Heart-wrenching moment at Pheobe Bishop's funeral

Heart-wrenching moment at Pheobe Bishop's funeral
Source: Daily Mail Online

A large crowd has turned out for murdered teenager Pheobe Bishop's funeral, with one mourner seen chasing after the hearse as other attendees tried to hold her back.

Pheobe, 17, went missing near Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15, after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend.

Earlier this month, police discovered Pheobe's remains near Goodnight Scrub National Park.

Her former housemates, 33-year-old Tanika Bromley and 34-year-old James Wood, were charged with her murder and are being held in jail on remand while they await their next court appearance. Neither have entered pleas.

At 2pm on a rainy day in Bundaberg, Pheobe's family, including mum Kylie Johnson and sister Kaylea Bishop, gave the teen a send-off before a private cremation at the Springfields Crematorium.

Ms Johnson was seen outside the service in a pink dress with her arm around another mourner and, at one point, reached out to touch the white hearse as it drove Pheobe from the funeral.

In a particularly emotional moment, a teenage mourner was seen running after the hearse as a young man held her back.

Pheobe's funeral notice described her as the 'beloved daughter of Kylie and Ray, Kevin and Stacey. Dearly loved sister of Jamie, Jesse, Kaylea, Ruby-Leigh, Aybel and sister-in-law to Janay. Loving aunty to Tallullah. Much loved niece, cousin and friend to many'.

The family of Pheobe Bishop is holding a private funeral for the teen on Monday.

A teenage mourner was seen running after the hearse as it left the funeral service, with two fellow mourners holding her back as a woman runs to help.

The teenager's mother Kylie Johnson was seen in a pink dress with her arm around another woman.

Ms Johnson said she was 'devastated' to farewell her daughter.

'This is absolutely everybody's worst nightmare, however, we promised to get Phee home and give her a send-off that Phee would approve of and that's what will happen,' she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Pheobe's maternal auntie Caz Johnson took to social media on Monday to point out that she had not been invited to the funeral.

'It was nice to say goodbye to Pheobe my own way, since I was asked, please don't go to the funeral to keep the peace,' Caz said.
'It makes my blood boil that people from South Windsor (are) driving up to attend Pheobe's funeral when they couldn't be there to help her when she needed it.'

Caz and Pheobe's mother have frequently butted heads in public since the teen's disappearance in May.

It began when Caz went on Network Ten's The Project to share disturbing texts from the teen sent before she went missing, and make allegations about her tumultuous upbringing.

She revealed Pheobe sent text messages out of the blue on April 26 to say her mother had told her to 'get out', but didn't want to talk about the matter as it was 'a long story'.

As the hearse drove by Ms Johnson reached out to touch her daughter

Caz Johnson (pictured) also said that Pheobe had an unsettled childhood, regularly changing schools and having to deal with new stepdads coming in and out of her life

'Up s creek but s happens,' Pheobe wrote, in texts shown on Ten.
'I'm flying the f* out of here to see my boyfriend.'
'If it goes to plan I'm not coming back. I can't do s* anymore. I need to get out of this hell hole.'

Caz Johnson also said that Pheobe had an unsettled childhood, regularly changing schools and having to deal with new stepdads coming in and out of her life.

But Pheobe's mother reacted immediately on social media after The Project segment aired, saying her sister knew 'nothing' about her daughter.

Caz Johnson 'hasn't spoken to my children or myself for the last 13-14 years',' she wrote.
'She knows nothing about Pheobe and who she was as a person.'

The pair later clashed earlier this month over whether or not Pheobe had a disability.

'Pheobe had no disabilities but (was) a child who was out of control that had no parent figure who paid an (alleged) killer to look after her,' Caz wrote in one scathing post.
'Please refrain from referencing my daughter as your family, she may be blood related however you know nothing about her,' Ms Johnson replied.

The 17-year-old went missing near Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 , after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend

'You state Phee Phee had no disability? Where is your evidence? Where are your Professional reports or better yet your qualifications to state that she didn't have a disability? Oh wait you wouldn't know because you didn't know her!'

Before she disappeared, Pheobe made reference on social media to borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Ms Johnson did not specify what Pheobe's disability was. However, before she disappeared, the teen had shared a post to TikTok about borderline personality disorder.

'Having a partner with bpd (borderline personality disorder) means... getting blocked or left over small incidents... they will say very harsh things they don't mean when having an episode,' the post said, apparently in an attempt to explain her sometimes unpredictable behaviour.

Ms Johnson previously said Pheobe 'didn't fit the mainstream school model' and struggled with her education until she was enrolled at the alternative Y School in Bundaberg.