“During the day, that additional testing and examination will occur with a view of not only formally identifying those remains, but also supporting our brief of evidence in our investigation to date,” he said, adding that police hoped to identify the remains on Saturday.
Police released vision of the crime scene at Gin Gin, where human remains were found in the search for missing Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop.Credit: Queensland Police
When asked if Wood and Bromley had helped narrow down the search area, Mansfield said police had engaged with their lawyers, and the area that had been searched was about 9 kilometres from where investigators had previously been.
He said it was within the area of telephone data police had examined as part of their investigation.
Mansfield said he did not believe the human remains had been buried, but did not elaborate.
“I don’t want to go into the specifics of what we’ve seen there at the scene, just out of respect for Pheobe’s family,” he said.
He said the scene was difficult and complex.
“But experience from our forensic search teams, our forensic co-ordinator, is that the remains would have been consistent with the timeframe in which Pheobe went missing.”
Mansfield said search teams would return to the area where the remains were found, after mapping identified an additional location of interest. He said Pheobe’s luggage and phone were still missing.
“The scene at the moment is two-fold: obviously to bring closure to Pheobe’s family, and also to potentially identify those remains as being hers,” he said.
He said there was no indication the case involved drugs.
Police at the scene in Gin Gin. Credit: Queensland Police
After police confirmed human remains had been discovered on Friday night, Pheobe’s mother, Kylie Johnson, shared her heartbreak at hearing the update.
“I didn’t think my heart could break any more then it did when you went missing, or when the charges [were] laid but this! This is ripping me apart,” she wrote.
Johnson also shared details of a community candlelight vigil to be held for the 17-year-old, scheduled for this Sunday afternoon at Kolan Community Park in Gin Gin.
James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were arrested and charged with the murder of Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop on Thursday.Credit: Nine News
An online fundraiser, shared by Johnson, had raised almost $2000 on Saturday afternoon. It read: “Pheobe had a gentle soul and a generous spirit – always caring for others and standing up for what was right.
“We want her legacy to live on and by paying it forward to the amazing volunteers and community.”
Mansfield earlier said Pheobe had moved in with Wood and Bromley in November. He said dead dogs were found at that property after her disappearance, but he was unsure how many.
He told reporters on Saturday that nothing significant had been found at the property, but confirmed the scene was complex, with the house in a dishevelled state.
“We’re still waiting on a number of forensic results to come back from that examination [of the house],” he said.
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