was accessed by a vehicle, how
far can we get in and what entrance points can we get in
with that vehicle. If you look on maps which I did
(34:36):
and you you pop in the look the closest street name.
Can't remember what it's called off the top of my head.
There's one specific St. that goes quite far in there.
I believe it is a dirt track, but it goes quite far in there.
You'd be looking in there. Are there other points of access
around access with the vehicle? Are there other points around
that aren't off a main road? Can you go off a little fork or
(34:58):
intersection where you're not necessarily going to be seen by
somebody driving past? That's another huge one.
I also want to know while I'm onthis topic, that most people who
commit crimes, if a crime has been committed here, but in
general, they're not sitting at home planning the best route to
(35:22):
drive in the quickest way and blah, blah, blah.
It's generally as at the moment,where can I go?
How can I do this? So we don't need to spend too
much time, you know, with that sort of thing.
We just need to think like if you were there at this giant
(35:42):
National Park and you've chosen this is the spot that I'm going
to. Let's just let's talk like
normal, normal people. Not that it's normal to throw
rubbish out of a car, but I'm going to say I need to throw my
Maccas Happy meal out of the carbecause it's gross and I need to
get it away from me. Let's say I'm pregnant and the
smell is just killing me and I'mthrowing that out, but I don't
(36:05):
want anyone to see me. Where are you throwing that out?
OK, Did you write down like a detailed note of where you were
going to go to do that? Or did you just go there and
find the most appropriate spot and throw it out when no other
car saw you? So that's another, that's the
best example I can give you because I don't want to.
I hate people who litter, so I just, I can't relate.
(36:26):
But that was the best example I could come to at that time
anyway. There's also wild pig activity
and other scavenger species in that scrub National Park that
can also complicate body recovery and decomposition
timelines historically. Also, I found a few sites that
(36:48):
said that that National Park historically was used for hidden
stolen cars and illegal hunting camps and that locals know the
area is isolating. I don't know how factual that
is, I did go quite deep onto theInternet to find that.
But anyway, my last comment before closing off with a few
bits and pieces would be to check all information provided
(37:11):
because I'm unsure who actually confirmed that she was last seen
on Airport Link Road. Did someone see her there?
As far as I'm aware it was a comment made by somebody, but if
there was CCTV of that then I'm sure that they would have
released that and release those like images.
Being like this is where she waslast seen for the public to
(37:33):
garner assistance. But there's no evidence of that.
So I'm not going to speculate there.
If it was the housemates that last saw her there because they
dropped her there, I would like to know why did they drop her
there and so close to the airport but not at the actual
actual terminal? And does that even count as a
(37:55):
confirmed sighting? Did she even make it that far?
Who reported seeing her arguing with the driver of the Hyundai?
And where was that? Because for all we know that was
her last known sighting alive. I know that there was text
messages from James Wood saying he was the last person to see
(38:15):
her alive, but literally no one else has said that except him so
I don't know if he's referring to that.
She may not have even made it out of the vehicle alive, like
who knows? And if she did, why were there
number plates on the Hyundai altered?
They have been changed like by hand and you can very clearly
tell they've been altered by hand.
(38:37):
My opinion is that she never even made it to that airport
link Road reports say that her housemates aren't immediate
family members. So are they distant relatives?
Like how does she know these people?
I feel like the public need moreinformation with that.
Did the boyfriend leak his own text?
The boyfriend being James Wood, did he leak his own text to
(38:58):
cover his own ass by saying he was putting in an effort to
search for her to paint his own public image?
Like I I don't understand that. I think that could be likely.
And the house that there was reports saying the house was
derelict and unhygienic. The house was a hovel.
It was absolutely disgusting. Surrounded by trash.
I don't know how anybody could live there.
(39:19):
It honestly reminded me of a house off the hoarders.
If you haven't seen that, look it up.
Disgusting. I'll post some pictures on
social media of this because I just there's so many questions.
There was a bus noted in one of the articles saying that you
know that female housemate was living in the bus.
But then I also saw that the busat the property was also
(39:41):
advertised on Facebook marketplace.
It's very odd but my forensic opinion is this OK?
In Australia, more than 30,000 people are reported missing each
year. Of these, around 60% are under
18 and girls aged between 13 and17 make up most commonly
(40:02):
reported. This is data from the AFP.
This isn't an anomaly. Girls like Phoebe make up a
disproportionately large number of missing persons reports,
often due to unstable home environments, coercive control
or high risk peer relationships.But in Phoebe's case, the lack
of movement on CCTV and abandoned flight and missing
(40:23):
belongings signals something farmore sinister to me.
Over 95% of missing persons are found within 38 hours.
By day 7, over 98% have returnedor been located.
Cases that remained open past the 30 day mark are
statistically more likely to involve foul play.
(40:45):
Now, we're not at that mark yet,but Phoebe's case passed all
critical thresholds. No ATM activity, no phone
records, no trace. These things are all the basic
checks that are done for a proofof life.
When a missing teen fails to resurface within the first week,
the probability statistically ofvoluntarily being absent, it
(41:08):
drops dramatically. As a forensic scientist, that
changed the scope of the investigation for me and the
urgency of recovery because obviously the sooner the
potential remains are found, theeasier the evidence is to
examine to give answers and closure for family and friends.
In 84% of abduction related homicides, the offender attempts
to conceal the victim, their remains or key evidence, often
(41:32):
using secondary locations like bushlands, waterway or abandoned
vehicles. The tampered Hyundai, the remote
drop point at the regional airport and the state of the
home is now declared a crime scene.
These elements fit the concealment pattern.
The choice of goodnight scrub. It's dense, it's remote, it's
(41:52):
ecologically complex. It's also statistically aligning
with known concealment locationsin rural Queensland missing
persons cases. According to the AIC and the
AIHW, teens living in a non parental household or informal
housing arrangements are at a three times greater risk of
becoming long term missing. Phoebe isn't just a teenager,
(42:17):
she's statistically categorized as a vulnerable one, living in a
cluttered and unstable residencewith adults who are now under
investigation. This raises multiple red flags.
Her situation places her in one of the highest risk categories
for exploitation or disappearance.
Over 40% of rural Queensland body recoveries occur within 5
(42:39):
kilometers of a road. But terrain with high canopy
cover or natural watercourses like Good Night Scrub, they're
remote and they're not entirely inaccessible.
It fits the profile of secondarybody disposal sites, dense
cover, low foot traffic, and limited surveillance.
It's also super common for offenders to choose areas that
(43:01):
they're familiar with but not emotionally attached to.
It's possible that someone knew that that terrain well enough to
feel confident that it would conceal.
Forensics is a science, so when I'm giving a forensic opinion,
it's based on fact and data analysis.
Sometimes it make makes it seem like it's not particularly
personable, but it's an opinion that's supposed to be generated
(43:24):
based on experience and objective evidence.
Sick opinion only. Like right now it's in the
nicest, most respectful way possible.
I'm saying that things are not looking good for Phoebe and I
really wish that that was not the case.
That's why I'm here as a victim advocate as well as a scientist.
But unfortunately, given the factors like the time pass and
(43:45):
the circumstances, it's just noton the good side of science.
I wish this wasn't the case for Phoebe.
I hope it's not the case for Phoebe, and I wish it wasn't the
case for every single other missing person in this country.
We have a long way to go to bridge this gap and fix systemic
issues and I honestly see the only way through that is A
(44:06):
through crime prevention and B through specialty resources, not
just your regular police or respect to them.
We need specialist teams, we need more funding, we need
resources, we need better housing.
This house was in no way fit fora 17 year old girl to be living
in. But that's all I'm going to say.
(44:27):
I'm going to love and leave you.I hope you have gained a little
bit of insight out of this analysis.
I haven't gone too much into it while it's still active and
ongoing. I'll update you further if
there's any more progression. Rather on this case, I've been
talking too much that my words are blending into one, but I
just wanted to do a little bit of an an analysis.
(44:48):
Oh my gosh, wow, I need a coffee.
I wanted to do an analysis and encourage you to not be
discouraged by the fact that youdo not have a degree.
If you do not have one, I want you to question things, ask
questions, look into things you know, theorize yourself, be
(45:11):
curious, and look for the truth.That's what my podcast is about.
And you are so welcome to share your opinions on my group, on
Facebook or on any of our platforms.
We welcome it, OK? We welcome discussion, healthy
discussion, respectful discussion.
(45:34):
And again, everything's alleged at this point, but it's it's
important to have discussions. And I'm thinking of all of
Phoebe's friends and family right now and everybody else who
is going through something like this.
But thank you so much for sticking around and listening.
And that's the end of today's podcast.
(45:55):
Thank you so much for joining meon this episode.
I hope you have enjoyed it here.If so, you can subscribe to stay
up to date on new episodes, or you can find us both on
Instagram and Facebook and now TikTok.
Please feel free to jump onto our Facebook group to join in on
the case discussions. You can find the link to our
group in our podcast notes. As always, stay curious, stay
(46:17):
informed, and until next time, trust your instincts and keep
seeking the truth.
Welcome to Exhuming the Truth, the podcast where we delve into
the mysterious worlds of cold cases, missing persons, true
crime, and the fascinating science that is forensics.
I'm forensic scientist and criminologist Asha Walther, and
I am so thrilled to have you with me on this journey as we
dance in the shadows of the world of crime, shining a light
(00:39):
on scientific discovery while becoming another voice for those
who need it most. So grab a drink and get
comfortable while we jump into this episode together.
As always, I would like to extend a content and trigger
warning. This podcast is recommended for
persons over the age of 18 and contains explicit content not
suitable for minors. We will be covering sensitive
(01:01):
content that ranges from sexual assault, physical, mental,
social and emotional abuse, suicide, homicide, murder,
attempted murder, and other violent crimes including crimes
involving weapons and drugs. This often extends to drug
misuse and other harmful and illegal activity.
If you find any content to be distressing, I have listed a
(01:24):
number of resources that may be able to help you.
In the podcast notes, I would like to also remind our
listeners that all victims and all perpetrators are someone's
loved 1 So I ask that any discussions in our group or on
our social accounts remain respectful of that at all times.
And by listening today, you acknowledge that all persons of
interest remain innocent and to improve in other lives.
(01:47):
Hi guys, I am coming to you tonight from my bed and I know
that sounds super lazy. However I'm actually really
proud of myself to be at the point where I can record from my
bed or anywhere in my house. I wish I had of been on to this
sooner. So when it was like 6
consecutive weeks of heat waves I could be in the air con but I
(02:08):
just wasn't that wise at the time.
So for housekeeping this week, Ihave a couple of things.
The first thing and the most exciting thing is it is our six
month birthday, which is really exciting.
I know it doesn't sound that great, but for us that's a huge
milestone. I honestly wasn't sure how far
(02:32):
that this would go. And I knew that I wanted it to
be a, a podcast that be much more than that and much bigger
than that. And I wanted to definitely add
victim advocacy to my business, which I've started to do, which
is awesome. So I can't believe we're still
digging. In six months, we've released 12
true crime episodes. I have started the human
(02:54):
Condition series to share real life resilience.
So I have that coming up next season.
I've designed our first cold case subscription box that's
coming. I've built workshops that teach
kids to handle big feelings detective styles.
So that is actually going to be our little mascot for that.
After school incursions is Sherlock Bones.
(03:16):
I've worked with drone teams over the last six months and
forensic experts on missing persons cases and current cases,
which, sorry, I had to stop. My phone alarm went off.
It's very unprofessional, but I want this to be as personal as
possible. So here we are.
Yeah, There's been a lot of missing persons cases and a lot
(03:39):
of systemic gaps that need to befocused on, which gives us a
really good place to be, I think, obviously not in terms of
where we are in society, but where we need to be.
And that's the direction I want to head.
And I want to bridge those gaps and I want to give voices to
those families. And in saying that, I have been
able to connect with thousands of listeners, literally
(04:02):
thousands. I've had so many emails and
social media messages. I've literally on boarded.
One of my best friends Josh, I've spoken about him before he
helps me edit and he's helping me with the website.
But I literally messaged him today and I'm like can you
please be admin of these things?I just can't cope.
(04:22):
I think honestly I've only criedlike 8 times in this process of
how like learning how to do a podcast and learning how to edit
it. It was like super overwhelming.
So that's a great amount of breakdowns for me.
But to all my listeners and supporters and, you know, you're
(04:42):
at home sleuths, I guess thank you.
Your support makes it all possible and justifies my very
late nights. Most nights are late nights.
My partner Cameron can attest tothat.
He's sick of me being on the computer in bed.
But I'm so incredibly invested and I have some really exciting
things coming up business wise and a lot of cases and families
(05:05):
that want to use this platform and that's what it's for at the
end of the day. So here's to the next chapter.
More cases, more compassion, more coffee, more late nights,
maybe even ATV appearance comingup.
I can't believe I'm saying that,but yeah, thank you.
Thanks everyone. It's been really awesome and I
(05:26):
love my job so much. And when I first actually quit
doing postgraduate research, I was a bit like hesitant, I
guess, because I was like, Oh myGod, am I leaving something I've
worked so hard for for nothing? And by having you guys listen
and contribute and comment, eventhe negative comments, dare I
(05:48):
say it, that are like, oh, this case isn't real.
There was one on YouTube today and they're like, this is all
money making, which is just wildto me because I really haven't
made a dollar. But yeah, I thought, am I doing
the right thing? And I really feel like I am and
I'm on the right path. And yeah, I just, I seek work
(06:10):
that has a purpose and that's what this does.
So thank you so much to everybody who contributes in any
which way. And if you feel like sharing the
podcast or any of the pages or anything like that, please feel
free. I do also have a merchandise
drop coming. Woohoo.
I've just ordered all the samples, so once I'm pleased
(06:31):
with those, I'll share them withyou.
But that's another exciting thing.
Today's episode is about Phoebe Bishop.
I just want to say before I go into this case, this is going to
be a bit of a long episode because I was initially going to
split it into two and I thought,no, I'm just going to do 1.
I also want to say that this is a touchy subject, it feels
(06:54):
because obviously we have a young woman who's missing a
beautiful young girl, 17 years old.
It's incredibly sad. The whole situation is
incredibly sad. But on the other side of the
coin, it makes me really, reallysad for my other cases and my
other families who didn't get this exposure.
So while Phoebe absolutely deserves this exposure and I
(07:17):
hope it continues for her, I wish it was like this for our
indigenous families, our our families with elderly people
missing and our families with men missing, like our Jack
McLennan case. I just wish that this exposure
was the same for him. And I wish that all missing
persons cases really had this exposure right up until the case
(07:40):
is resolved. So it's really sad, but we do
have a number of resources in the podcast notes if you need
them. But let's get straight into it.
I'm going to start off with a timeline just so we're all on
the same page. So we start the timeline of
Phoebe Bishop's missing case. On Thursday the 15th of May
2025, at approximately 8:30 AM, Phoebe is reportedly dropped off
(08:04):
at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Regional Airport by her
housemates Tanika Bromley and James Wood.
She was scheduled to board a flight to Brisbane and from
there to WA to visit her boyfriend.
CCTV footage confirms that Phoebe never entered the airport
terminal and her luggage also remains missing.
(08:26):
Friday the 16th of May at six PMA Missing persons report is
filed with Queensland Police Service after Phoebe fails to
board her flight and cannot be contacted.
Saturday, May 17, Phoebe's mother, Kylie Johnson issues a
public appeal on social media expressing her concern over her
(08:46):
daughter's disappearance. Over 400 missing person posters
are distributed and displayed across the Wide Bay region,
including Bundaberg, Childers and Jinjin.
I hope I'm pronouncing that right again.
I know the Queensland people aregoing to come after me if I'm
not and I'm so sorry. Wednesday, May 21, police
(09:07):
declared the Jinjin property where Phoebe was living and a
2011 Grey to silver Hyundai 935 vehicle is 2 separate crime
scenes. Investigators confirm that
Phoebe never entered the airportterminal based on CCTV footage.
Friday, May the 23rd, the searchfor Phoebe expands to the Good
Night Scrub National Park, approximately 40 kilometers
(09:30):
South of Jinjin. Specialist units including
homicide detectives, dive teams,SES and cadaver dogs are
deployed to assist in the search.
Saturday, May the 24th reports amerge of deceased dogs being
removed from the Jinjin propertywhere Phoebe resided.
This is all alleged information at this point.
Phoebe's mother describes the ongoing ordeal as a nightmare
(09:53):
and continues to plead for public assistance via social
media. Sunday May 25th Tanika Bromley,
Phoebe's 33 year old flatmate, is arrested in Millbank,
Queensland on charges related tounlawful possession of weapons
and explosives. Firearms and ammunition are
discovered in the Hyundai at theJinjin property.
(10:13):
Authorities say this is not related.
Monday, May 26th Bromley appearsin a Bundaberg Magistrates
Court. Her partner, James Wood, also
attends but is not charged. Police continue to appeal for
information, particularly sightings of the Hyundai 935
between May 15 and May 18. As of right now, Phoebe still
(10:36):
remains missing along with her luggage.
There's been no social media or bank account activity under her
accounts. This case is being treated as
suspicious and the investigations are ongoing, with
authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
Phoebe is described as approximately 180 centimeters
tall with long dark hair that has been dyed red, Hazel eyes,
(10:58):
and was last seen wearing a green tank top and Gray
sweatpants. So without speculation, and I
know it's very hard in 2025, do you have an opinion without it
coming across as speculation? But I'm going to do both a
criminological analysis and a forensic analysis on this case.
(11:18):
That's basically what this episode is today.
So if that's of your interest, that's where we're headed.
I cannot give you any extra information then what the media
is sharing or information that I'm sharing with you on this
case has been derived by OSINT, which we've previously spoken
about. That is open source
intelligence. It's information anybody can
find. It's free information.
(11:41):
But the following information isbased off my knowledge as a
criminologist and forensic scientist.
So criminological analysis is fundamentally based off
theoretical and sociological standpoints.
If we're looking through a criminology lens, we are asking
why crime happens. So we're looking at human
behavior, power dynamics, cultural influences, and
(12:03):
structural inequalities. So criminological analysis, you
can say, is more of an idea driven rather than data-driven
purpose. We can use things like theories
such as strain theory, routine activity theory and labeling
theory, patterns of deviance or control, psychological patterns
(12:25):
I guess economic and social motivations, case studies, and
even lived experience from this standpoint.
So with that being said, on one hand, or as I like to explain
it, one side of my brain is forensics, which is telling us
what happened with things like DNA data, decomp, etcetera.
(12:47):
Criminology is the other side ofmy brain and it's asking why.
Why did Phoebe disappear? Why might someone cover it up?
Criminology is less about fingerprints in the lab and more
about power, vulnerability, and things like social pressure.
It's theory based, it's not testtube based, but it's just about
as equally as crucial in seeing the full picture here and also
(13:11):
critical in crime prevention, which is a huge 1.
So within our criminological analysis, we have victimology.
So as the word describes, we're essentially creating a victim
profile and it can be as straightforward as this profile.
Phoebe Bishop, 17, described as empathetic and spirited by her
(13:32):
family. Her last known movements were
allegedly being dropped off at Bundaberg Regional Air Airport,
Sorry by housemates, but never entered the terminal.
So her social and financial activity are also involved here
and there has been no activity on social media or bank accounts
since May 15th. Part of the victimology goes
(13:55):
into the residence. Where was she living?
What were her living conditions?Her residence has been described
by various media outlets as cluttered and unsanitary, and I
would have to agree with that. Reports from the Courier Mail
and Seven News say that Bromley,the female housemate, was living
in a bus outside the main house,which contradicts claims of a
(14:18):
stable residence as per other media reports.
Again, without speculation, we know that Tanika or Tanika, I
don't know how to pronounce it. I'm going to say Tanika, I don't
know. She was arrested as I previously
said with weapons and explosivesand charge charges on firearms
(14:42):
and ammunition being found in the Hyundai and at the residence
prior to Phoebe's disappearance.She also faced numerous weapons
related charges. So this isn't her first time and
I, I just want to make that clear because when you're
looking at the news, sometimes they like to just quickly jump
on the closest person. And while she, she may be
(15:04):
involved it, we cannot say that she is right now.
And it's really important to know that this isn't new
behavior of her housemate to have weapons related charges.
In March this year actually, shehad appeared in Bundaberg
Magistrates Court again on charges including unlawful
possession of a sworn off shotgun, possession of a flick
(15:25):
knife and carrying a knife in a public place.
At the time of her most recent arrest, she was on bail for
these offences. And that information you can
read more about on The Australian or on 7 News.
But after Phoebe's disappearance, police searched
the residence where they allegedly found a bunch of
weapons essentially. So that included a shortened
(15:47):
firearm, 2 handguns, ammunition,and they were located in the
vicinity of the residence and the Hyundai.
So I'm, I'm unsure specifically if they were in the car or the
residence or in the car that wasat the residence, but there's
that. So from there, the housemate was
then charged for two counts of authority required to possess
(16:10):
explosives, 1 count of possessing restricted items, and
one count of unlawful possessionof weapons.
These charges right now are considered unrelated to Phoebe's
disappearance, But that's just an important side note.
And put it on a sticky note and up there on your whiteboard.
So there's also speculation thatthe housemate may also share
(16:30):
custody of two children and thatshe's in an intimate
relationship with James Wood, who's also living at the same
address. Why are you waffling on about
this, you ask? This is all the criminological
side of analysis. Who is involved?
Who are they? Give us a little background on
them. That's essentially what we're
(16:51):
doing. That's all the information I
could find using OSINT that was appropriate to share.
It's also important to note thatthat Silver Grey Hyundai IX35
that was declared a crime scene as well as their place of
residence, that Hyundai belongedto the housemate, the female
housemate. So they're also, as we said, the
(17:15):
investigators are looking into Good Night Scrub National Park.
They're doing an intensive search with specialist units
like cadaver dogs, drones and all of the works.
So you will have probably seen if you've been watching the news
or reading on social media, theyhave been taking out some brown,
brown, been talking brown paper bags, which we know is usually
(17:40):
to contain evidence. So whether that is related to
her case or not, that's another thing.
It is believed to be linked to Phoebe's disappearance.
However, that's all being forensically tested.
So that's all we can talk about there.
Also, I just want to note, I mayseem a little bit vague, but
this is the active case and we've got to be really careful
with fresh active cases. We use the word allegedly a lot
(18:03):
like I've spoken about in previous episodes.
We have to allege everything because nothing is confirmed,
nothing's been charged or seen through the court and things
like that. So it's, it's difficult, but
we're going to get there guys and we're going to get into the
analysis and my opinion, which is it's a big one.
So just bear with me and I'm going to get into a geographical
(18:24):
analysis, which is lots of fun and you can do that yourself.
We have a lot of citizen sluts, as I like to call them, web
sluts. Great website.
And I think it's actually reallyuseful.
A lot of people are against it. I think it's useful.
I think the more brains on a situation or a case, the better.
(18:44):
And yes, it's obviously going tocome with a couple of odd, odd
people with odd opinions. That's fine.
We can filter those out. We we all know how to behave
like adults. But I think it's great.
And you don't need to have the background that I do to have an
opinion and have a look into things yourself.
Absolutely not. And what I do, even as a
(19:07):
professional is open up Google Maps.
I don't live in QLD, so Google Maps satellite fantastic, gives
me a view of where things are inproportion to each other, of
the, you know, topography are there, is it bushes, etcetera.
I love to do that. Street View all about it.
So jump on Google Maps and have a little look if you're not from
(19:31):
the area. So we've got three particular
places in question. We've got the Bundaberg Regional
Airport, that's where she was meant to be, so we can confirm
that. We can confirm that she lived in
Jinjin. I really hope that's how you say
it. And then the investigators are
(19:52):
looking at Good Night Scrub National Park.
So I am just sticking with thosethree.
OK, so they're confirmed. Those three places are
confirmed. Let's run with it.
So from Bundaberg Airport to Jinjin is approximately 51 KS.
Yes, I've done the maths OK. This is approximately a 36
minute drive. The significance of this, you
(20:14):
wonder. So the route between the airport
and Xinjiang is crucial because that encompasses the last known
locations associated with Phoebe, whether she actually was
dropped off at the airport that's alleged.
I'm not even going to go into myopinion on that.
So let's move on Jinjin to Good Night Scrub National Park.
(20:37):
So the distance there is between30 and 40 kilometers southwest
of Jinjin. The terrain is dense bushland
with limited access, making search efforts challenging.
Now the distance between Bundaberg Regional Airport and
Goodnight Scrub National Park isabout 95 kilometers by Rd.
So it's quite a distance. So depending on which route is
(21:00):
taken and of course dependent ontraffic conditions, but the most
common way involves travelling from Bundaberg to Jinjin.
OK, so keep that in mind becausethat is a route that would have
had to be taken if Phoebe was going from home to the airport.
OK, so the most common route involves traveling from
(21:22):
Bundaberg to Jinjin via the Bruce Hwy. then continuing
southwest to the park via Goodnight Road and Mingo Rd.
This journey would take typically around an hour and 15
minutes under normal driving conditions.
So what are you talking about, you ask?
Have I gone off on an investigative tangent?
(21:44):
Yes, I have, because I like to work with facts and I like to
work backwards. Don't ask me why, it just works
for me. Have you ever done those mazes?
I'm sure you have like in a kidsbook when you were a kid or with
your kid and it's like get the dog to his bone, like through
the maze. I always start with a bone.
I never start with a dog. Gives me the right answer the
first time and I don't need to go over it.
(22:05):
And that's how I operate in forensics.
So what am I talking about? How does this relate?
There's a number of businesses including security companies
that operate in the Bundaberg and Gin Gin areas.
Meaning there's options in reviewing CCTV along these
routes to see if they picked up the Hyundai IX35.
Now on media reports they say that Phoebe was seen arguing
(22:31):
with the driver of the Hyundai. Interesting.
I'd like to know where that was so I can place that on the map.
But as far as research goes, I have found Oz Spy Security
Solutions, Rechenberg Security and Locksmiths and Security
Enterprises who would potentially have lists of where
they have installed their security monitoring systems in
(22:51):
the Bundaberg and Jinjin areas. So while these companies to they
do supply and install, they would have information about
what businesses or residents have CCTV along these routes.
That's not public information obviously, but that would be
something authorities can look into.
So shout out QPS. In addition to that option, the
(23:13):
Bundaberg Regional Council operate CCTV cameras within the
Bundaberg and surrounding regions for public safety and
incidents response. So I'm sure that's not the
avenue that they will have taken.
If I know you can't see me and you can only hear me.
But that's a little wink and a nudge to QPS again.
But strategic, strategic, sorry,considerations, we have to
(23:35):
consider two factors into the search here.
And the first thing is accessibility and the second is
search challenges. So in terms of accessibility,
the remote nature of Good Night Scrub National Park, as I said,
jump on satellite, that'll help you out.
It suggests that it could be used to conceal evidence or
remains. OK, Now we're not saying that
(23:56):
Phoebe is deceased, but if we are looking for something to do
with Phoebe, we're either looking for her belongings,
weapons, items of hers or her herself, OK?
So if this is an effort to conceal evidence or remains, we
have to consider how a person could do so.
(24:18):
OK, So we're thinking how we're thinking worst case scenario,
OK, We're thinking do we have remains or heavy objects,
etcetera. And what we do have is Good
Night Scrub National Park and they have information that has
taken them there. We don't have that information,
but they do. So we have to just trust the
process, guys. And what are the access points?
(24:38):
OK, what are the access points? And are they by foot?
Are they by vehicle? Are there any areas that are
accessible by car? Could two people carry the
weight of a diseased body? Factoring in that a person's
body after death is not heavier by weight, but it is harder to
manoeuvre due to muscle tone being lost.
(25:00):
This loss of muscle tone after death makes the body limp, OK
and passive. And when a body is limp and
passive after death, it makes itmore difficult to lift and
carry, which gives a really realand realistic illusion of a
greater body weight. So when you hear the term dead
(25:22):
weight, that's what people are talking about.
We also have to factor in the timeline here because if there
was a potential deceased body being transported, for example,
and it was hours post death, again for example, a body then
goes into rigor OK and it stiffens, which again makes the
body super awkward to handle, particularly if the limbs are
(25:44):
locked into a certain position. I've previously worked on a case
of a victim who passed away, andat the time of death they had
fallen in a very unusual position.
And that person was there for quite some time and they went
into rigor before they were found.
And that means that that body was stuck in that position.
(26:04):
Once it hits rigor, the way thatit was found is the way that the
body will stay. So we don't know that either.
Again this is all just ideas, but the longer a body goes into
decomp again then the post mortem changes also change the
composition of the person. OK so in other words, in plain
English, the more time that has passed after somebody has passed
(26:28):
away, the more gas build up fromputrefaction which causes body
bloating. Again, that doesn't
significantly, significantly increase body weight, but
maneuvering a body that has all of that gas built up, that's
another factor and definitely not usually a one person job.
(26:50):
If I'm jumping into the behavioral and forensic insight
here, I just want to say, OK, there's a discrepancy in
accounts. So the housemates claim that
they dropped Phoebe off at the airport, Yes, or near the
airport on Airport Drive I believe they said.
Correct me if I'm wrong but thatinformation is contradicted by
(27:14):
the CCTV evidence showing that she never entered the terminal.
So what? What I'm saying here is,
forensically speaking, there is no evidence that they dropped
her off there. OK so that's why I just haven't
based it off that. I will base my theory around the
fact that she should have been there and she was travelling in
(27:35):
that direction. Can I confirm to you that she
was dropped off there? No, I cannot.
So the next point is the lack ofcommunication behaviourally.
Phoebe's sudden disappearance without any communication,
that's completely inconsistent with the character that has been
described. So that's by family accounts and
(27:58):
friends accounts. She obviously was also going to
travel to Washington to see her boyfriend, and he had not heard
from her. So this is just not typical
behavior of Phoebe, according toeverybody who knows her.
I also want to chat a bit about the significance, I guess of
declaring crime scenes because they had pretty early on
(28:20):
declared the Hyundai and the Residences crime scenes.
When authorities cordon off a property or a vehicle like they
have done in this instance, it'snot just about containment, it's
about preserving layers of narrative.
So blood, fibers, soil, even what's missing from a scene can
speak volume. So while we could speculate that
(28:44):
something had happened in the residence, they may also just be
looking for things of significance that should be
there that are not. So it's presence of evidence and
lack of evidence too. So that's also really
significant, particularly in missing persons cases.
We want to know what somebody has on them, what they don't
(29:05):
have on them. And the cadaver dogs, as far as
that goes, they are used to detect the scent of human
decomp, OK? That's what we're using them
for. And that can last even weeks
post a person's death because scent pulls in low lying areas.
It's called a sink. If you've ever done science at a
(29:28):
postgraduate level or environmental science, you will
know what I'm talking about. The scent pulling in low lying
areas like water and different parts of places like Goodnight
scrub that are lower lying. And if there's hills, scents
will pull at the bottom of the hills, at the bottom of the
ridges in the water, and they will hold in there like water in
(29:52):
a sink, I guess. And the cadaver dogs can smell.
What would you even say detect? I guess since even weeks after
something has been there in terms of marking the vehicle as
a crime scene, that could be forvarious reasons.
It's obviously a because Phoebe was in that vehicle.
(30:13):
She was confirmed to have been in that vehicle.
So they need to test whatever they can and that vehicle is
just basically going to be treated as a forensic container.
Don't touch this vehicle, it's ours.
We need to test everything we can.
There could be other things in there that we're not sure about.
They obviously found the weaponsrelated things for the
(30:36):
housemate. But in terms of good night
scrub, I want to talk about environmental DNA.
OK, which US forensic nerds callEdna.
But today we're going to say environmental DNA so you don't
get confused. I'd like to make this a pretty
informal chat just so you get used to the terms because once
(30:57):
I've said it a few times, I may go off on a tangent and I want
you to know what I'm talking about.
South Environmental DNA. OK, so we've got temperature, so
heat, humidity, what else have we got in a Bush?
Guys like insects, predators, all of these things combined and
separate, but potentially combined, they accelerate
(31:19):
decomposition. So again, if we're referring to
a person who has passed away, and again, we're not assuming
that that's what they're lookingfor because they could be
looking for weapons or luggage or mobile phones.
But if we are talking about a person who is deceased, all of
these things contribute to decomposition, accelerating.
(31:40):
And this effects how remains or clothing might be recovered.
So there's a theory in forensicscalled the soil transfer theory.
OK, So if remains were moved, there are traces on the soil or
soil on the clothing or tools. OK.
(32:01):
So just it's very, it's, it's like a chain reaction or tools
that could be matched back to areas within the park because
there's obviously different parts of the year, there's
different pollination going on. Like springtime would be a big
one for that. There's a lot going on in nature
that can tell you a lot about crime.
Do not be fooled by CSI and these things you're looking at
(32:23):
and they're like, oh, there's notire trucks, we can't do
anything wrong, Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
Way, way, way, way back to the start of forensics.
We have low cards exchange principle and that is one we
live by and it is a proven fact.It is science.
I live by it. Everyone else in forensics lives
by. It is that every contact leaves
(32:45):
a trace and you might not see itwith the naked eye if there has
been something there, those two things that have touched each
other, those two surfaces will leave an imprint on each other
one way or another if it's microscopically.
So maybe, and it probably would be.
That's why we have forensics. We can tell.
(33:05):
OK, but if you, for example, arewearing a cotton T-shirt and
you've just hugged your boyfriend and he's wearing a
cotton T-shirt, his is black andyours is blue.
Well, if we look at that under amicroscope, I can guarantee you
we are going to find a piece of fiber of his shirt on yours and
yours on his. And that's what we're talking
about here. So soil tells a very big
(33:28):
narrative behind this. We can detect soil disturbances.
We have a device called a groundpenetrating radar that will scan
the soil for disturbances. It can go quite deep.
We've got Lidar scanning. There's so many things that the
everyday person would not have heard of that can be used.
(33:51):
So the background on good night scrub I just went off absolutely
on attention background on good night scrub National Park.
OK, I've done my research. It's a room remote 6600 hectare
reserve with dense dry rainforest and rugged terrain.
It's huge you guys, absolutely huge.
But it is accessible only via limited 4 wheel drive tracks,
(34:15):
making searches logistically challenging.
However, not super challenging because if we are again looking
at an area and we say OK, if it was accessed by a vehicle, how
far can we get in and what entrance points can we get in
with that vehicle. If you look on maps which I did
(34:36):
and you you pop in the look the closest street name.
Can't remember what it's called off the top of my head.
There's one specific St. that goes quite far in there.
I believe it is a dirt track, but it goes quite far in there.
You'd be looking in there. Are there other points of access
around access with the vehicle? Are there other points around
that aren't off a main road? Can you go off a little fork or
(34:58):
intersection where you're not necessarily going to be seen by
somebody driving past? That's another huge one.
I also want to know while I'm onthis topic, that most people who
commit crimes, if a crime has been committed here, but in
general, they're not sitting at home planning the best route to
(35:22):
drive in the quickest way and blah, blah, blah.
It's generally as at the moment,where can I go?
How can I do this? So we don't need to spend too
much time, you know, with that sort of thing.
We just need to think like if you were there at this giant
(35:42):
National Park and you've chosen this is the spot that I'm going
to. Let's just let's talk like
normal, normal people. Not that it's normal to throw
rubbish out of a car, but I'm going to say I need to throw my
Maccas Happy meal out of the carbecause it's gross and I need to
get it away from me. Let's say I'm pregnant and the
smell is just killing me and I'mthrowing that out, but I don't
(36:05):
want anyone to see me. Where are you throwing that out?
OK, Did you write down like a detailed note of where you were
going to go to do that? Or did you just go there and
find the most appropriate spot and throw it out when no other
car saw you? So that's another, that's the
best example I can give you because I don't want to.
I hate people who litter, so I just, I can't relate.
(36:26):
But that was the best example I could come to at that time
anyway. There's also wild pig activity
and other scavenger species in that scrub National Park that
can also complicate body recovery and decomposition
timelines historically. Also, I found a few sites that
(36:48):
said that that National Park historically was used for hidden
stolen cars and illegal hunting camps and that locals know the
area is isolating. I don't know how factual that
is, I did go quite deep onto theInternet to find that.
But anyway, my last comment before closing off with a few
bits and pieces would be to check all information provided
(37:11):
because I'm unsure who actually confirmed that she was last seen
on Airport Link Road. Did someone see her there?
As far as I'm aware it was a comment made by somebody, but if
there was CCTV of that then I'm sure that they would have
released that and release those like images.
Being like this is where she waslast seen for the public to
(37:33):
garner assistance. But there's no evidence of that.
So I'm not going to speculate there.
If it was the housemates that last saw her there because they
dropped her there, I would like to know why did they drop her
there and so close to the airport but not at the actual
actual terminal? And does that even count as a
(37:55):
confirmed sighting? Did she even make it that far?
Who reported seeing her arguing with the driver of the Hyundai?
And where was that? Because for all we know that was
her last known sighting alive. I know that there was text
messages from James Wood saying he was the last person to see
(38:15):
her alive, but literally no one else has said that except him so
I don't know if he's referring to that.
She may not have even made it out of the vehicle alive, like
who knows? And if she did, why were there
number plates on the Hyundai altered?
They have been changed like by hand and you can very clearly
tell they've been altered by hand.
(38:37):
My opinion is that she never even made it to that airport
link Road reports say that her housemates aren't immediate
family members. So are they distant relatives?
Like how does she know these people?
I feel like the public need moreinformation with that.
Did the boyfriend leak his own text?
The boyfriend being James Wood, did he leak his own text to
(38:58):
cover his own ass by saying he was putting in an effort to
search for her to paint his own public image?
Like I I don't understand that. I think that could be likely.
And the house that there was reports saying the house was
derelict and unhygienic. The house was a hovel.
It was absolutely disgusting. Surrounded by trash.
I don't know how anybody could live there.
(39:19):
It honestly reminded me of a house off the hoarders.
If you haven't seen that, look it up.
Disgusting. I'll post some pictures on
social media of this because I just there's so many questions.
There was a bus noted in one of the articles saying that you
know that female housemate was living in the bus.
But then I also saw that the busat the property was also
(39:41):
advertised on Facebook marketplace.
It's very odd but my forensic opinion is this OK?
In Australia, more than 30,000 people are reported missing each
year. Of these, around 60% are under
18 and girls aged between 13 and17 make up most commonly
(40:02):
reported. This is data from the AFP.
This isn't an anomaly. Girls like Phoebe make up a
disproportionately large number of missing persons reports,
often due to unstable home environments, coercive control
or high risk peer relationships.But in Phoebe's case, the lack
of movement on CCTV and abandoned flight and missing
(40:23):
belongings signals something farmore sinister to me.
Over 95% of missing persons are found within 38 hours.
By day 7, over 98% have returnedor been located.
Cases that remained open past the 30 day mark are
statistically more likely to involve foul play.
(40:45):
Now, we're not at that mark yet,but Phoebe's case passed all
critical thresholds. No ATM activity, no phone
records, no trace. These things are all the basic
checks that are done for a proofof life.
When a missing teen fails to resurface within the first week,
the probability statistically ofvoluntarily being absent, it
(41:08):
drops dramatically. As a forensic scientist, that
changed the scope of the investigation for me and the
urgency of recovery because obviously the sooner the
potential remains are found, theeasier the evidence is to
examine to give answers and closure for family and friends.
In 84% of abduction related homicides, the offender attempts
to conceal the victim, their remains or key evidence, often
(41:32):
using secondary locations like bushlands, waterway or abandoned
vehicles. The tampered Hyundai, the remote
drop point at the regional airport and the state of the
home is now declared a crime scene.
These elements fit the concealment pattern.
The choice of goodnight scrub. It's dense, it's remote, it's
(41:52):
ecologically complex. It's also statistically aligning
with known concealment locationsin rural Queensland missing
persons cases. According to the AIC and the
AIHW, teens living in a non parental household or informal
housing arrangements are at a three times greater risk of
becoming long term missing. Phoebe isn't just a teenager,
(42:17):
she's statistically categorized as a vulnerable one, living in a
cluttered and unstable residencewith adults who are now under
investigation. This raises multiple red flags.
Her situation places her in one of the highest risk categories
for exploitation or disappearance.
Over 40% of rural Queensland body recoveries occur within 5
(42:39):
kilometers of a road. But terrain with high canopy
cover or natural watercourses like Good Night Scrub, they're
remote and they're not entirely inaccessible.
It fits the profile of secondarybody disposal sites, dense
cover, low foot traffic, and limited surveillance.
It's also super common for offenders to choose areas that
(43:01):
they're familiar with but not emotionally attached to.
It's possible that someone knew that that terrain well enough to
feel confident that it would conceal.
Forensics is a science, so when I'm giving a forensic opinion,
it's based on fact and data analysis.
Sometimes it make makes it seem like it's not particularly
personable, but it's an opinion that's supposed to be generated
(43:24):
based on experience and objective evidence.
Sick opinion only. Like right now it's in the
nicest, most respectful way possible.
I'm saying that things are not looking good for Phoebe and I
really wish that that was not the case.
That's why I'm here as a victim advocate as well as a scientist.
But unfortunately, given the factors like the time pass and
(43:45):
the circumstances, it's just noton the good side of science.
I wish this wasn't the case for Phoebe.
I hope it's not the case for Phoebe, and I wish it wasn't the
case for every single other missing person in this country.
We have a long way to go to bridge this gap and fix systemic
issues and I honestly see the only way through that is A
(44:06):
through crime prevention and B through specialty resources, not
just your regular police or respect to them.
We need specialist teams, we need more funding, we need
resources, we need better housing.
This house was in no way fit fora 17 year old girl to be living
in. But that's all I'm going to say.
(44:27):
I'm going to love and leave you.I hope you have gained a little
bit of insight out of this analysis.
I haven't gone too much into it while it's still active and
ongoing. I'll update you further if
there's any more progression. Rather on this case, I've been
talking too much that my words are blending into one, but I
just wanted to do a little bit of an an analysis.
(44:48):
Oh my gosh, wow, I need a coffee.
I wanted to do an analysis and encourage you to not be
discouraged by the fact that youdo not have a degree.
If you do not have one, I want you to question things, ask
questions, look into things you know, theorize yourself, be
(45:11):
curious, and look for the truth.That's what my podcast is about.
And you are so welcome to share your opinions on my group, on
Facebook or on any of our platforms.
We welcome it, OK? We welcome discussion, healthy
discussion, respectful discussion.
(45:34):
And again, everything's alleged at this point, but it's it's
important to have discussions. And I'm thinking of all of
Phoebe's friends and family right now and everybody else who
is going through something like this.
But thank you so much for sticking around and listening.
And that's the end of today's podcast.
(45:55):
Thank you so much for joining meon this episode.
I hope you have enjoyed it here.If so, you can subscribe to stay
up to date on new episodes, or you can find us both on
Instagram and Facebook and now TikTok.
Please feel free to jump onto our Facebook group to join in on
the case discussions. You can find the link to our
group in our podcast notes. As always, stay curious, stay
(46:17):
informed, and until next time, trust your instincts and keep
seeking the truth.
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