Phoebe Bishop’s family have confirmed that the remains found in bushland are hers.
Pheobe went missing on her way to Bundaberg airport in southern Queensland on May 15.
Her housemates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were charged with her murder on June 6, more than three weeks after she disappeared.
Officers discovered what were believed to be the teenager’s remains later that day in bushland near a national park, an hour’s drive from Bundaberg airport.
Police allege they moved her body more than once.
The Bishop family said officers on Monday confirmed the remains were Pheobe’s.
‘Our family would like to thank everyone involved from information reported to searching and everyone that has sent heartwarming messages,’ they said in a statement.
‘We just would also like to have time to process and grieve this new information as a family and ask for privacy at this time.’
Police are still investigating how the teen died.
Remains found in bushland have been confirmed to be missing teen Phoebe Bishop
Mourners pay tribute to Bishop at a vigil
James Wood (pictured), 34, has been charged with the murder of Bishop
Pheobe was apparently dropped at Bundaberg Airport by her housemates to catch a flight to Western Australia to visit her boyfriend, but she never entered the terminal.
Authorities will allege she was murdered shortly after she was last seen and that her body was moved a number of times before it was found in bushland near Good Night Scrub National Park on June 6.
Wood and Bromley remain in custody and are due to appear in court again in August.
It’s alleged Bromley and Wood interfered with her corpse on May 15 and again two days later when Pheobe’s body is said to have been moved to Good Night Scrub National Park.
Court documents allege she was killed on Airport Drive in Bundaberg where she was last seen with her luggage, which police have yet to find.
It’s understood detectives relied on DNA on Pheobe’s clothes and DNA from hair at the scene to identify her after her body lay for three weeks in a remote area where feral dogs and wild pigs roam.
Police confirmed Pheobe’s remains had not been buried at the site where they were found.
Pheobe’s mother Kylie Johnson was informed that police had found human remains just moments before the discovery was made public.
‘I didn’t think my heart could break anymore then it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid, but this! This is ripping me apart,’ she said in a post as the news broke.
On Sunday, a convoy of more than 50 vehicles travelled from Gin Gin to Bundaberg to honour Pheobe’s memory.
Tributes have flowed from the community and her boyfriend Levi, who had been preparing for a beach trip with Pheobe.
Levi’s father Rick – speaking on his son’s behalf – has opened up to Daily Mail Australia. (We are not revealing Levi’s surname at the family’s request.)
Rick said Levi is still too traumatised by Pheobe’s loss – but said the family wanted to pay tribute to the special bond between the lovestruck teenagers.
Levi absolutely adored Pheobe,’ he said.
Rick revealed the tragedy is the second devastating heartbreak to hit the family after Levi lost his mother in a car crash in Bundaberg just four years ago – a tragedy that prompted the family to move across the country.
‘They would video chat all night, every night, falling asleep – and then they would tell each other who was sleep-talking the next day,’ Rick told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It was a bit cute.’
The father-of-six said the couple had been excited for weeks about their reunion and were busily planning out every detail.
‘Levi had bought Pheobe a Canon camera worth $1000 because she wanted to get into photography,’ he said.
‘A week before she was supposed to land, Levi had packed the 4WD up with camping gear.
‘He had planned a trip to Esperance in WA, camping on the beach with Pheobe.
‘They were both really excited about that.
‘It’s so heartbreaking seeing what could have been a beautiful future together shattered into pieces.’
